[the village idiot]

What Would Cichlid Forum Members Do?

I have a 100 gallon tank and it's time to make some actual decisions. Here is dilemma numero uno:

Do I go with a yellow and blue setup, which would have p. demasoni or m. cyaneorhabdos, l. caeruleus and a few haplochromines? Or do I go with a more colorful setup with some p. demasoni or m. cyaneorhabdos, l. caeruleus, m. estherae, p. acei, etc.? (as a side note, while I can appreciate the appeal of a tank where every fish is different and a different color, I prefer things a little more orderly, I guess you'd say. I like to have larger groups of fewer types of fish rather than the other way around)

Dilemma number B is what to do with decor. I'm stuck between black silica sand with red lava rock and white silica sand with black lava rock. The background is already painted black, if that makes a difference.

So...What Would Cichlid Forum Members Do? I appreciate any help you have to offer.

 

[DJRansome]

I vote for all mbuna and white sand, black rock. The haps might not appreciate the more rambunctious mbuna on your list.

What are the dimensions of the tank? First of the year, my mbuna are moving to a 48" x 18" tank and I will keep all the ones in my signature but the Acei, love the combination.

 

[Dewdrop]

I agree with DJRansome but have a few questions for him....
Why aren't you keeping the acei? I love mine and think they add alot to the tank.
Why are you downsizing the malawi tank?
What plans do you have up your sleeve for the 125g.?

 

[DJRansome]

I'll start a new thread so we don't hyjack the village idiot. Wow, that sounded rude! :lol:

 

[Mitch101]

I have had a time with demasoni, bought 14 months ago, when I was down to 4 bought ten more, had 1 fry showup for a day then he disapeared and now we have two left. :x No disease and am pretty sure it wasent our lab juvies. I would go with another blue fish.

 

[fishwolfe]

hit the tanks button, bottom of post, at my 110g 6' long tank.its got white substrate red rock and a black background.

 

[the village idiot]

I vote for all mbuna and white sand, black rock. The haps might not appreciate the more rambunctious mbuna on your list.

What are the dimensions of the tank? First of the year, my mbuna are moving to a 48" x 18" tank and I will keep all the ones in my signature but the Acei, love the combination.

Thanks for casting your vote! I was leaning in that direction, too, as it seemed the red may detract from the colors of the fish. I was thinking black sand with the black rock, but I thought that might be overkill on the black, especially since the stand is black. The footprint of the tank is 60x16...kind of an odd shape, I think.

I agree with DJRansome but have a few questions for him....
Why aren't you keeping the acei? I love mine and think they add alot to the tank.
Why are you downsizing the malawi tank?
What plans do you have up your sleeve for the 125g.?

I'll start a new thread so we don't hyjack the village idiot. Wow, that sounded rude!

:lol: Don't worry...most people call me the village idiot, but they leave of the "the village" part :lol: And never sweat hijacking one of my threads. I always have a ton of questions, so I end up hijacking my own thread (if you're confused by that, see my screen name), and I'm also always interested in learning more. I mean, if you hijacked to talk about America's Next Top Model or something, I might be offended. Other than that, while I appreciate the respect, hijack away! I'm actually curious why you're getting rid of the Acei also. Anything I need to know about them? Do they bully other fish, or raid the refrigerator while you're sleeping?

I have had a time with demasoni, bought 14 months ago, when I was down to 4 bought ten more, had 1 fry showup for a day then he disapeared and now we have two left. No disease and am pretty sure it wasent our lab juvies. I would go with another blue fish.

I've heard that from a lot of people, which is why I put the m.cyaneorhabdos as an alternative...that's the fish in your avatar, right, Dewdrop? I've kept demasoni once before and, surprisingly, I never had any trouble with them at all. It's doubly surprising considering that I seem to have every problem possible in my aquariums. I'm really hoping for success with this tank. I've been back in the hobby for about 3 years now and I've been trying different things in my aquariums and nothing seems to be working. Even things that should work aren't, especially in terms of compatability. I'd really like this to be the last redesign on this tank for a while.

 

[the village idiot]

hit the tanks button, bottom of post, at my 110g 6' long tank.its got white substrate red rock and a black background.

Apparently you and I were posting at the same time. After seeing your aquarium, it appears the red lava rock doesn't detract at all from the fish. Your tank looks absolutely amazing! Well done! :thumb:

 

[DJRansome]

I have nothing bad to say about the Acei, but they do not "stand out" to me like some other fish. You can't keep every fish you own if you want to try new ones!

 

[Dewdrop]

Yep, cyaneorhabdos is the fish in my avitar. I've never had demasoni so I really don't know about them except for what I've read.

I like the acei because they are pretty mild mannered, use the top part of the tank, and they seem to draw the other fish up higher in the tank too. It's useful in my 55g.tank because it's way over crowded and it helps to have more fish using higher water (if that makes sence). Like DJRansome said (maybe in the thread he started so he wouldn't hijack this one lol) "they do get big". I was planning on a bigger tank because of the overcrowding (thinking a 75g.48"x18") but because of the acei getting 6", decided I needed a tank as long as I could possibly get so I'm trying to get a 60" long tank. Would like even longer for them but don't have the room. My acei are still pretty small 3-4 inches and I only have 3.

Also like DJRansome said, "you can't keep every fish you own if you want to try new ones". I guess that's what I'm trying to do with going for an all male tank eventually but until the new bigger tank comes through, I've got some time to play with that idea. Women are famous for changing their minds lol.

 

[etcbrown]

If you like the blue fish and yellow fish combination you might try Metriaclima sp msobo, not real aggressive in my experience and they look amazing!

Check the link and be sure to browse through all the pictures to get an idea of male vs female colors:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=801