# What Do I Go With?



## shaggy (Feb 14, 2009)

i am thinking of making one of my new 28 gal tanks a cichlid tank. After a good conversation with Will from Alternative Aquariums i need some more direction.
The fish i am interested in are Electric Blues, Yellow Labs, Blue Neons and maybe shell dwellers of some sort. I think i would like to narrow this down to 2 or 3 different species. Which ones would i have the best luck with and would show the least aggression towards each other?

Next question is what else can i put in the tank other than the cichlids? i would like some kind of clean up crew such as catfish, inverts or algea eaters.

Last question (for now) is about the setup. Will suggested filtering 1 1/2 times the recommended filtering so that would be the plan. I will have sand substrate but unsure of the plant situation, by the sounds of it i need to use fake plants. If i can go with live plants should i also airate the tank with an air pump?

thanks for any help or direction you can give me.


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## tooslow (Apr 16, 2008)

*cichlid tank*

About the filter situation i would suggest going bigger for sure. i would go with a filter that would handle a 50g tank.

In regards to the plant situation, i would suggest Anubias nana with the cichlids, then don't eat them so they are pretty safe. At least that is my experience. i have a few in my tanks now.

about the clean up crew, i would go with chinese and golden algae eaters, clown loaches, and you can also have bushy nose plecos too. Just make sure the plecos are bigger then you cichlids to start out if you can arrange it.

good luck with the new set up.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Don't get a loach or a pleco - the loaches need 5 - 6 of them and will grow over a foot long; the bushynose pleco prefers soft acid waters, not hard alkaline water.

Time and time again I see cichlid keepers making these poor stocking choices without regard for their "clean up crew" - they're living things too.


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## tooslow (Apr 16, 2008)

yes clown loaches are a social fish, and should be in groups, but there is nothing wrong with putting them with cichlids. and the bushy nose is pretty much the only pleco that will do ok in that type of water from what numerous fish stores have told me. But they could be wrong i guess....


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

There is nothing wrong with putting a clown loach with cichlids EXCEPT that a group of clown loaches require at least a 200 gallon tank which is about 172 gallons larger than what we're dealing with here. 

With a 28 gallon tank your best bet is to check out some of the dwarf cichlids, lamprologines, julidochromites, etc. A yellow lab will get pretty large and a school of them will need a bigger tank than 28 gallons. 

As for "clean up crew," (a term which I loathe) the best clean up crew is a siphon and a bucket. Regular weekly water changes of 25% an algae magnet if you have algal problems and a good dechlorinator will be a much better choice than a "janitor fish" (another term I loathe). If you are determined to have an algae eating fish bristlenose plecos work well but you need to make sure the fish they're with wont attack them (or provide them with ample hiding the cichlids wont be able to get into) and you should keep your water closer to neutral PH and GH as ammekplec mentioned they do better in softer acidic water, although mine do fine in toronto water which I don't tamper with. 

Best of luck.


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## Abner (Apr 7, 2009)

I gotta agree with Cory here...though we all have different experiences i think it's safe to say that some fish just don't belong together. I started my tank with 4 cichlids and tried a clown loach as part of clean up crew but after the fish i picked out got severely hurt and some died i gave up. I now have my one venustus in a 28 (i know is too small) and a clown pleco who is doing ok but hides out most of the time...best clean up is you and your syphon mate...i also use toronto tap water and prime and have no problems. Listen to the folks on here as they give good advice but we all want what we want just don't experiment at the expense of these beautiful creatures.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Hope you have some wood with the Clown plec - they're panaques too. They need wood as a part of their diet.


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## Abner (Apr 7, 2009)

See what i say about them being a great source of info ?? lol i didn't know they needed wood as part of their diet, wanted to put in a piece of driftwood but more for the look than anything. Thanx ameekplec gonna get some asap.


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## juanitow (Jun 21, 2008)

The julidochromis and (neo/alto)lamprologus will keep to themselves, mostly, if given enough territory. Water chemistry isn't a big deal if you're not adding water hardener.

An issue you might have with plecos is that they might steal your cave dweller's eggs at night.


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