# Electric Yellow & Blue Hap planted tank questions....



## df-dave (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm sure these have all been addressed at length, so I apologize for trying to gather all the possible info into this thread in advance.

I have a 40 gallon tank that I'll be turning into a planted cichlid aquarium.

I plan on putting Java Fern, Anubis and Dwarf Sagitarria in aquarium sand or small uncolored gravel.

I'll be putting in a fluval 306, 200w heater and some rock or wood for hiding spots for the fish.

Now, the rest I keep reading conflicting advice on.

LED or Florescent? My main concern here is to provide the plants with enough light to be healthy without washing out the colors of the fish. Some people are saying florescent are better for plants, and to get one specific to plant growth and the fish will be fine. Others argue that LED's give off the proper lighting for plants anyway and you save $$ on energy costs plus a lot of LED light strips have nighttime blue lights (I'm unclear on the reason for that...lol)

Number of fish. My original plan was to put 4 of each species in, reasoning that their average full growth size is 5" and the old formula of an inch per gallon is stuck in my head. But some people are telling me that because of the aggressiveness of malawi cichlids that I should overcrowd the tank a bit to keep territorial fights to a minimum.

Any help or advice here would be great. If you've got input on my "I think I'm sure" parts above, feel free to weigh in. lol


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

I'm not sure which species of cichlids you're referring to. Could you give us the scientific names?

I find LEDs to be great for plant growth. My setups would be considered "low light/low tech," but I still experience a ton of growth. I like the Current USA Satellite Plus for low-medium light tanks. They've also released a Pro version with higher power and a timer. For my higher light tank, I use a Finnex FugeRay Planted Plus. This is almost too bright for my taste, but the plants thrive under it.

What are your tank dimensions? If it is overly tall, you may want to go with a slightly more powerful light.

With the first two plants you listed, you don't need a ton of light. I'm unfamiliar with dwarf sagitarria.

Blue moonlights are just for us humans, for nighttime viewing.


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## df-dave (Jan 27, 2015)

Electric Yellow Cichlid
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pcatid=839

Blue Hap Cichlid
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/c ... lueHap.php

Dwarf Sagitarria
http://www.jestep.com/images/aquarium/10-29-2011.jpg

The tank dimensions are 30" long, 12" wide, 22.5" tall.

I figured the "mood lighting" was for more for us than the fish lol


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## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

The "electric blue hap" will get too big and aggressive for a small tank. Chances are you'll only be able to have the labs or another group of dwarf mbuna with 1m/3-4f in a 30" tank. They may or may nor destroy the plants.


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## jw85 (Dec 24, 2013)

I wouldn't put a fryeri in a tank that small. You would end up with a lot of aggression and dead fish. I probably wouldn't put labs in a tank that small either.

My haps have destroyed plants every time I've tried.

My thoughts: for a small planted tank I'd look for something other than cichlids. Save the cichlids for when you get something bigger.

This forum's profiles put the fryeri at a max size of 7 inches BTW.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I agree with everything that has been said. My mbuna eat the plants and dig them up, but if you want mbuna in a 30" tank stock with Pseudotropheus saulosi.

If you want plants I'd do vallisneria instead of Sagitarria...I believe it does better with the pH we keep for Malawi.


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## df-dave (Jan 27, 2015)

Good advice folks. Thanks.

So mbuna instead of the yellow and blue. Any species in particular? And what about this whole "over-crowding to avoid fights" concept?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The 30" length is limiting you. Pseudotropheus saulosi is the only Malawi I would recommend for that size. And they will eat/dig up your plants.


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## df-dave (Jan 27, 2015)

Interesting. I'll have to do some reading. Thanks for the advice. Now, how big do those end up getting and what kind of population?


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## animallover4life (Jul 23, 2014)

Also depending on your water parameters you could get convicts or German Rams. The German Rams you could keep with the yellow labs


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## firefighter5 (Nov 25, 2014)

Java fern and anubis should work fine cuz that isnt planted in substrate its tied off to rocks/driftwood etc.Roots arent put in substrate.But some will even eat that.Dwarf sag prolly doesnt have a chance.I tried it and it was an uphill battle.All they did was dig it up and eat it.It was floating in tank daily.I took it out and put in another tank b4 they killed it all.Java fern and anubis will work with any light setup.Might grow slower but they are def low light/easy.


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## df-dave (Jan 27, 2015)

The German Ram looks nice too. Hmm...I seem to be expanding my research. This is great!

good to know with the sag. Thanks.


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

I wouldn't mix Rams and Africans at all. The Rams need very soft, acidic water, which Mbuna won't tolerate.

However, Rams and many South American cichlids would work well in a tank this size, and won't destroy your plants. Angelfish are another option. These fish can also be kept with community fish like tetras and corydoras.


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## jw85 (Dec 24, 2013)

df-dave said:


> Good advice folks. Thanks.
> 
> So mbuna instead of the yellow and blue. Any species in particular? And what about this whole "over-crowding to avoid fights" concept?


I agree on angelfish being something cool for you to research.

But the overcrowding theory isn't that it helps avoids fights, it spreads aggression out over many fish. So if you only have 1 male and 1 female, he will probably chase her until she dies. If you have like 50 females, he will have a harder time focusing on just one fish to chase... So they all fight each other. You still have fighting. It also doesn't mean to stock them like feeder goldfish at a chain store. If you have breeding groups in a really small tank, they might go crazy when they breed because they don't have "enough space" and you will probably lose fish.

Some people have success with it. I have an all male hap tank and it hasn't seemed to help me, since they all look different and the fish know who they don't like and know to chase when they see them.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1

Attaching java fern and anubias to rocks solves the digging but not the eating. Some have success with these and mbuna...I didn't.

I'd buy 18 unsexed juveniles and try to get 3m:9f. If you are lucky maybe all three males will color up.


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## 3000GT (Jan 18, 2014)

If you're not set on African cichlids, then you could do Blue Rams and Angels as mentioned above, or could look at kribensis, checkerboard chichlid, cockatoo cichlids, rainbow cichlid and others that would probably work well with plants, and allow you to have some schooling community fish with them as well. You'd probably have to worry a lot less about aggression and you'd have a nice tank.


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## df-dave (Jan 27, 2015)

Interesting. I had an angel fish tank for about four years and passed them onto a friend who wanted to get started as a fairly easy fish to begin with. I was looking for something a little more complicated this time, plus it's the look and color of a lake malawi cichlid i'm focused on. Good advice though if I wasn't to set on them lol


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I've found P. Saulosi to be more aggressive than what most people experience. Had to try 3 different males in a 40 breeder(36x18). Couldn't keep more than 1 male in the tank without one being pushed into the corners and bullied. Settled on a 1:9 ratio.


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