# 65 Gallon Options



## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

I've got room to add a 36" wide tank. Would love 48", but really don't know think I have the width. So I'm eyeing a 36" wide 65G tank. 36x18x25. Would like this to be Cichlid tank #2. Current set up is 75G with Acei, Rusty, Yellow Labs, White Top Afras. Outside of 1 yellow lab who is a jerk, all is pretty well.

Realize the 36" width limits me, so looking for options. My ideal setup is below, but (1) Unsure 100% if it'll work (2) This would be first forray into Demasoni... So open to other ideas.

12-15 Demasoni
1M:4F Red Zebras
3 Multipunctus
1 BN Pleco


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Your stocking would work in a 48x12 but not in a 36" tank.

If you are determined to do demasoni at all, let alone in a 36" tank then do just the demasoni and the BN. End up with 12 demasoni after removing extra males.

Synodontis multipunctatus like to be in groups of 5 and are not a small fish, so I would only do those in 48" or longer.

I would not do demasoni in my 36" tank. But I would do Chindongo saulosi with a fair degree of confidence. Would you consider those?


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## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

I would consider the chindongo saulosi. My understanding is they're less aggressive, and you get variation in color between males/females. In a 36", am I really going to just be restricted to them or are others an option to include.

Would the petricola work in place of the multipunctus or same issue? Seems petricola may not get quite as large.

Ideally, I need to see if I can make room for the extra foot since options open up quite a bit then.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

IMO there is one option for 36" (saulosi) and most mbuna will work in 48x12 and even more in 48x18.

For 36 inches I would do one species. But you could also do as a single species 1m:4f yellow labs, rusties, Cynotilapia zebroides.

If you want to squeeze in 3 lucipinnis (lucipinnis are sold as petricola) you could try.

I've been keeping demasoni for 15 years and did start in a 36" tank. After problems with bloat and getting enough females I went to a 72" tank. Providing this info to make it clear how unhappy I was with them in a 36" tank.


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## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

Thanks. I do like the idea of having more than one species, so now I'm rethinking what I'm doing space wise and may try to make room for a 75g. One extreme option, I'd have room for a 120H, but unsure where to find one. It would give me an extra foot of width, but unsure what it really gains. 75g seems much easier to get and likely much cheaper.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Agree on the 75G.


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## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

Decided to go with the 75g. Still figuring out the space issues in the room a bit but I'll be happier with it long term. Tank and stand purchased. Ordered filter/heater. So I'm still a week or two away from really getting the ball rolling. Going to try a fishless cycle this go round. Will be a first for me there. Still have to decide on most everything...light, substrate, rock, and of course, stocking. All I really know is I want cichlids, probably mbuna, and want to have different species than the 4 I have in my current 75g.

Thanks for talking me through stage 1!


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## ironspider (Dec 5, 2017)

Drew31 said:


> Decided to go with the 75g. Still figuring out the space issues in the room a bit but I'll be happier with it long term. Tank and stand purchased. Ordered filter/heater. So I'm still a week or two away from really getting the ball rolling. Going to try a fishless cycle this go round. Will be a first for me there. Still have to decide on most everything...light, substrate, rock, and of course, stocking. All I really know is I want cichlids, probably mbuna, and want to have different species than the 4 I have in my current 75g.
> 
> Thanks for talking me through stage 1!


Congrats on the 75g, you'll love it. You'll still have plenty of time after you get the ball rolling with the fishless cycle, it takes a while, just follow exactly how it tells you and you'll be very satisfied: https://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fishless_cycle.php

Any LED light will work, and definitely use pool filter sand, the fish love it and it's super cheap.


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## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

Thanks...and thank you for that link. I was going to be looking for that.

I'm trying not to rush the setup to make sure I have everything the way I want it.

Funny you mention that on pool filter sand. I tried that in a 29g I have and found that it got really dirty. Not sure if that was my fault on maintenance. I also was having a brown algae outbreak at the time and it was starting to get all over the sand. I was kind of looking a crushed coral or maybe a black or dark tan caribsea sand. It'll be way more expensive, but wondering if the darker color hides things better (or if I just like it better).


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The dark color will show things just as much...red poop on black sand versus red poop on white sand. Go for more GPH to keep the poop in the water column where the filters can sweep it up. Brown algae is common in new tanks and usually gone after first year so maybe not a deciding factor for a tank that you will have 8 years or more?

I stopped using dark sand. Too fine. (I don't like carib sea...more like gravel...too coarse...fish can't sift it through their gills.) Several varieties of fish color down to try to match the dark substrate. I sold some leleupi because they were sooty. Put them in a separate tank for easy netting the next day for new owner pickup. Over the white sand (overnight) they were brilliant.


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## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

As I was researching sand color I think I came across a thread where you said something very similar about the color. I'm also going to paint back glass black so unsure if I'd like all that darkness.

When I used sand previously, I really liked the way it looked...initially, but I just had a terrible time keeping it clean and staying that way. I'm sure most of that was on me so that's what's scaring me off more than anything.


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## ironspider (Dec 5, 2017)

Drew31 said:


> As I was researching sand color I think I came across a thread where you said something very similar about the color. I'm also going to paint back glass black so unsure if I'd like all that darkness.
> 
> When I used sand previously, I really liked the way it looked...initially, but I just had a terrible time keeping it clean and staying that way. I'm sure most of that was on me so that's what's scaring me off more than anything.


You really shouldn't have to even vacuum the sand. I never touch the substrate in my tank. The fish are always digging so the waste gets thrown around and eventually sucked up in the filters.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Drew what is the GPH in your tank?


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## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

350 at setup, eventually 700. Will use Filstar-L at start and add a second once I get stocking going, but just starting with 1 at start. My current 75g has same filter setup.

Need to start looking at sticking options but getting sucked into internal debate on sand and lighting. Was window shopping earlier and saw Marineland LED lights that allow you to add or remove light pods. Kind of liked that idea of customization.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

That is 5X GPH. A change to 8X will make a big difference in the filters sweeping your poop away.


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## Drew31 (Feb 16, 2018)

ironspider said:


> You really shouldn't have to even vacuum the sand. I never touch the substrate in my tank. The fish are always digging so the waste gets thrown around and eventually sucked up in the filters.


Good point. When I had the sand previously it was just a community tank so nothing was really digging to stir it up. I'm leaning sand, though still undecided on type/brand,etc. The pool filter sand previously I wasn't overly in love with the color. Filter arrives early next week so if I can decide on substrate I can get the cycle rollling. Probably going to pull out some media from my other tanks to try to speed things along.



DJRansome said:


> That is 5X GPH. A change to 8X will make a big difference in the filters sweeping your poop away.


5x with just the 1 filter @ 350, right? When I add the second I'll be at ~10. Making sure I'm calculating this right.... I'm going to put the 2nd one on there, just trying to space out the expenses here at start up.


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