# 280 Dwarf Cichlid Community Tank



## HFRCampbell (Jun 24, 2008)

Im bouncing around ideas for this and i was thinking of doing a dwarf cichlid tank. The list as follows.
2 pairs of bolivian Rams
1 Pair of blue rams
1 Pair of Cockato Dwarf Cichlids
1 Pair of Macmasters Dwarf Cichlids
10 angels fish
15 Black Phantom Tetras
15 Bleeding Heart Tetras
15 Common Hatchet Fish
15 Corys
2 Plecos, i was thinking like 1 bristle nose and one other varity like gold nugget.

I was thinking of putting in like a centerpiece fish also heres my ideas so far.
a Blue acara?
a green knifefish
a south american leaf fish

Tell me what you think and diffrent fish that would be better for the tank, are the tetras native to the species of dwarves?

Im doing a few sponge filters and a wet dry cannister for filtration
Im doing small gravel w some peat for the brown water colloration in the substrate
A small variety of plants

Thanks/
HFR


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## wmayes (Oct 22, 2007)

I think that the leaf fish's natural diet consists of a few of those dithers... lol.


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

I would skip the leaf fish and the Angels becouse they snack the dithers. If you want a centerpiece fish why not put 6 to 10 discus in that tank??? That would be awesome!


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

something interesting www.nobobo.com


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## HFRCampbell (Jun 24, 2008)

actually for centerpiece fish im thkning of doing a few of those green knifefihs they get only 14-20 inches and im thnking of dropping the other species of tetras and jsut getting bleeding hearts they get a pretty decent size.

Idk about discus though, arn't they pretty picky on there water requirments? i mean if something is wroing wong they die easily?


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## wmayes (Oct 22, 2007)

Knifefish? um... isn't the titel of thsi thread 'dwarf cichlid...'??? What happened to that whole idea?


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

> Knifefish? um... isn't the titel of this thread 'dwarf cichlid...'??? What happened to that whole idea?


Well I don't get it either. I thought the main inhabitants would be dwarf cichlids and you liked to have a larger more attractive eye catcher. Discus would have fit that idea but knife4 fish is just a totally diferent situation. I have no experience on knife fish but to me this doesn't sound like good tank mates for dwarf cichlids. But maybe I'm completely wrong with that.


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## sirdavidofdiscus (Dec 8, 2006)

Angels can get decent size.(5+inches top to bottom) They can be your centerpiece. With 10 of them you are bound to get a pair When that happens you may have trouble. Also wouldn't a blue acara make snacks out of most of the rest of those fish?


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

> Also wouldn't a blue acara make snacks out of most of the rest of those fish?


Yes they would, just like the angels. Apisto females are not that large and probably end up as snacks as well.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *HFRCampbell*,

First question is, is the tank 280 liters or gallons?

Seeing as you've mentioned Green Knifefish as a possible center piece, I'm going to assume it's 280 gallons.

If you really want to do a SA dwarf cichlid tank I'd rethink your cichlid numbers. I haven't got a problem with 10 Angelfish in a 8 foot long tank.

I'd look at going with 3 or 4 *pairs* of Bolivian rams. I'd also look at 2 pairs of Laetacara dorsigera. As for apistogramma species, I'd only go with one species, but I'd be looking at 2 or 3 males and possibly up to 9 females.

As for your tetras, :lol: . I reckon once you have your tank set up, you'll have atleast 3 times the number, if not a lot more.

Also look at adding a dozen otocinclus catfish.

Some advice from my own experience with large tanks and dwarf cichlids would be lots of plants and lots of driftwood is essential. You don't have to have CO2. As longs as you have adequate lighting you can be successfull with low light plants.

I've got some concern over your filtration. I know some one with a similar sized tank, and he has a 4x2x2 as a sump filter, plus 2 large canister filters on the tank.


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## HFRCampbell (Jun 24, 2008)

yeaa the list has refined, and yes its a 280 gallon tank.
This is the final pretty much
10 bolivian rams
4 sevrums
4 festivums
20 Buenos aires Tetras
20 Bleeding Heart Tetras
20 mollies
20 Black Phantom tetra
For filtration im doing the wet/dry cannister, and 4 sponge filters. for heating im thinking of doing three or four large heaters.
Lighint im going to buy a 4 foot sidebyside shop light.
For plants i was thinking some of the folowing.
i was thinking 5 large annubis, 5 ceratophyllum,5 spike bush, 5 Riccia, waterwort,Java Fern, Java Moss


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## wmayes (Oct 22, 2007)

I'd ditch the mollies...


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## HFRCampbell (Jun 24, 2008)

why? personnally i like mollies and the fry can offer some food for the rams and the tetras. And the jet black of the mollies will contrast w the other fish very well i think


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Black mollies seem to do better in brackish water is the main reason I'd ditch them, none of the other fish would appreciate the salt.

I may have missed it, but I hope it's an 8' x 2' footprint with that revised list? If both sets of sev's pair in anything smaller, it would get messy. If it's a 6' taller tank I'd cut down to one sev pair and increase the festivums, they like to be in larger groups, get fiestier than angels so you want to spread the aggression around.


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## HFRCampbell (Jun 24, 2008)

yea its 60in by 36 inches and then like 24 feet tall. I think the footprint will be good. Well how about swordtails or some other livebearers, i kninda like livebearers. And also if the bolivians spawn do you think any of the fry will live to be a good size. I might set up a 10 gallon tank to keep some fry in to adulthood and sell them.


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## dielikemoviestars (Oct 23, 2007)

24 feet tall!


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## HFRCampbell (Jun 24, 2008)

24 inches haha


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