# Newly setup 55g



## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

Just got a 55g set up and almost done cycling... I think so anyways.. I'm getting heavy (~45ppm) nitrate readings.

Anyways I set this up and was wondering if I could get your opinions of my tank.









_I will be upgrading the lights soon and please ignore the powerhead on the left. I left some hornwarts to seed from another tank.
_
I plan on having colonies of calvus and multies. Someone suggested adding dithers too.

I will be adding more rocks to stack the left side higher and possibly couple of them between shells.

EDIT: After watching some videos multies in the wild I have decided to clump the shells


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

If you wanted dithers, you could add non-jumbo cyps, about a dozen of them, it will help the calvus get over their nerves.


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## Nodalizer (Nov 7, 2011)

You cannot test for nitrate if you have nitrite in the tank. so your cycle is done when you have no ammonia or nitrite in your tank after 24 hours when adding ammonia.

I would move that heater from directly under the light at the top. Have found they don;t work quite as well in positions like that. Rockwork looks nice.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Oo actually there are 2 heaters in there, maybe a bit of overkill. You would be fine with just a single 150watt.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You may find the rocks against the glass are a maintenance headache, and calvus don't absolutely have to have such a big pile. I like to leave one python-width around all rock piles. This allows vacuuming around the rocks and scraping the glass without barriers.

You are right, multies like a LOT of shells (100 is not too many) and in a pile...2 layers is good.

If you have space, six inches of open sand between rocks and shells is helpful. The fish view the open sand as a demarcation of shellie territory.

The shellies will work as dithers for the calvus, no need for another dither. Buy a dozen cyps would be a great addition to the tank. They sleep on the open sand, so that would be another reason to free some up.


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## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

I guess there are different views on the shells.
So would a stock list like this work?
6 calvus
6 multies
12 untitas


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

With the amount of cover you have 6 calvus might be alot, expect to have to remove some over time if they get bullied. At least with 6 of them you will stand a good chance of getting a pair.

Otherwise looks good to me...


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## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

I plan on getting ~8 and thinning them out. Ultimately I would want about 1m 4-5f altos?

Should I ditch untitas if that would facilitate breeding of the altos?


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

love my cyps, and at first i didn't want them (never had them before)

Keep the cyps they inhabit parts of the tank the calvus and shellies won't visit often.


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## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

skurj said:


> love my cyps, and at first i didn't want them (never had them before)
> 
> Keep the cyps they inhabit parts of the tank the calvus and shellies won't visit often.


yea you're right. youtube vids of cypt arnt too appealing. I'll check them out at a local LFS and see for myself. Maybe it will change my mind. are cypts the only available options? Also what order should I be introducing them?


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

I can't help on what order to add them...

If you can add all the fish at once (as juvies) that helps, my cyps i added a couple days after adding julies, calvus, and gobies but as there is no competition for territory between cyps and the rest it went ok


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## rich_t (Nov 26, 2009)

I would have painted the back of the tank or at least add some sort of background.


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## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

rich_t said:


> I would have painted the back of the tank or at least add some sort of background.


that will be done right before I get my fishes


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

endoice said:


> I plan on getting ~8 and thinning them out. Ultimately I would want about 1m 4-5f altos?


Usually six unsexed juveniles are purchased and you hope for a pair. If you get a harem, that's a bonus. Usually you will have to at least remove extra males.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

To add a bit of motion and additional interest to the bottom of the tank, you might think about getting a few dwarf Synodontis catfish, like lucipinnis or petricola. I love mine - they come up and eat right out of my hand!

I agree with DJRansome - a few more shells and some open sand between them and the rocks would be nice. You can never have enough shells with multis because they like to bury them and dig underneath them. Those neatly laid out rows will be a mess within a few weeks anyway, so may as well just pile up a bunch. The more layers of shells you have, the more likely you are to have some multi fry that survive and don't get eaten by the Altolamps and Synos, too, since the babies can hide way down at the bottom.

You may want to put a few larger shells around the base of the rock pile, too - the calvus will use them. Mine spawn in shells more often than in rock caves.


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## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

So after shuffling around it came to this.










I will be adding bigger 3-5" shells. Ill be hitting up Michaels tomorrow to see if they have ones similar to what Razzo uses.

I will be purchasing ~8 multies from someone on this forum soon so hopefully they will form a colony   
Then in June/July, Razzo's BCWP will be ready.     

Maybe the dithers and 1 catfish can come sometime in between. The stocking order/list shouldnt matter too much right?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would not do catfish and shellies...the shellies are your bottom dweller, and the catfish will just bother them.

If you decide to skip the shellies, synodontis lucipinnis, petricola or multipunctatus are great, but they are best in groups of 5-6 (don't get a single).


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## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> I would not do catfish and shellies...the shellies are your bottom dweller, and the catfish will just bother them.


If thats the case then most def. Im getting the shellies.


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## Mike_G (Nov 8, 2011)

What kind of sand are you using? It looks like it has a fairly large grain which is exactly what I'm looking for.


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## endoice (Feb 1, 2012)

Im using PFS from Leslie's. Its about $10 for 50lbs. I used all of it. Cleaning is a pain though.


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