# 60 Gallon stock options - New to African Cichlids



## namilaconica (Apr 2, 2014)

Hello all,
I'm new to African Cichlids, and I'm just getting back into the hobby after a long hiatus. I found my old 60 gallon acrylic tank recently and thought it might be nice to try something new with it. I've kept a decent amount of different species before (in different tanks) but I've never tried African cichlids. They were gorgeous but I was always intimidated by how aggressive a lot of them can be/are. The most aggressive fish I've ever had was maybe a betta fish or angelfish.

After doing some research these fish seem pretty spectacular! I got excited and tried to research some stocking options until I hit a snag: My tank has an odd shape. http://image.ec21.com/image/elfirasinag ... _55_Gl.jpg

This an example of the type of tank I have. Basically two 30 gallon tall tanks connected by two wide tubes. I have two marineland penguin power (350gph) filters on it, but I'm not sure if that helps matters at all. The tank is still in the cycling process so there's no fish in and won't have any for a good while yet. Since this doesn't seem like an appropriate home for an assortment of small cichlids, could I manage with maybe a male and female of the same species? It seems too small for mbuna, so I was considering maybe peacocks. Also, if it is possible to have more than one species in the tank, which would you recommend?


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

You do have options, though I'm not sure peacocks are one of them. I'm thinking Lake Tanganyika is going to be a better fit for the dual tube tank design, though 1 breeding group of a mbuna species would likely work too. If you're set on Lake Malawi, then I can move this thread into that folder. Otherwise, take a look at some of the Tanganyikan cookie cutters, and see if you like the species that are suitable for smaller tanks.


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## namilaconica (Apr 2, 2014)

Thank you for the advice! I wasn't set on any thing specific. I really just wanted to try African cichlids for a change of pace. I'm going to check out the Tanganyika cookie cutters and see what would work well in my tank. Thanks again!


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

Wow! You have a tank like that?!?!? That's cool looking. Would love to see pictures or a vid once you get it going. That will be cool seeing the fish go through those tubes. That would be wild if a fish took one of those as his house and was like... "No! You shall not pass!"

On a side note... how did you find you're old tank? Was it lost?!?!?!?


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## namilaconica (Apr 2, 2014)

I'll be sure to post some after the cycling is done and I have it stocked! 
The discus used to go back and forth through the tubes all the time, I'm hoping these new fish do too. I could see one taking one of the tubes as a 'cave' though. Lol, I'd laugh honestly. I'm not sure how to fix something like that.

Hahah! Not really, it was moved into the attic while we moved furniture around the house. It got pushed kind of far back too. I started taking classes shortly after that and I forgot about it... BUT I did lose a 20 gallon. I found the hood for the 20 inside of the empty 60, but no 20 in sight yet.


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## Bikeman48088 (Nov 13, 2013)

Cool looking tank. Aside from having a pass-thru, you could use the tubes as dividers and have two separate tanks running off of the same filtration system. This might be an interesting way of pre-introducing fish to see if they'd be compatible. I'd make an idea breading set-up as well.


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## namilaconica (Apr 2, 2014)

That seems like an easier route. I'm having a lot of trouble finding stores that carry the smaller tanganyika species. Does a small saulosi harem seem doable? 1M 2-3F?

Also, I forgot to add that the tank has a pair of 21.5''(L)x13"(W) footprints. I just measured to check earlier.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

P. saulosi would be a good choice, though I'd start with 2 males and 6 females.


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## namilaconica (Apr 2, 2014)

Really? Sweet! I'll be sure to post pictures when it's finally stocked. That will likely be awhile though. I plan to do another cycle with feeders in there after the fishless cycle is over so it can handle a bigger bioload.


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

It won't be necessary to use feeders. The advantage of fishless cycling is that you can create as large of a bioload as your stocking plans need (use more ammonia). There's always the problem of disease transmission from the feeders, and what do you do with them when you're done...?


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## namilaconica (Apr 2, 2014)

That's true. I'll stick to just using ammonia for the fishless cycle. And honestly I'm not all that sure. I have an extra tank I could put them in, I wouldn't mind a little feeder goldfish or two. How much should I increase the ammonia by after the 2ppm cycles through?


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