Who Gives A Fish Forums

Wishing you all the best with the new setup.

Sorry to hear about the loss, that's tough. Consider getting a battery powered bubbler for emergencies, I've got two on hand now for power outages. Good luck with the new additions, hope it all works out. I've been thinking of getting Shellies myself, blacks are an interesting choice.

I'd definitely recommend using sand for this setup. The number of upside down catfish seems a bit excessive to me, I think you could easily get away with 4-6. They do put a fair amount of bioload on the tank, so it's worth cutting back on that. As for the butterfly cichlids and the pantodon ...

You're looking at a 33 gallon tank and thinking about combining shellies with larger cichlids - I gotta advise against that. Shellies are gonna be on the menu for those bigger fish, and a tank that size just isn't gonna provide enough space for them to coexist peacefully.

This combo could be a recipe for disaster unless you've got a ton of hiding spots. One of the breeds will inevitably dominate the tank, and the others will be fair game. I've had my share of troubles with similar mixes - keeping Labs with Red Jewels was a nightmare. If you're still set on this, I ...

They will indeed, but the spawning cycle will persist.

I completely agree with adding more hiding spots for your Mbuna. With African cichlids, they really do need plenty of places to hide. I'd say keep the lights on, but create some spots where the light can't reach. You can try rearranging the tank, adding some plants or decorations, and see how that ...

Africans are brutal, no matter the species. I've kept them, bred them, and learned my lesson - they're just too aggressive. You need a tank that's double, triple the size of 29 gallons, especially if you're not breeding and don't know the sex ratio. I'm talking 60 gallons, 90 gallons - that's the ...