Crowding a Tank???

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Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


platipus12321
 
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 10:46 pm

Crowding a Tank???

by platipus12321

when setting up a cichlid tank and you crowd a tank so that the fish dont set up territorys how crowded does it mean???


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

For one you could send a private message to the person who suggested crowding cichlids to the degree that they don't become too possessive about their territory. I would definately over filter by a factor of at least 4x. If you have a 60 gallon I would have at least 200 gallons filter capability. You can have a canister filter for say 175 gallons, use an undergravel filter with power heads which counts quite a bit, and use whatever hang-on filter you have as well. Cichlids are very messy and that combined with a slightly overstocked tank and the probability that you don't have live plants means you need to over filter (as if you have a 200 gallon or bigger) This is what I suggest for a 60 gallon tank. I don't know how big you are thinking, but you get what I'm saying. Better to spend money on doing it right than on medications, new fish, etc.


gumbii
 
Posts: 1695
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:31 am

by gumbii

wow... i've never heard of overcrowding to the point that they don't claim territory... hmm... i know LFS usally don't put any rocks or anything so they don't claim territories... as for filtration... i would go for the goldfish rule...10X the tank water... well... that's the rule i use for everything except for the ponds... my 60g tank has 1,200gph of filtration thats the only one that is overstocked and i overexagerated on the filtration...

but like peter said... you better look into spending a grip of cash... i also wouldn't want to try it because you might hit dangerous spikes or cycles if the fish stress eachother or kill one another... what kind of cichlids are you planning to get... i hope you don't try to get a bunch of different species and subspecies of cichlids... i would try first with two mellow species of mbuna... like yellow labs or other dwarfs... stay away from overly aggressive auratus melachromis, P. demasoni, and red cichlids...


good luck...


freshwaterpleco
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:56 pm

by freshwaterpleco

It means bad. Never crowd a tank with cichlids. They will kill.


miami754
 
Posts: 373
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:18 am

by miami754

Yes, you do overcrowd cichlid tanks (in general) because it curbs their aggression. Well, to be honest, it doesn't curb their aggression - but it spreads their aggression out to many instead of a few. For instance, it is recommended that you not keep less than 12 demasoni together. The reason being that the dominant male will not be able to concentrate on a couple of fish and chase them until they die. Instead, he is forced to spread his chasing time around. Also, you need extensive rock work (if keeping cichlids like mbunas) so they can have places to hide and set up territories. It is a good idea to change this rock work with every new species you add to the tank (gives each of the species - both old and new - an equal chance at establishing territories) and then also every couple of months once the tank is established.

To give you an idea of the "degree" of overstocking, I have a 58 gallon tank. In this tank I have 16 fish that will get to 4-4.5" (so around 64-72" of fish instead of the recommended 58" of fish for "normal" species (non-cichlids). Like the others said, you need added filtration for this extra load (I have filters rated at 600 gph on this tank). Cichlids are truly amazing fish. I have owned alot of fish, but nothing has come close to cichlids. I will never own anything else after starting up this tank. Just make sure you do your research because you need to know about compatibility issues and species-specific aggression issues. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

You rock Miami. You're the person platipus was waiting for.


OscarFan18
 
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:30 pm

by OscarFan18

the rule is 1 inch of fish per gallon( i think), I wouldn't exceed that especially with cichlids. Overcrowding NEVER ends well. That will probably just make them more territorial.


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

Oscarfan. Obviously Miami has done her homework, she's had hands-on experience with cichlids and knows their behavior, and by the way, the rule refers mostly to the filtering capacity of a tank. Miami says to way over filter and she explains WHY limited crowding is a good idea when keeping cichlids.


miami754
 
Posts: 373
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:18 am

by miami754

Thanks Peter - appreciate it. Oscar, the 1 inch per gallon has very limited use (community fish that stay less than 4"). Cichlids do not follow this rule in general. If you want to read up on cichlid aggression and ways to curb it, read my article in the Articles section of this site.

Crowding a Tank???

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