Cichlid Stones

[Ashenwelt]

Hey all,

I know Cichlid Stones are made for African cichlids... But do any of you use them? Recommend for or against? Any chance a moss or fern would attach to one?

Thanks!

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[dw1305]

Hi all,

I know Cichlid Stones are made for African cichlids... But do any of you use them? Recommend for or against? Any chance a moss or fern would attach to one?

Do you mean the grey ceramic caves? I think the openings are too big to be attractive to Apistogramma.

You can use <"cyanoacrylate super-glue to glue mosses and ferns"> to 1/2 coconuts, wood etc.

cheers Darrel

 

[Ashenwelt]

Yes, https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002WYCI2A/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER or https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BYNXNQ0/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_15?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3FP5NUT29CSSD

Rob aka Ashenwelt - Back in the aquaria hobby. Always searching...

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Yes, https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002WYCI2A/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

The holes are a bit big, although the fish may use them as cover. Mike will tell you that no fry will survive in your tank with those tank mates, but the "VKtech" caves in the second link could work as spawning caves if you 1/2 buried them so most of the entrance was under the sand.

Have a look at <"Ideal spawning cave">.

cheers Darrel

 

[Ashenwelt]

My main concern is cover... had some rams go homicidal and lost all of them. And I think it was mainly over no place to hide. Doing some rescaping to add hiding.

How tall should the hole be?

As for fry surviving... honestly not my top goal but sometimes you can be supprised.

Rob aka Ashenwelt - Back in the aquaria hobby. Always searching...

 

[Mike Wise]

For breeding purposes, the cave entrance needs only to be wide and tall enough for the female to enter - lying on her side. Personally caves aren't the ideal hiding places, especially if other fish can enter. It is better to break up the tank into various territories with boundaries that don't allow long lines of sight. Cichlids that can't establish their own territory and are continually harassed commonly end up at the surface of the tank. I often put a piece of floating pipe in the tank in which fish can hide.

 

[Ashenwelt]

So I have a very weird question... would apistogramma use escargot shells or other shells as caves? I know they are not shell dwellers but the darn things are very close in size to the females... about 1.5" in each direction.

Rob aka Ashenwelt - Back in the aquaria hobby. Always searching...

 

[Mike Wise]

Probably, but I've never used them for apistos. Apistos in general are softwater fish and the shell will dissolve in softwater.