Dwarf Cichlid Community Options

[JG]

Tank: 42 gallon planted tank.
Decor: various plants (java fern, melon sword, some val, etc. with three medium-large driftwood pieces and very little rock work. There is some peat blocks underlaying the substrate and some peat in the Aqua clear filters I'm using.
Fish: Pair of Micro. altispinosas, Pair of Micro. ramirezis, 2 female A.agassizis, Pair of Platys, 6 Pepper Corydoras, 2 Otocinclus affinis, 2 Bristlenoe plecos, 7 Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish (DNR).

*The rainbowfish are hold overs from an Malawian tank I setup. They needed a space to hang out until I found them a new home; in other words, they're being evicted. The corys are in the tank as workers, as is the bristlenose and otos.

The Plan: To successfully keep the three species of dwarf cichlids (altispinosa, ramirezi, agassizi) in this tank with the hopes that they pair off and then possibly move them to a breeding tank.

Help: I'm looking for some suggestions on how to make this work. I've kept all three dwarf species mentionned above but never in a community setup. Should I include more rock work, remove some of the other fish (corys, bristlenose), etc. to encourage the pairing in this dwarf community? I know that a lot of people use terracotta pots as breeding areas but I'm not keen on them as decor - what do you think? I like the idea of the platys as they add a lot of color to the tank and was using them as dithers. Does anyone think this plan can fly?

Thanks for the feedback.

JazzyB 8)

 

[fishgeek]

most of your permanent fish are bottom dwellers , i would think there might be too much in the lower reaches of your tank

what size in area is the 42g tank

Do the altispinosa and microgeophagus get on?, will similar body shape cause more competion?

Andrew

 

[JG]

Tank area has a large footprint (36Lx18Wx15H), otherwise known as a Hagen Breeder tank.

Well the altispinosa are Microgeophagus so are you talking about the altispinosa and ramirezi? They are both members of the Microgeophagus family. Just tonight, after re-arranging the tank decor, including some new plants and changing the water I noticed that the pair of Micro. altispinosas are exhibiting breeding behavior. They have been chasing all and sundry from their new area, including the corydoras and the ramirezis.

I was thinking of removing the 6 Corydoras paleatus and possibly replacing with 6 Corydoras pygmaeus (sp?). Also the DNR's are on their way out once I find them a home. I'm hoping this would promote some in tank breeding before moving them to their own breeding tank.

 

[JG]

It's nice having the tank about 50cm away from the PC. Just tonight whilst I was on the PC, they bred.