Is this big enough to keep a colony of Apistogrammas Inca50

[Peter Lovett]

I will be in the next couple of month starting a new project in the hope to be able to have a tank large enough to keep a small colony of dwarf cichlids in. Including I hope four territorial males and I just thought I would run it by all of you.

The tank with be 8’ long by 1.5’ wide and about 1.5 high it will be fed constantly with about 10 gallons of RO water a day and include a 8’ planted trickle filter fed by an air filter. If there in too little flow in the tank I will add some air stones.

This I hope will keep the water flow to a minimum to allow daphnia to service in the tank for as long as possible, but also provide adequate flirtation for the small number of fish that will live in the tank.

I propose keeping in the tank at any one time about 6 full grown males and 12 to 15 full grown females and about the same for sub adults plus some dither fish probably a small livebearer.

Has anyone got any comment on the stocking and the filtration?

Also just as a foot note My 5 inca50 have two broods in a 18" x 12" x 12" tank. Other than a lillte bit of fry steal by the first mother they are doing just fine.

 

[farm41]

Sounds like a neat tank. I am curious how the male population will get along together.

What are you going to use for plants in the trickle filter? How much flow? Do you have any experience with plants and RO?


I am just putting my Inca 50(1 male, 3 females) in my 75g tank. I have 1 more female with a brood that will join them as soon as the fry are big enough.

 

[Peter Lovett]

I’m not shore what plant I will be using yet but I will probably go for some spider plants to start will and may be some dwarf sword plants and try any other plant that like having their toes wet.

I was hoping to have a small flow of water about 0.5 to 1 turn over of the tank an hour.

No I don’t have any experience with ro and plants but the bottom lay to the trickle filter will be peat.

I’ll let you know on the male front but I hope to be able to keep at least 3 males in the tank at any one time.

The plan is not set in stone so I will adapt if I have to and at the end of the day it is the fish which are important.

 

[farm41]

What I do know about plants is they have to have light and nutrients to survive. With RO water you would be stripping out what the plants need to grow. The fish may supply enough N and P, but you will be seriously short on K, calcium, magnesium, and the micronutrients.

What is your plan on suppling nutrients to the plants?

 

[Peter Lovett]

When it come to lighting i was going to have 3 - 80w T5 lights these tobes give out about 1.5 times as much light per w as normal tubes.

When in come to nutrients i have one of three choices,

1) adding fertilizer.

2) Mixing a clay substate addertive and peat.

3) or a combination of both.

The tank will also have lots of bog wood and a layer of leaf litter.

 

[farm41]

Where have you found the T5's? I have been interested in those too? I am using T8's on all my tanks and they are very cheap. What is the price on the T5's and what color temp?

 

[Peter Lovett]

The choke and lead work out at about £27-00 or $42-00 and the tubes about £6-50 or $10-20. There not cheep but when you think that you get 80w over 5 feet it probably work out cheep than standard tubes. Though they are still only any good for tank up to 18".

You can get any temp from 5000K up to 20000K.


The above is for a DIY set up.

 

[farm41]

I am using 32 watt T8's on a 4' tank and my ballast are rated for two 54 watt T5 tubes, so I'm ok there. Just have to find the tubes.

 

[Peter Lovett]

It does not work like that the new tubes need a diffrent ballast that are electronic and do not have a starter.

 

[farm41]

Mine are electronic, no starter, they are Fulham 'workhorse 5' and they are listed for the 54 watt T5 tubes.

 

[Peter Lovett]

cool you should be fine then