Newbie Question (cacatuoides)

[mcs617]

Hello Everybody,
This is my fist time to post here, and I already have questions. My wife had a LFS order 1 pair of cacatuoides as a surprise for me. The fish will be here Tues. the 15th. These will be my 1st cichlids, I just got back into the hobby after 20 years. Boy have there been some changes.
Tank parm. temp 78, ph 7.2, gh 9, kh 7, it is a 20 gallon high tank. Will the cac's be alright in this water? I'm not looking to breed them yet, maybe later.
Tank mates? Right now I have 2 corys (1 albin. & 1 spotted), 2 gourami (1 gold & 1 neon blue) and 3 lemon tetras (would like a few more). Will everything be nice and peaceful, or should I expect trouble?
I am going to change layout of tank. I was thinking maybe 5 amazon swords planted in a "w" pattern with 4 or 5 flower pots half buried sideways. What size pots would be best? Clay or plastic? Round or square pots?
1 last question. Should I have more than 1 female, the male isn't going to chase her allover is he?
I want everything to be good for my new cac's. And thankyou for all your help.
mcs617

 

[vancat]

Lemon tetras

Hi,
I can tell you that when I had lemon tetras in my tank, they were not in any way peaceful. they were always chasing each other & other fish around. I was glad when they were gone.

Why don't you try something like rummy nose tetras? They school nicely and NEVER chase or nip.

I understand that gouramis can be a little dicey too. But I'll let the experts answer the other questions.

vancat

 

[farm41]

I would say a pair of cacs in the 20H, if it was a 20L it would be no problem for a trio. I would take the gourami's back and get more lemons or my favorite the rummynose tetra.

Do you know that one amazon sword can completely fill a 20 gallon tank, but there is nothing wrong with weeding out the others as they grow.

I like to break 3" pots or soak them and then cut with a hacksaw. It is much easier to move them when they are just setting on the surface instead of buried.

 

[mcs617]

Thanks Matt & Vancat

The smallest of the 3 lemmons does like to chase the neon blue gourami, and the neon blue likes to chase the gold gourami. But only at feeding time.
As to the plants, this will be my first time with live plants. I'll be happy to just keep them alive. I always had fake plants before (can't kill plastic).
I do have a few questions about plants, but I'll post them in the proper forum.
Thanks again for your help. I'll go to the lfs this weekend and checkout the rummies.
MCS617

 

[Neil]

mcs617,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Your water conditions should be OK for your cacs, but reducing the hardness a touch will go a long way. As a matter of fact, maybe you could look for some chocolate gourami, if you want gourami in the tank. They however would really appreciate softer, more acidic water.
Neil

 

[mk_ultra]

Pull the gouramies out also. They are carnivores and would love some fish fry. the lemon will chase each other around until you get a big enough bunch. then they just hang around. In a a 20H i think you would fill it too much for the cacs liking.