Overcrowded 30 Gallon Long Tank????

[EdO]

This is my first Cichlid tank, and I think I've broken the first rule in "outfitting" my 30 gallon long tank. It is well planted, has (2) makeshift caves made of wood, as well as some slate or rock terrain. PH is stable around 7.0 - 7.2, and temp at 82*F. Current stock:

5 tetras
5 rams
2 cockatoo dwarf cichlids
1 cory

I think I've got 2 male rams and 1 male cockato dwarf cichlids. Still difficult to tell for certain. In any case, I've noticed a lot of territory issues between the cichlids. I've gotten mixed signals from the LFS, about how many dwarf cichlids my 30 gallon can handle. From what I've been told, as long as I maintain a good partial water change schedule, once a week, the chemistry should be fine. Question is really territory and fighting that may arise to the over crowding. If I need to, I can return some of the rams to the LFS.

Am I being paranoid, or have I overcrowded my tank? The theory was that if I could get the fish in the tank acclimated to themselves, it would work itself out.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Apistt_ed]

...

hello... hope this helps..
well, as for Rams, they are usually going to pair off by themselves... so, if it was me, I'd wait till I had a true pair and get rid of the rest of the rams.. but as for the Cacatuoides, maybe one male and then the rest females... that's going to work far better. In my 30 long I had a pair of Rams that coexisted quite well with my trio of Cacs (1M/2F). I separated the tank into sections. It was well planned with one side of the tank heavily planted with tall plants like Amazon swords and Anubias... with low grassy plants and on the other side of the tank with more of a rock formation and low grass plants for open swimming space. My Rams stayed more towards the open areas and the Cacs were in the planted stuff where i spaced out a few large shells for the females to draw their own territories. It still works great till today. Key thing to remember is that with enough planning and thought, you can do whatever you want. good luck.

 

[EdO]

Thanks for your comments. I've got the aquarium set up, as you described, so it should work out great. I'm assuming that I'll know when I see the Rams form a "true pair".

Will dwarf puffers share the same space (Lower) as the cichlids? Once I return the remaining Rams, I'd like to substitute them with some middle to high range habitating fish. What would be a good substitute fish for the Rams? dwarf puffers, neon tetras, etc...? something with character....

 

[EdO]

I now know the "pair". I got home after work, and noticed that a female had laid her eggs, and was protecting them. I plan taking the other Rams out tomorrow morning.

 

[Apistt_ed]

..

that's GREAT! good to hear it all worked out now..

 

[chapman76]

Don't get dwarf puffers because they're brackish and get really got after other fish. They can be quite mean. I'd say some good middles in my opinion are harlequin raspboras. They have beautiful orange, black, and blue colors once you get them out of a lfs tank. Mine are great. They also can handle a range of conditions quite well.

 

[Neil]

EdO,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

CONGRATULATIONS! After laying eggs and when the fry are free-swimming is when it will test your tanks stocking level. But, I suspect that the size of you tank is sufficient to house the Dwarf Cichlids that you listed, even after breeding. Whether the parents can keep many of the fry alive is the bigger question. You may need to pull fry or other fish if that is your goal.

Good luck,

Neil