getting started with a 60 gallon aquarium

[aquascaper]

I'm not buying the "half the gallons" rule. 30 oscars in a 60G tank? No way. It's not that simple. Check out aqadvisor for a more realistic approach.

[aquascaper]

Hey Everyone,

I'm getting a 60 Gallon Ckento4o 120 next week and I'm planning to rock scape it for hiding places and caves. I'll be cycling the tank before adding any fish.

I've been doing some research and I came across this idea of overstocking to reduce aggression in fish. KGTropicals on YouTube suggested stocking half the tank's volume in gallons, so for my 60 gallon, that's 30 fish.

Now I'm wondering how to introduce these fish to the tank. Should I add them in small batches, but won't they get territorial and established? Or should I add all 30 at once, but that's expensive and a huge change in water chemistry to manage.

I'd love some expert advice on creating a colourful and active tank. I think I'd prefer a tank with a lot of medium-sized fish, up to 3 or 4 inches, rather than a few larger ones.

Twenty fish sounds more like it to me. I've seen those Strawberry Peacocks grow quite large - up to 6 inches, which is considerable.

When buying Peacocks, it's essential to consider the sex of the fish, especially since they're dimorphic. If you're purchasing juveniles, there's a chance you might end up with all females. I've had a similar experience with my Odessa barbs - out of nine, only one is showing male colors.

It's worth noting that some cichlid breeders in the US offer guaranteed male/female pairs or even singles, but this comes at a higher cost.

The Aragonite substrate you've mentioned should work well for your tank.

[olixo]

Got my rocks, now I can start playing around with the scape for the next day before the tank arrives.

[happyone]

Hey Everyone,

I'm getting a 60 Gallon Ckento4o 120 next week and I'm planning to rock scape it for hiding places and caves. I'll be cycling the tank before adding any fish.

I've been doing some research and I came across this idea of overstocking to reduce aggression in fish. KGTropicals on YouTube suggested stocking half the tank's volume in gallons, so for my 60 gallon, that's 30 fish.

Now I'm wondering how to introduce these fish to the tank. Should I add them in small batches, but won't they get territorial and established? Or should I add all 30 at once, but that's expensive and a huge change in water chemistry to manage.

I'd love some expert advice on creating a colourful and active tank. I think I'd prefer a tank with a lot of medium-sized fish, up to 3 or 4 inches, rather than a few larger ones.

Mbuna and Peacocks are both part of the Cichlid family from Lake Malawi. Mbuna are more territorial and love dwelling in rocks, whereas Peacocks are more open-water swimmers. They're not exactly community fish, so it's best to plan for a species tank.

From what I know, Peacocks are dimorphic - only the males have those stunning bright colors. Not all Mbuna have this trait, though.

Since Lake Malawi doesn't have many plants, I'd suggest using lots of rocks and stones. Mbuna tend to dig up plants, and the high pH water isn't exactly plant-friendly. For my own Mbuna tank, I'm planning to cover the entire bottom with rocks. Instead of buying rocks from a fish store, you can find a local source and collect them for free. Just make sure to test them with vinegar - if they bubble up, it's best to avoid them, as they might be limestone.

Caribsea has a great substrate called AFRICAN CICHLID MIX that helps maintain the high pH level.

I've been reading that I should overstock the fish to curb the aggression of the fish, KGTropicals on youtube said half the gallons and thats the amount of fish, so 30 for my 60 gallon.

I'm still unsure about this though, I've been told overstocking can work for Mbuna and Peacocks, but is this really the best approach? I'd love to hear from people with more experience on this.

Also, I've been looking at the stocking list and I'm thinking of going with a mix of different species to get a variety of colors. I've got my eye on Yellow Lab, Electric Blue hap, Strawberry Peacock, Red Peacock, OB Peacock, Blue Peacock, Dragon Blood Peacock, Ruby Red, Blue Neon, and Jalo.

I was thinking of getting 1 or 2 of each fish, but I'm not sure if this is enough. Should I be getting more of each species to create a more stable group?

And finally, I've been reading that I should minus 10 from the gallon volume and half and that is the number to stock? So my 60 gallon should be 20-25 fish, which sounds like a lot. Is this a good rule of thumb to follow?

[olixo]

Just had a play around with the rocks for my tank and this is my first attempt at a hard scape. I've tried to create some interesting hiding places and caves for my future fish. Some of the rocks are balanced a bit precariously, I'm wondering if I should glue them together or if the water pressure will be enough to keep them in place.