Bored with my freshwater tanks

[TikiBird]

The issue I have with Freshwater and why Im pulling the plug on all 40 of my tanks, is there are to many fish out there that I want to keep. There are to many different types of scapes also.

If I wasn't going to set my 90 gallon up as a mixed reef( the wife and kids want it as much as I do), I would do a hi-tech fulley planted tank with more plants then fish. Doing a carpet grass and mixing in red plants really adds to teh look.

A all green planted tank with just a sand substrate is boring and to dark. You add a carpet grass and a very creative scape you can get a very breath taking freshwater tank.

All my tanks I have set up now are for growing out fish to sell and that's a tough way to enjoy the hobby, so after 5 years I'm getting rid of all of them.

Once reef tank and thats it.

I do have a fluvel Edge pico tank with the light and filter centered in the middle I might set up as a low teck planted tank with some shrimp but my cats like water so I might have to pass on it since its a open top

You’re right, the colorful planted tanks are stunning.

 

[riche]

man I got rid of all my fish except for 3 flowerhorns as Im growing them to sell and the relief is awesome not having to deal with that many tanks

 

[TikiBird]

man I got rid of all my fish except for 3 flowerhorns as Im growing them to sell and the relief is awesome not having to deal with that many tanks

Yesss! Honestly I️ just want my BioCube and a betta. [emoji23] I’d be good with that. Sweet relief!

 

[Forsaken77]

Having a nice big African Cichlid tank can be very similar to a saltwater fish tank. There's sooo many different species and the colors are amazing and saltwater-like. I used to have this cool African that had an elongated jaw with huge, sharp teeth hanging out of its mouth.

Is it possible for you to combine those tanks into your 72 bow? Or maybe a 120? Just so you don't have to maintain so many tanks?

 

[FugeTown]

African cichlid tanks are freaking awesome , I had one a long time ago and loved it.

 

[TikiBird]

Having a nice big African Cichlid tank can be very similar to a saltwater fish tank. There's sooo many different species and the colors are amazing and saltwater-like. I used to have this cool African that had an elongated jaw with huge, sharp teeth hanging out of its mouth.

Is it possible for you to combine those tanks into your 72 bow? Or maybe a 120? Just so you don't have to maintain so many tanks?

Cichlids are so pretty but also they scare me. [emoji33]

I ended up combining some smaller tanks together into the 72, which helped a lot! Of course, my garage now looks like a fish store with all these empty tanks sitting around. [emoji23]

I️ went out tonight and got some fabric that I’m going to swap for the plain black backdrop i currently have in the 72. I think I’ll do that and change up the rocks and aquascape in there this weekend. Gotta rekindle the fire. Lol

 

[TikiBird]

African cichlid tanks are freaking awesome , I had one a long time ago and loved it.

They’re super aggressive though, right? That freaks me out! lol

 

[Forsaken77]

They’re super aggressive though, right? That freaks me out! lol

Only certain ones. And not like they're gonna attack you. Only very few will attack you, and that's if you provoke them. Really not much different than a lot of saltwater fish. There's also 2 different lakes they come from. The colorful ones are from one lake, and more brackish water than fresh, then there's the other lake with, I think, Central American cichlids. Both have aggressive and non-aggressive fish. My local store has a huge display of them with about 100 different African Cichlids.

If you're worried about aggression, just don't buy one that gets big or has visible teeth. And even the aggressive ones will be fine if placed with similar sized fish. They will eat guppies and goldfish if it can fit in its mouth though.

 

[FugeTown]

They’re super aggressive though, right? That freaks me out! lol

When I had my tank I was only 21 years old so it was about 17 years ago don't remember them attacking me lol I had a bunch of different looking cichlids lots of color variety and fun to watch swim around the tank. The thing that really wowed me about the cichlids I had they made a tunnel system throughout the gravel substrate of the tank. I heard they can live in saltwater too but my tank was freshwater but this post is making me want to start a cichlid tank. I had some kind of plant growing in there too it was awesome!

 

[FugeTown]

They’re super aggressive though, right? That freaks me out! lol

When I had my tank I was only 21 years old so it was about 17 years ago don't remember them attacking me lol I had a bunch of different looking cichlids lots of color variety and fun to watch swim around the tank. The thing that really wowed me about the cichlids I had they made a tunnel system throughout the gravel substrate of the tank. I heard they can live in saltwater too but my tank was freshwater but this post is making me want to start a cichlid tank. I had some kind of plant growing in there too it was awesome!

 

[TikiBird]

Only certain ones. And not like they're gonna attack you. Only very few will attack you, and that's if you provoke them. Really not much different than a lot of saltwater fish. There's also 2 different lakes they come from. The colorful ones are from one lake, and more brackish water than fresh, then there's the other lake with, I think, Central American cichlids. Both have aggressive and non-aggressive fish. My local store has a huge display of them with about 100 different African Cichlids.

If you're worried about aggression, just don't buy one that gets big or has visible teeth. And even the aggressive ones will be fine if placed with similar sized fish. They will eat guppies and goldfish if it can fit in its mouth though.

Wow! That sounds like a really impressive display!

I actually like blood parrot cichlids and think they’re cute, but my husband HATES how they look. [emoji24] I’ve also read they can be kind of hit-or-miss in terms of being docile or aggressive...

 

[TikiBird]

When I had my tank I was only 21 years old so it was about 17 years ago don't remember them attacking me lol I had a bunch of different looking cichlids lots of color variety and fun to watch swim around the tank. The thing that really wowed me about the cichlids I had they made a tunnel system throughout the gravel substrate of the tank. I heard they can live in saltwater too but my tank was freshwater but this post is making me want to start a cichlid tank. I had some kind of plant growing in there too it was awesome!

Omg whaaat. The cichlids made a tunnel? What the what??

 

[FugeTown]

Omg whaaat. The cichlids made a tunnel? What the what??

They kinda made them to go under the ornamental rocks it was cool

 

[FugeTown]

Omg whaaat. The cichlids made a tunnel? What the what??

Check out the link I found someone else who had cichlids digging tunnels too

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-blue-zerbra-digging-holes-everywhere.543572/

 

[cmcoker]

Only certain ones. And not like they're gonna attack you. Only very few will attack you, and that's if you provoke them. Really not much different than a lot of saltwater fish. There's also 2 different lakes they come from. The colorful ones are from one lake, and more brackish water than fresh, then there's the other lake with, I think, Central American cichlids. Both have aggressive and non-aggressive fish. My local store has a huge display of them with about 100 different African Cichlids.

If you're worried about aggression, just don't buy one that gets big or has visible teeth. And even the aggressive ones will be fine if placed with similar sized fish. They will eat guppies and goldfish if it can fit in its mouth though.

From what I remember there's 3 lakes for the African cichlids, Malawi, tanganyka, and victoria. Can't remember the Victoria, but Malawi seemed to be the more colorful fish, and tanganyka had more plain looking but interesting behavior species.

I used to keep some tanganykan cichlids, had a neolamprologus multifasciatus species tank, pretty cool little harem fish, a 20g was large enough for 2 males and watching them spit sand at each other when defining their territories was pretty cool. They spawned readily and the fry were easy to raise in the tank.

Jack Dempsey and oscars are some of the South American cichlids, huge fishes but seems like people with Oscars refer to them as pet fish.

I think those blood parrots are a hybrid From an African and South American species, they're kinda strange to me.

 

[TikiBird]

They kinda made them to go under the ornamental rocks it was cool

Wow. That pretty neat! Fish who redecorate! Lol

 

[TikiBird]

From what I remember there's 3 lakes for the African cichlids, Malawi, tanganyka, and victoria. Can't remember the Victoria, but Malawi seemed to be the more colorful fish, and tanganyka had more plain looking but interesting behavior species.

I used to keep some tanganykan cichlids, had a neolamprologus multifasciatus species tank, pretty cool little harem fish, a 20g was large enough for 2 males and watching them spit sand at each other when defining their territories was pretty cool. They spawned readily and the fry were easy to raise in the tank.

Jack Dempsey and oscars are some of the South American cichlids, huge fishes but seems like people with Oscars refer to them as pet fish.

I think those blood parrots are a hybrid From an African and South American species, they're kinda strange to me.

Very cool! When I see Jack Dempsey cichlids in a store they are always so striking.

The blood parrots are strange. I totally admit that. My son was actually afraid of them for a while when we saw them in stores!