New Central American Tank

Hey everyone

I've recently set up a new cichlid tank, more or less based on the wide area covering Central America. Today I got my first 2 fish for the tank - 2 Firemouth Cichlids (Thorichthys meeki).

I'll be adding another 2 species over the next two weeks, so watch this spot for updates.

Some pictures:

The tank







Hope you enjoyed
SA

 

Very nice tank Salmon!!

I've always had a fond feeling towards Firemouths!! What else are you planning on putting in the tank?

 

Yes tank looks really nice.

 

very nice... Looks fantastic

 

the cave/pipe gives of a good effect

 

Very nice love those firemouths..

 

looks awesome

 

good looking firemouths...healthy too.

 

Thanks. This weekend I'll be adding some young Convict cichlids, after that I'll wait for a bit and see what other species are on offer and then buy them one or two weeks later.

Thanks guys :bigsmile:

I love using clay pipes - the fish love it!

Thank you. I've been looking forward to keeping this species for a while now, and so far I've enjoyed the experience. I can't wait for them to grow up.

Thanks everyone for the kind comments!

 

Tank looks good how big is it

 

looks awesome..

 

The tank is 80x45x36cm (LxHxW), so about 130 odd litres. I'm also going to try and add some more tough plants towards the the back; we'll see how that goes.

 

Fantastic setup, love the fish Be sure to keep us updated on how ur tank is gettin on- love pics. BTW ur pics are fantastic-so nice and clear!

 

Hey Salmon...

Personall, I'd shy away from the convicts... For one, I believe they are on the Black List, and secondly, they breed like crazy and become super aggressive!! Why not try some of the Acaras?

 

Nice looking tank like the setup with all the different pieces of pots wood etc.

 

Well, that's why I'm adding the fish in the order I'm adding them. Firemouths are some of the least aggressive cichlid species from Central America. I'm giving them time to settle in and create their own territory.

Once that has happened, I'll be adding some very young Convicts. At this age, they shouldn't be too aggressive and will have to select a territory other than that which the Firemouths have established.

I was thinking of Acaras, but a lot of them are too peaceful for the bustle of a Central American tank and come from Northern South America, which has different water parameters to the rivers and lakes of Central America. The most suitable of the "Acara" species (ie: Aequidens sp.) is the Green Terror, Aequidens sp. rivulatus, and I'm thinking it might be a bit of a push to mix them up with the comparitively peaceful Convicts and Firemouths.

I'll be doing much more research until I can try and find the right species to add. If push comes to shove, I'll need the help of the sponsers to get my hands on some of the... 'rarer' species.

 

What about Blue Acaras? They are beautiful and fairly peaceful.

 

I've thought of them, but they don't come around these parts very often. I would take them in a heartbeat but getting them is the problem.

I don't mind some aggression - after all, they are cichlids, and seeing them defend valuable territory space is very interesting behaviour that I wouldn't mind seeing. I'm willing to take on some fairly aggressive species (Convicts are already on the list, remember), but I'm not going so far as to add something like a Jack Dempsey or a Red Devil.

 

Some more from tonight, they weren't so afraid of the camera this time, although the shots are still extremely difficult.

 

very nice neat simple setup...

I would've imagined a more 'exotic' collection of fish though...