Can't make a decision...which tank?

[scientist0724]

All right...I'm trying to decide, but can't make up my mind.

As soon as I get a "fish room" going in my basement, I plan on setting up a few tanks, three at most. I'm only doing three right now, because between some DIY remodeling, gardening, kids' activities, I'm not going going to have a lot of time for fish until maybe the fall.

So in a couple of months, I'll be setting up a planted tank with flash plecos, corys, and gobies. I'll redo my 30g cube to be a planted tank with small/micro community fish.

Which leads to which tank to set up as the third tank. I have a choice between a 40g breeder and a 33g long. In any case, I want to put my petricolas in this tank. I'm thinking that I'm going to want a cichlid tank consisting of smallish African fish that is very lightly planted. I like the 40 breeder because there is more of a footprint for putting more stuff in, but I also love the 33 long, because there is more of a view. So we are basically looking at a base footprint of 864 sq in. in the 40 breeder vs. 576 sq in. in the 33 long.

So which tank do I use and why? And what small, colorful African cichlids can I put with the petricolas?

Arlene

 

[Andrewtfw]

Don't know if you know it but Deep Blue makes two tanks they call "frag tanks" that you may want to consider because of the footprint and short height.

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[jonclark96]

In the case of 40 breeder versus 33, I'd go with the 40 although I have very little experience with africans.

 

[Terri]

40-breeder. It provides more space front-to-back, which is better for aqua-scaping for africans. You can create a rock-scape along the back & leave the front more open. If you go w/ Tanganikans (one of my personal favorites), it will give you plenty of room to put 3 different fish types: rock-dwellers like Julies & Lamp. brichardi; open-water dwellers like Leptosoma spp.; sand/shell-dwellers like Lamp. brevis. Behaviorally speaking, such a set-up can provide for a wide diversity of species & be highly entertaining for years to come...& your S. petricolas will fit right in.

 

[Terri]

Oh yeah...& as an added benefit, most Tangs aren't big in the plant-eating department, so you can even include a number of high pH tolerant plants such as Anubias, Java fern, Bolbitis, plus many of the Crypt, Val, & Aponogeton species, just to name a few!

 

[verbal]

If I was going down to 3 tanks, I would probably go out and get another tank. I would probably go with a 75 or a 80 gallon frag tank. If you have a stand that would fit it, you could always keep the 33 for a hospital, quarantine, breeding, etc. tank.

 

[scientist0724]

Oh, I forgot to mention, that I already have the two tanks and they are currently in use. I just need to decide one to use and rescape. I plan on keeping the other tank as a grow tank for some plants in the future, like maybe in the fall or next year.

Also, I have a double tank stand that I was planning to put the 75g on top and either the 40g breeder or 33g long on the bottom.

Arlene

 

[londonloco]

Arlene, I really like 75g tanks, 18" is a decent width. I know when we talked you wanted to down size the # of tanks you have, but if I was you, I'd set up the 75g with the 33g long on bottom. You could even leave the 33g empty until this fall.