Freshly cycled tanks and GBRs also wild caught or tank bred? What tetras with them?

[FishGuy67]

I have a 29g that will be done cycling at the end of the month and had planned to order a GBR from my LFS. They gave me 3 options Microgeophagus ramirezi Wild caught and tank bred also strangely enough German Rams on the list too but seperate. Rather confusing since they never ordered them for anyone before so they don't know exactly what I'll be getting. The tank will have 12 small corys and I had hoped for some suggestions on what tetras would be able to live with a GBR I had planned maybe 10 Black Neons. Also how risky would it be for a fish that seems on the harder side of cichlids to care for to get one with a freshly cycled tank? Filtration wise I'm x2 what I need and was planning frequent water changes.

[FishGuy67]

I should probably add I've kept all kinds of cichlids when i had my 75g and other large tanks. From my jack Dempsey (he lived to 11 years old!), rare pike cichlids, to electric blue jacks also some locally caught bluegills and rock bass so I'm no stranger to touchy fish. Just new to the dwarf varieties.

[Sandz]

Dont get the wilds, you would need to be ph concious and change water more. Domesticated fish are the way to go for your tank.

Any and all tetras will be fine with a gbr but I would add the tetras first and get the tank stable, then add the gbr 2 weeks later. Easier to replace 4 black neons to 1 gbr. I personally have Galaxy Rasbora on my "wish list". Also with planted tanks I am a fan of red swordtails and even the general guppy could look good as a shoaling fish.

Other species you may look at are appistogramma. Borelli and Cacatoides should be readily available and are great south american cichlids too.

[~firefly~]

Tank bred fish are generally hardier and you can guarantee sustainability. Avoid wild caught fish if you have ethical concerns. Despite sustainability certification it will always have an effect on local ecosystems. Mortality rates in wild caught specimens are always higher due to stress and parasite loads.

[talldutchie]

It's not that black and white. Ornamental fish allow some indigenous tribes to make a living in a sustainable way. There's some evidence that it can help preserve natural habitats.

[steeler58]

I would suggest a school of Rosy tetras. They are a very outgoing colorful fish that would mix well with your GBR.

Here's a video I found that shows them interacting with another charming little chiclid, Laetacara Araguaiae.

[FishGuy67]

My experience with cichlids is that mating pairs tend to be really aggressive so I planned to get just 1 GBR hopefully a male, I never thought of any other dwarf cichlids I wonder if I could keep a GBR and something like an appistogramma together in a 29g since they tend to be peaceful compared to the big bad guys like midas etc.

Neat video I wish I had digital pics or vids of my old 75g I only have Polaroids etc of it lol. My Jack Dempsey was the most beautiful fish I ever had he might have lived past 11 if I didn't have to give him to a friend when he was 10 who....lets just say didn't take as good of care of him as I did. He was maybe a foot long and I had a rare pike cichlid that was maybe 8'' with a school of red hook and normal silver dollars the size of my palm (which is rather big) a raphael catfish and pleco. All in sand with driftwood I found while fishing and homemade slate caves. In fact the same driftwood I have in my new tank.

When I get this tank all setup etc I'll definitely have to borrow my friends high res camera/video recorder to show you all. I really think this will the pinnacle of all the tanks I've had for sheer looks when I'm done.

[FishGuy67]

I have an emperor 400 and 2 jebo 502s I plan to add fish slowly but I think I could overstock it a tad bit as long as I go slow considering the emperor alone turns over 400 GPH and each jebo is suppose to be something like 100 gph even tho their cheap crap lol and don't have the bio wheels etc. Assuming those GPH to be correct I turn my 29gallons of water over 20 times an hour! I even have 2 power heads with attachable filtration but I don't want to turn the tank into a whirlpool.

[mizzoutank]

take the filtration specs and half them.
once you have established media, bb and other stuff, it'll decrease your "ratings" by 50%

for example=my 45gallon tank is running total of: 210gallons, and gph of near 800. but with all the media, ceramic rings, filter pads. it is def not a whirlpool, in fact i'm adding in a powerhead to help with a deadspot.

[FishGuy67]

That makes sense but what you mean by bb? I noticed with my sand all the flakes of driftwood and poop end up in one corner. Once I see how the fish are I might add a power head/filter combo.