80 Gal Breeding Project

[CrepaPark]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on the forum and I relocated my Cardinal Tetras, Panda Corydoras, Cherry Shrimp and my 1 male Honey Gourami into another fish tank and now I have one vacant 80 Gallon tank available. What should I do with it? I could start a breeding project or make another community tank. Maybe some bigger fish? Any suggestions or tips are appreciated!

[Scapexghost]

Have you considered african cichlids? Not the easiest fish but their color and personality make up for it. Easy breeders, as well.

[CrepaPark]

On 8/10/2022 at 8:29 PM, Scapexghost said:

Have you considered african cichlids? Not the easiest fish but their color and personality make up for it. Easy breeders, as well.

Any specific species that I could try? 

[Scapexghost]

On 8/10/2022 at 5:34 AM, CrepaPark said:

Any specific species that I could try? 

Pseudotropheus saulosi are pretty cool. The females are bright yellow while the males are a dark blue. So, you can have a species only tank that looks like two different species. Best of both worlds, the ease of a species only tank with the contrast of a community tank.

alternativrly you can try one of the cookie-cutter cichlid set-ups, like the one cory talks about in This video, and just increase the numbers 50%. 

worth mentioning that Synodontis catfish also come from the rift lakes, so you can add them too. You can occationally get away with adding a few select non-rift species to an african cichlid tank, but i wouldn't necessarily recommend it for your first go.

if you mind water changes, this might not be the tank for you, but its hard to beat african cichlids, at least in the freshwater hobby, in terms of beauty.

[CrepaPark]

On 8/10/2022 at 9:53 PM, Scapexghost said:

Pseudotropheus saulosi are pretty cool. The females are bright yellow while the males are a dark blue. So, you can have a species only tank that looks like two different species. Best of both worlds, the ease of a species only tank with the contrast of a community tank.

alternativrly you can try one of the cookie-cutter cichlid set-ups, like the one cory talks about in This video, and just increase the numbers 50%. 

worth mentioning that Synodontis catfish also come from the rift lakes, so you can add them too. You can occationally get away with adding a few select non-rift species to an african cichlid tank, but i wouldn't necessarily recommend it for your first go.

if you mind water changes, this might not be the tank for you, but its hard to beat african cichlids, at least in the freshwater hobby, in terms of beauty.

How often would I have to water change and what percentage?

[Scapexghost]

On 8/10/2022 at 6:17 AM, CrepaPark said:

How often would I have to water change and what percentage?

Depends on how much you stock, and if it is planted. Cichlid tanks are s balancing act. The higher the stocking, the less aggression, but the more water changes. You'll probably have to do water changes st least once a week at 25%. Maybe start there and adjust. 

[CrepaPark]

First time keeping Cichlids and hopefully not the last! XD

[BradfordAquatics]

I think a pair of geophagus would be a great choice. There are several different species so you could choose whatever one you like the best. My personal favorite is the red head tapajos, but there are lots of options. They are medium-large cichlids (depending on which species you choose) They are really interesting fish to watch as is, but watching the breeding behavior of a pair is even better! My personal favorite is the red head tapajos, but there are lots of options

[Emory]

Breed a nice type of pleco on the bottom, and a nice strain of guppy’s on the top!

[Scot]

On 8/10/2022 at 6:29 AM, Scapexghost said:

Have you considered african cichlids? Not the easiest fish but their color and personality make up for it. Easy breeders, as well.

I have to concur about the easy breeders. Years ago, decades really...I put 3 species of africans in an outdoor pond (basically a defunct jacuzzi), along with some hardscape for their comfort. We are talking about maybe 5 to 8 fish of each type AT MOST. When we sold the house a year or two later we had to get the fish out. There were like 300 fish of all types in there. It was crazy. I had no idea there were so many fish in there.