mp010303

Hey all. I want to make a decent habitat for a new 29 gal cichlid tank. i'm not gonna be using live plants, but i want to make it look natural. any advice/links that might be helpful? thanks a lot!!!

MissMTS

Welcome to Fishlore

What kind of cichlids are you planning on stocking. This is key to know, since all cichlids have different requirements and aquascape preferences

mp010303

probably convicts. i'm really trying to keep it small cause i want 4 or 5. any info on that would help a lot too! lol, im new. anyway, thanks for the help

MissMTS

Convicts are great first cichlids to keep. You can use either a sand or gravel substrate, and some rocks would be nice to establish some territories in the tank. I wouldn't do driftwood, because it tends to soften the water, and cons tend to like harder water. Plants are definitely out since the cons will make lunch of them, lol. You can look at my CA tank if you click on my signature. Cons would probably do well in a tank similar to the way I decorated mine. If you want to keep a group of four or five, try to get all the same sex. If a pair forms, unless you have a larger tank, they won't tollerate other fish.

aquarist48

Some great information above so I'll just WELCOME you to Fish Lore!
Ken

mp010303

thanks a lot for the info! it's gonna help me out a lot

harpua2002

I know I'm going against the grain here, but I wouldn't suggest keeping any more than 2 cons in a 29, preferably a pair. I kept 2 females in a 75 with other cichlids and one female ended up killing the other. IME conspecific aggression is off the charts with cons, lol.

peacemaker92

Glad Fishlore members could help you. Great place =) WELCOME TO FISHLORE btw!

harpua2002

BTW I thought you were looking at dwarf cichlids? I wouldn't consider cons a dwarf cichlid, just a thought.