New Tank Decor Ideas....?

[bsmith]

ok well now that all my fish are gone and im getting new types of fish, i want to get a good setup that will look nice and go well for my fish. im gonna get some cichlids (4-8) cory cats (4-6) and a pir of kulhi loaches (hopefully). so right now i have a wood stand that i stained black, along with blue rock and black PVC pipe, i got my new light which brings out the true colors of everything and looks great, i was thinking about getting some small black gravel, mixing it with half the blue and making that the top layer, then i was going to either get a black or blue background for the tank and take small red gravel and using silicon to paste the red onto the black pvc, to add some color. I am looking at getting some all yellow, bue and black cichlids and blue and yellow cichlids, some corys that have green on them, and then kuhlis are brown stripes, does anyone think this will look good, or bad ? thanks for helping me out !

[bsmith]

with all regular green plants

[shev]

where do you get black colored pvc pipe? I looked for some, finally just got the ugly greyish curved kind.

I think I read convicts on your other post. make sure the cories arent swallowable. their horns will get stuck in the larger fish's throat. they will probably be pretty aggressive towards the cories too.

edit: kuhlis may/probably will get eaten too by convicts.

[fishfreaks]

what species of cories? by "all yellow" do you mean yellow labs? i dont know what you mean by this either- "bue and black cichlids and blue and yellow cichlids," by blue and black im assuming you mean convicts and blue and yellow?

[bsmith]

i got the PVC pipe at Lowes Hardware, they had a lot of it, same sizes and shapes.

i think you ment cichlids, not corys, and no i havent an idea yet, something that wont get more than 4-5", im still browsing, and yes i do mean convicts, whatever wont get too big and meets that criterea.

i really want the cories, they are neat creatures, i was told they will go alright with cichlids and kuhlis, im not certain on kuhlis because i cant find any store that will order then, and nobody really sells them online without paying 30$ for shipping on two 2-3" loaches. so still taking thoughts on that.

but back to the first part, do all those colors seem that they will look nice together?

[shev]

yellow with horizontal yellow stripes on an african cichlid = auratus

blue and black cichlids: convicts?

pure yelow may be yellow labs.

blue with darker blue stripes: Labidochromis lividus?

I suggest rams, or kribs. both are very colorful, both are very peaceful. rams and cories are both from south america. convicts can get 6 inches I think.

[Ownager2004]

I think the red gravel on the black pvc against black/blue gravel background may look a little gaudy. I think the best tanks are tanks that are mostly natural colors and decor. Im working on changing mine to a more natural look at the moment. But this is all based on personal taste and opinion... My advice is to look through tanks on the internet and see what you like and dont like.

[bsmith]

ok thanks shev, are the Labidochromis lividus , convicts, auratus all smaller cichlids or are they not rams or kribs, i dont much like the rams because i havetn seen many that are solid colors. i am going to look at some different kinds right now

and yea i know about the "gaudy" look, i was just trying to add some bright color to the tank, any other suggestions? right now i think its going to be really dark colors, unless i can add something bright, i just will never add any tie-dye submarines or fake houses. i want a real atmosphere with some extra color haha ! ?

[bsmith]

also right now all i have are about 5 plants and two PVC pipes, one is large and one small, both that looks like a T, a long peice with a small peice comming from the middle, will that be ok for cichlids, i know they dwell, i was going to try to get a big peice of driftwood with holes so they can go in and around that too
also how big do Hap's get, i saw a "dolphin Hap" they look cool, could i get two of those and maybe 2 trios of cichlids with my corys and kuhli maybe

[shev]

no, theyre not rams and kirbs. all are completely different cichlids. I wouldnt get any of them, except the rams and kribs.

im gonna go find a lowes and try to find some different olored pvc.

[bsmith]

yea go there because they had a lot of good stuff,
so if i cant get those above, do the kribs or rams come in any solid colors? i really dont want any that will have 5 different colors.

if i do end up not getting kribs or rams, how many will fit into a 40gallon tank with the corys and loaches ? i really like the yellow labs and the convicts. they have great color def.

shev, i saw you replied to my other post saying i cant put corys in with the cichlids, i really really want those little guys, they are awsome, there arent any kind that will be a sufficent size to be with the cichlids?

[fishfreaks]

if you get black gravel since you want lots of colors, it would look much nicer if you add all of the colors of the fish, plants, backrounds, and whatever else you want to add.

you could have the yellow labs in a 40g. they should do fine with cories also. youd have much better luck with the yellow labs over the convicts with cories. i thought i read somewheres that kuhlis do better in sand?

[bsmith]

yea i really like the idea of putting some yellows and blues and maybe a white in a tank with some bright blue and black mix gravel. i think it will stand out when i have a black background and the bulb on. the PVC pipe i have is all black and i think its a little too dark, what would you think about taking a lighter blue gravel and siliconing it to the pvc pipe, to make some gravel on it with black comming through? or what other colors would work?

[bsmith]

ok i found some cichlids that i really want, they are all malawi.
I have found all that meet the size and color, will these be compatible when putting one of each category together? and how many can i fit in my 40gallon ? i want a pair of each category, but could i get a trio of each ?
The ones with * are what i want to put a pair together of

Yellow :
*yellow labs
doctors cichlid
lemon cichlid
Pseudotropheus saulosi
bumblebee
red zebra - female

Blue:
Melanochromis chipokae
*Pseudotropheus demasoni
*Labidochromis yellow top Mbamba juvies
Red Zebra - male
Yellow-tailed acei
Kenyi
Powder Blue cichlid

Other:
"Lamprologus" multifasciatus

[bsmith]

anyone have any more input ??