120g convict and red terror pair!

[oscarmeyer321]

Substrate isn't everything, a mentioned adding a dark background or some driftwood and plants, or branches etc can help. Also your tank looks cool but these aren't african cichlids. Having a bare tank with a few rocks isn't going to make them comfortable. They need branches, plants, driftwood. Natural cover and hidey spots to feel at home and thrive and display natural cichlid behaviors.

Im putting big fish in here. How crowded should this tank be? Its only a 120g in a short foot print.

 

[oscarmeyer321]

I

All cichlids are chameleon like, and will try to instinctually blend with the substrate to make themselves less obvious to predators.
So if you put in a white substrate, with white rocks (unless you add dark sunken logs or some other dark decor such as lots of plants), don't expect darker colorful fish to show normal colors.
As an example of a cichlid that will show great colors on light substrate (because it is the norm in their habitat in nature), Herichthys carpintus is a good choice
Most danger to themis not lethal and un-notuced from the side, and fish "want" to be noticed by potential mates.
Their primary predators are aerial.
View attachment 1506419
So this broadside color is desired, but from the air, their coloration makes them almost invisible.
There are 3 capintus in the pic below.
View attachment 1506420
But even in this case, the substrate is "not" un-naturallywhite.
Another problem with stark white substrate is, your cichlids will want to constantly hide.
Many fish have the ability to color shift in an instant, even the mollies in the video below
Eden2
But also notice the JDs, that lose color over light colored substrate toward the end of the video, compared to the ones in the beginning, or living at depths.
If you want your cichlids to show great color like the way they do in nature, providing the color substrate that most matches their natural habitat is the key.

have a black background and these convicts have such color already blue speckling and reds

 

[Something Fishy Here]

Skim through some SA/CA cichlid threads on here and look at pics, doesn't have to be crowded or dense. I like to see the fish too, but a few thin branches, or spiderwood etc to give them somwhere to swim around and through. Theyre mostly river fish. Anything so they feel like they're not a wide open target under the spotlight.

 

[oscarmeyer321]

Skim through some SA/CA cichlid threads on here and look at pics, doesn't have to be crowded or dense. I like to see the fish too, but a few thin branches, or spiderwood etc to give them somwhere to swim around and through. Theyre mostly river fish. Anything so they feel like they're not a wide open target under the spotlight.

Thanks I will add some appreciate your explanation and not bashing me.

 

[Something Fishy Here]

Definitely, I'm here to learn too I've been doing a lot if research lately because i set up my 90g green terror tank just a couple months ago. Keep asking questions and have fun with it!

 

[oscarmeyer321]

I have added a large piece of driftwood (weighing down with rocks until sinks) and some simple plants to add some color. I will be painting the back black. Convicts are in another tank. Waiting for these 12 terrors to show up Monday. Testing water later and should be all set.

 

[Something Fishy Here]

Awesome! If your water turns to iced tea over the next couple days don't panic. Perfectly nutritional and safe for the fish. Get some purigen and put it in a media bag in your filter and will go away. That looks like a great start! Here's mine with some young gts As they grow and behavior changes i may have to add more cover our move he driftwood to the center etc. But for juvies theyseem happy

 

[Stephen St.Clair]

You might try taping black foam board to the back of the tank. Most arts and craft stores sell it. Easier than painting & can easily be removed if you want to change things up.

 

[oscarmeyer321]

You might try taping black foam board to the back of the tank. Most arts and craft stores sell it. Easier than painting & can easily be removed if you want to change things up.

I thought about that but Im going to roll a coat or 2 of gloss black and call it day.

 

[oscarmeyer321]

Awesome! If your water turns to iced tea over the next couple days don't panic. Perfectly nutritional and safe for the fish. Get some purigen and put it in a media bag in your filter and will go away. That looks like a great start! Here's mine with some young gts As they grow and behavior changes i may have to add more cover our move he driftwood to the center etc. But for juvies theyseem happy

View attachment 1506589

The tannins concerned me initially but after doing a 50% wc the tank cleared up overnight and seems to be clear. I was thinking about adding 2 sponge filters but really don't want to gunk up the tank with eyesores. The fluval fx4 appears to be doing well but 2 sponges would make this tank crystal clear. Once the driftwood sinks on its own I will make some more cave systems with the rocks and add a couple small pots/plants. I think this will work well for the grow out phase (12 1” F1 Red Terrors). The goal is to find the best male and hoping to get a female out of this. If not I will keep a few of the best males and seek out some females. I even have a divider ready to go. Once I find suitable pair this will be a pair only tank. In the meantime it will be a community RT tank.