40 Hex= Worth a try?

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H

Headrush

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2007
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Upstate New York
My GF talked me into buying a 40 gallon Hex with stand, filter, etc for $80 this weekend. The thing is only a year old. She wants a Red Empress...actually 1m and 2 F

Will this work? Should we find smaller african cichlids to stock it with instead?

I have SA/CA cichlids in a 90 and am familiar with cichlids in general but Africans are rather new to me. I'd keep up with water changes etc but just wasn't sure if the Hex style tank was a "nono"

All comments are welcome so don't be afraid to speak up. Thanks to all!
 
Hex tanks can make a real nice display, but don't always work too well for a few reasons. First is that the shape of the tank makes for a smaller surface area to allow oxygen to get into the water. Also, there isn't as much area for fish (especially territorial fish) to spread out.
 
Thanks for the replies. We are going to scrap the whole Peacock idea and I was still considering Dwarf cichlids. Are there any you would recomend for a 40 gallon hex?

I have been looking at Demasoni, as they grow to around 8 cm. Would 1 M and 3-4 Females work? 30-40% w/c 1 x per week

Sorry for the newbie questions, I am trying to read about as many African cichlids as I can. There aren't going to be too many that will fit comfortably in this style tank I'm afraid. Any suggestions would help a great deal.

Thanks in advance!!:headbang2
 
not really enough "floor" space for demasoni,and they do better in larger groups 3-4m 10-15 female
 
I would go with Angels, Discus, Apistos, maybe some shellies and something that schools up high to fill out the tank.

Put a tall piece of driftwood in the tank and have a colony of Juliis or maybe Brichardi....

ETA, I didn't mean Angels, Discus, Apistos and Shellies all in one tank. 4 different categories. Maybe Apistos in with Angels and Discus, but that's about the only combo I would go with....
 
S.A.: Apistos for bottom/middle, a small group of angels for the middle, and hatchets for the top, with a tall piece of driftwood and some vallisnera plants for added height, and low space consumption.

African: Otherwise, a very tall cave structure could probably house a great group of tanganyikan julies (one of my personal favorites:D).

I wouldn't do discus in that small of a tank, but that's just my opnion... kinda borderline.
 
Thanks I was looking at the Julies as they seem to be a popular choice. But I also came across a "cookie cutter" set-up for a 29 gallon that mentioned:

Haplochromis "Ruby Green"
it is a striking fish and may be another possibility. I have never heard of or seem them for sale online though. Are they a popular fish?

Ruby_Green_Haplochromis.jpg
 
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