Gold saum setup

[jstoj]

I'm setting up a planted tank for a gold saum, is a 200litre 55g tank big enough for a single male to get to full size if water quality is kept clean and high quality pellets fed.

Also would I get away with adding a bristle nose aswell to keep algae down?

Thanks

 

[duanes]

Although a 55 gal tank is quite small for a cichlid that can get 12", you may get away with it, if frequent anough water changes are performed.
This would mean (to me) something in the minimum of at least two 50%v water changes per week, that would hold nitrate down into the single diget range.
Without that kind of maintenance routine I would expect the male would be scarred up with HITH disease by the time it was 2 years old.

 

[jstoj]

I plan on having a heavily planted tank which I thought would keep the nitrates down. Is this correct?

 

[duanes]

Being heavily planted can keep nitrates low.
I use a 125 gal planted sump, to hold nitrate to undetectable levels, although this doesn't eliminate the need for water chanhges.
Below is the sump, used to filter the 180 gal cichlid tank.



It hold nitrate to undetectablle levels (the post above), along with regular water changes.
The sump is heavily planted with Vallisneria, Nymphea (water lilies), Salvinia (a floater) and some mangrove trees (right side), and Dieffenbachia .

Mangrove Trees

The trick seems to be to have the plants, far outweigh the fish to actually eat up the number of nitrates, in the limited space the fish produce as waste
.

 

[Morti]

Plants are great for filtering the water but remember that a big fish needs plenty of swimming room which will limit the available space for plants. Growing plants out of the water is a good option but upgrading the size of tank is the easiest way to improve conditions straight away.