"Cichlidiot" wrote in message
...
In rec.aquaria.freshwater.cichlids Koi-Lo wrote:

: If you just have to keep those nasty tempered cichlids there are always
: those tank dividers the FSs sell. I haven't seen anyone on these NGs
: mention them. They do come in handy and they do work.

That's because they are too flimsy to work with large cichlids. All the
ones I've seen are not very ridgid in the center. A good whack by a
determined large fish and the pressure that keeps it mounted to the sides
gives way. Usually one corner towards the bottom will float away from the
tank glass at this point and that's enough of an opening for the cichlid
to get through. At least that has been my experience with store-bought
tank dividers.

This is true. I didn't keep my SA cichlids long enough for them to reach
such a size (to down the dividers).

Now, there is a DIY tank divider that uses egg crate. Egg crate is much
less flexible and stands up to the abuse better. What you do is go over
to the hardware store and ask for the lighting section.

I know what it is. I got mine from Home Depot. I used it to keep jumpers
from committing suicide. I decided to switch to Lake Malawi African
Cichlids so didn't need dividers. I just got rid of the overly aggressive
ones.

When there, ask
for the 2'x4' light diffusers. One will be a series of white squares.
This is egg crate. Get some good wire/plastic snippers while there too
if you don't have any. If you want to cover the rough edges of the cut
egg crate, you can also pick up some food grade flexible tubing (like
filter hose tubing) that is of sufficient diameter to slip over the edge.
Go home, measure the tank, cut the egg crate to size. Optionally cut a
slit in the tubing and slip it over all the rough edges in the egg crate.
Put it in the tank and secure with ties or suction cups so the fish cannot
push it around. Classic divider. Here's a few sites with pictures of such
dividers and fancier variations:

http://cichlidresearch.com/tips.html
http://www.aquamojo.com/misc/divider.html (Uses PVC with suction cups)
http://www.gcca.net/howto/tank_divider.htm (Uses PVC frame)

One advantage with egg crate is you can cut small openings in the middle
(be sure to sand the edges smooth so fish don't scrape themselves). Then
smaller fish can have full run of the tank while the larger fish is kept
in its side. This is often used to breed large cichlids where the female
is smaller than the male. This way the female can retreat to safety when
need be, but still interact with her mate otherwise. This is often called
the incomplete divider method. If you have Loiselle's Cichlid Aquarium
book, there is a picture of such a divider in the breeding section.

I saw the pic. I may still have the book out in the storage outbuilding.
Hummm... no, maybe it was in a book on breeding cichlids. Wow, that
description brought back memories. :-)
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
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