Hi all. We are looking to start having cichlids in our 29 gallon tank. Which type are the best to keep in there and how many? Also, what is a good bottom dweller to keep with them?
What is good tank decor? I heard they like a lot of hideyholes and that you can keep coral and/or shells in the tank. Driftwood, I also heard, was a no-no?
Full Version: Anyone Keep Cichlids?
i think a couple of M.Auratus will do fine.
Driftwood usually is a no no because it brings ph down,and Cichlids need that higher ph.I have always wanted to do a tank of these guys,but for some reason,the tank always turns into something else. 
Most Cichlid tanks that I've seen,have been pretty bare with the exception of caves/hidey holes,shells,etc.There are some that will spawn in these. Seems like alot of people use a sandbased,or coral substrate too.As for specific fish,I will let Sandy answer that for you,because she will have a little more info with that. I'm still learning about those guys.
Most Cichlid tanks that I've seen,have been pretty bare with the exception of caves/hidey holes,shells,etc.There are some that will spawn in these. Seems like alot of people use a sandbased,or coral substrate too.As for specific fish,I will let Sandy answer that for you,because she will have a little more info with that. I'm still learning about those guys.
Ok! Thanks for the replies. I will wait for Sandy on the specific kinds I can have. 
Erin~
I think I might just be adding to what Sharon has already said but I got bored so I did some digging also. I know your also waiting for Sandy to come across this thread. In the meantime I found a couple good reads on Cichlid's that you might find helpful.
http://cichlidforums.com/showthread/t-720.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cichlids
Hope that helps a bit until Sandy get's here.
I think I might just be adding to what Sharon has already said but I got bored so I did some digging also.
I know your also waiting for Sandy to come across this thread. In the meantime I found a couple good reads on Cichlid's that you might find helpful. http://cichlidforums.com/showthread/t-720.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cichlids
Hope that helps a bit until Sandy get's here.
Hi all
Really depends on the ph of your tank what cichlids you should go for without altering it.
You can get South American cichlids that like an acidic ph whereas the africans like the higher ph ranges.
If the ph is under 7.4 then you cant get many in as they are all territorial fish. Rams are a good fish to have but are really delicate and to take up the middle an angel would be nice as long as the tank is at least 18 inches deep.
I suggest looking around those links and seeing what catches your eye.
If the ph is over 7.4 then you can get Africans from the lakes and they have to be kept in larger groups to avoid aggression. Another fish from the African rivers are the Kribensis but they are aggressive and wouldnt tolerate any other cichlid on the floor unless the tank was bigger. Brichardi are beautiful fish as well but need the tank to themselves.
If you want to go South American then maybe a couple of pairs of rams and some dither fish to fill the top layers. There arent many cichlids that will happily co exist so you might only be able to get one pair in your tank.
Hope that helped
Really depends on the ph of your tank what cichlids you should go for without altering it.
You can get South American cichlids that like an acidic ph whereas the africans like the higher ph ranges.
If the ph is under 7.4 then you cant get many in as they are all territorial fish. Rams are a good fish to have but are really delicate and to take up the middle an angel would be nice as long as the tank is at least 18 inches deep.
I suggest looking around those links and seeing what catches your eye.
If the ph is over 7.4 then you can get Africans from the lakes and they have to be kept in larger groups to avoid aggression. Another fish from the African rivers are the Kribensis but they are aggressive and wouldnt tolerate any other cichlid on the floor unless the tank was bigger. Brichardi are beautiful fish as well but need the tank to themselves.
If you want to go South American then maybe a couple of pairs of rams and some dither fish to fill the top layers. There arent many cichlids that will happily co exist so you might only be able to get one pair in your tank.
Hope that helped
Thank you, Dells and Sandy for the info. We were thinking Africans but had no idea how many we could keep. I had heard about keeping them in a larger group to prevent aggression.
I also heard that you shouldnt have a pleco but instead some kind of catfish?
I also heard that you shouldnt have a pleco but instead some kind of catfish?
I've seen Upside-Down Catfish kept with cichlids in an LFS.
It is possible but your tank will be too small.Maybe a snail or two might fair better.
Africans are beautiful fish but I dont know how many for your size tank. You would need to look at specific cichlid forums for that information.
Africans are beautiful fish but I dont know how many for your size tank. You would need to look at specific cichlid forums for that information.
Ok, thanks Sandy. Just wanted to see if anyone knew here before I went searching for another forum.
One more thing. Are you saying to just put 2 snails in there and nothing else?? We were thinking of upgrading to a 30, although its just one gallon more, it obviously changes the dimensions. Do you think that would be better?
One more thing. Are you saying to just put 2 snails in there and nothing else?? We were thinking of upgrading to a 30, although its just one gallon more, it obviously changes the dimensions. Do you think that would be better?
You need something to keep the algae under control and plecs would really be picked on with any african fish though you could try something robust like a bristlenose but be prepared for a few chunks missing from the fins.
Just a couple of snails would do as a clean up crew or the plec.
Just a couple of snails would do as a clean up crew or the plec.
Wow, ok. I will inform the bf of that. I may be able to transfer a couple snails from the other tank into there.
Also in Petco, they had a parrot fish in with their cichlids. Is that a no-no as well?
Sorry for all the ?'s, just want to get things right before we start!
Also in Petco, they had a parrot fish in with their cichlids. Is that a no-no as well?
Sorry for all the ?'s, just want to get things right before we start!
Its ok you ask away
Parrot fish can get aggressive as well and do better with their own kind. They also need around 50 gallons for one fish and 70 for two. If you want Africans then you will need to stick to the one type.
Parrot fish can get aggressive as well and do better with their own kind. They also need around 50 gallons for one fish and 70 for two. If you want Africans then you will need to stick to the one type.
Thank you, Sandy. Youve been a GREAT help!
yay parrot fish!
sandy's right tho, they need a good bit of room as they can get quite large. and brichardi's are mean little buggers. i had 3 of 'em, and they were fine in their castle/cave thingie, but if any fish came anywhere near it, watch out! great little fish, but if you get some make SURE you've got tons of caves and hidey places, which is true w/ any cichlid.
a great starter cichlid i guess, that you can find at any petstore would be the electric yellows. they're pretty easy to care for, as long as you watch your ph. i've got a couple good links with TONS of cichlids (care and compatability) if you're interested.
yay! Yeah Justin, I would love the cichlid links. I want to know as much as we can before going ahead and getting any fishies. Thanks in advance!
I was kind of sad about not being able to get a parrot. I really love them.
Yours is really neat. Looks to be a little different than the ones Ive seen in the stores here.
I was kind of sad about not being able to get a parrot. I really love them.
Yours is really neat. Looks to be a little different than the ones Ive seen in the stores here.
Has your parrot got a lot of severum in him Jason? Doesnt seem that parrotish to me but the fins seem exagerated.
glitterfish. here's a link with a TON of malawi cichlids http://www.malawimayhem.com/profiles.php?filter=AB and here's a link for finding compatability of different breeds of malawi cichlids http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/cichlidchart/flashchartd.html
sandy, his body is definitely that of his severum lineage, but the fins are obviously midas. of which, it's not a great picture of him, he was swimming so you can't get a good idea of his anal fin, which isn't as large as it looks in the picture (his dorsal and caudal fins are acurately represented tho). also, he's only a little over 2 years old, so he's only just starting to develop his hump, which you also can't see very well due to the angle of the pic.
and it's justin it's cool tho, everyone does that, i'm used to it by now.
sandy, his body is definitely that of his severum lineage, but the fins are obviously midas. of which, it's not a great picture of him, he was swimming so you can't get a good idea of his anal fin, which isn't as large as it looks in the picture (his dorsal and caudal fins are acurately represented tho). also, he's only a little over 2 years old, so he's only just starting to develop his hump, which you also can't see very well due to the angle of the pic.
and it's justin
it's cool tho, everyone does that, i'm used to it by now.
Oops sorry, Justin Jason
Hi Erin,
stuff I've experienced with cichlids....
Kribs aren't -that- aggressive, I've had a couple spawn twice in a 10 litre tank, I eventually chucked 'em in with my 200 litre trop set-up and unfortunately the male died, but the female used to hang out with an old cacuatoides (dwarf cockatoo) and now that her spawn are getting large enough she's courting one of her spawn (a bit wrong, I know, but what can you do? they're territorial but I've got em in with bristlenoses, and even neons/bloodfin tetras, and as long as everyone stays away from their nest everyones' been cool, I dunno, I've had a few kribs over my time and they can be picky, and if they're not a good match for each other they will fight to the death, but usually they just leave other fish types alone/chase and defend their territory.
in the shop I worked at we minded a big tanganyikan set up full of tropheus, these guys are great, if you have enough of them there is no real problems with picking. the guy had all these huge golden chinese algae eaters (the ones that are a real no-no with goldies) when these guys are big enough they're aggressive/fast enough and can stand the hardness of an african cichlid set up. -They also look WAY cool when they're bigger! (7-8inches)
if you're wanting a proper biotope cat for your tank you could try a synodontis cat.
if you're wanting African, there are two regions, (well three, but two main ones) Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyikan. In general, Malawi have the more brightly coloured fish, and Tanganyikan have more diverse mating rituals.... I prefer the Lake T. ones, just because of the variety. shell spawners, substrate spawners, mouth brooders etc. so much fun. If I was to set up a tank I would want some altolamprologous calvus or comprecciceps coz of their cool shape, and also coz these guy are relatively peaceful as far as cichlids go, my dream tank would be to close off all the holes in my house, fill it with water and have a whole heap of C. Furcifer swimming around, these guys are spectacular looking fish, but unfortunately need space..
When I got back in to fish husbandry a few years ago after a period without fish, I was originally going to get into cichlids in a big way. I did a whole heap of research and watched a lot of their behavior at work, but I refounded my love of the humble goldy and have dedicated myself to them now! I'm a passive sort of person, so I decided keeping aggressive fish was not really my style. goldies are such gentle old souls... but I digress..
Cichlids are cool!
stuff I've experienced with cichlids....
Kribs aren't -that- aggressive, I've had a couple spawn twice in a 10 litre tank, I eventually chucked 'em in with my 200 litre trop set-up and unfortunately the male died, but the female used to hang out with an old cacuatoides (dwarf cockatoo) and now that her spawn are getting large enough she's courting one of her spawn (a bit wrong, I know, but what can you do? they're territorial but I've got em in with bristlenoses, and even neons/bloodfin tetras, and as long as everyone stays away from their nest everyones' been cool, I dunno, I've had a few kribs over my time and they can be picky, and if they're not a good match for each other they will fight to the death, but usually they just leave other fish types alone/chase and defend their territory.
in the shop I worked at we minded a big tanganyikan set up full of tropheus, these guys are great, if you have enough of them there is no real problems with picking. the guy had all these huge golden chinese algae eaters (the ones that are a real no-no with goldies) when these guys are big enough they're aggressive/fast enough and can stand the hardness of an african cichlid set up. -They also look WAY cool when they're bigger! (7-8inches)
if you're wanting a proper biotope cat for your tank you could try a synodontis cat.
if you're wanting African, there are two regions, (well three, but two main ones) Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyikan. In general, Malawi have the more brightly coloured fish, and Tanganyikan have more diverse mating rituals.... I prefer the Lake T. ones, just because of the variety. shell spawners, substrate spawners, mouth brooders etc. so much fun. If I was to set up a tank I would want some altolamprologous calvus or comprecciceps coz of their cool shape, and also coz these guy are relatively peaceful as far as cichlids go, my dream tank would be to close off all the holes in my house, fill it with water and have a whole heap of C. Furcifer swimming around, these guys are spectacular looking fish, but unfortunately need space..
When I got back in to fish husbandry a few years ago after a period without fish, I was originally going to get into cichlids in a big way. I did a whole heap of research and watched a lot of their behavior at work, but I refounded my love of the humble goldy and have dedicated myself to them now!
I'm a passive sort of person, so I decided keeping aggressive fish was not really my style. goldies are such gentle old souls... but I digress..Cichlids are cool!
Thank you Justin, for the links. I didnt realize there were SO many kinds.
Mads ~ Wow, thanks for the info! Although I didnt understand a lot of the words. Like whats a Krib?
altolamprologous calvus or comprecciceps 
I think I need to study up more!!
Mads ~ Wow, thanks for the info! Although I didnt understand a lot of the words. Like whats a Krib?
altolamprologous calvus or comprecciceps I think I need to study up more!!
it's a lot of work and research to get the right fish, but once you do, the colors make it all worth while
found any that really catch your eye yet?
found any that really catch your eye yet?
Yes, we got a 30 gallon for them. Sold the 29 this weekend. The bf got a black convict and an orange (I dont know the name) cichlid. Both are smallish. So far, so good.
hmm, any pics of the orange one? off the top of my head there's a neolamp. called an orange compressiceps (tall flat body), an autolamp. called an orange pike (short round body).
there's also an asian cichlid called an orange chromide, they're cute looking and completely orange but i don't know anything about them.
just curious as to what ya got congrats on the new fish tho!
there's also an asian cichlid called an orange chromide, they're cute looking and completely orange but i don't know anything about them.
just curious as to what ya got
congrats on the new fish tho!
I just took pics. I will post of them and the tank tomorrow. Also we got 3 different Africans today from the same tank. Theyre so beautiful. Pics coming soon!
OK I didnt wait till tomorrow. Here are a few pics.
Here are a few pics.
beautiful!!! so glad you couldn't wait love the sunken car too. and your electric yellow. watch out for the blue one, they can be a little more aggressive than some of his tankmates looks like ya got some nice color and variety there.
love the sunken car too. and your electric yellow. watch out for the blue one, they can be a little more aggressive than some of his tankmates looks like ya got some nice color and variety there.
Thanks Justin!!Do you know the names of the other ones? The blue one is just gorgeous. So far hes doing good. Not too aggressive but he has picked a spot and doesnt let the others come in!
sorry, maybe aggresive was the wrong word. territorially aggresive piscinivore (fish-eater) may be better they're hunters in nature.
the blue one is complicated as far as naming goes. it's a male haplochromis (hap) cichlid which are from lake malawi in africa. the original classification of these fish was haplochromis ahli but was then reclassified as sciaenochromis fryeri. regardless, in your aquarium where scientific names don't matter you can call him an blue ahli, a blue hap, or the more popular electric blue (or any combination of the three that is to your liking, i.e. electric blue ahli hap ).
they need a strict ph of 8, as do most of your cichlids. for the blue one specifically, make sure you've set up zones in the tank (which i think you've done quite effectively from what i can see). also, i always hate telling people this, but ur gonna want to upgrade ur tank sooner or later. the blue one alone can grow to 8 inches and live as many years. same with the yellow. slightly smaller for the zebra/black convict ya got.
can i ask you a question. the blue one, of the decor in your tank, he didn't pick the rock formations as his hunting territory, did he? i ask because i've got a theory that haps, in particular, stay away from rock formations. i'm specifically refering the one on the far left and maybe the one on the far right. just curious.
sorry for the long post, but i'd also like to say, that you've stumped me on the orange one. he looks similar to the asian one i mentioned earlier, but his fins seem different from what i remember. i'm gonna have to pull out some of my books (if i can find them) and have a look see. if anyone else knows what kind it is, plz let me know
they're hunters in nature.the blue one is complicated as far as naming goes. it's a male haplochromis (hap) cichlid which are from lake malawi in africa. the original classification of these fish was haplochromis ahli but was then reclassified as sciaenochromis fryeri. regardless, in your aquarium where scientific names don't matter
you can call him an blue ahli, a blue hap, or the more popular electric blue (or any combination of the three that is to your liking, i.e. electric blue ahli hap ).they need a strict ph of 8, as do most of your cichlids. for the blue one specifically, make sure you've set up zones in the tank (which i think you've done quite effectively from what i can see). also, i always hate telling people this, but ur gonna want to upgrade ur tank sooner or later. the blue one alone can grow to 8 inches and live as many years. same with the yellow. slightly smaller for the zebra/black convict ya got.
can i ask you a question. the blue one, of the decor in your tank, he didn't pick the rock formations as his hunting territory, did he? i ask because i've got a theory that haps, in particular, stay away from rock formations. i'm specifically refering the one on the far left and maybe the one on the far right. just curious.
sorry for the long post, but i'd also like to say, that you've stumped me on the orange one. he looks similar to the asian one i mentioned earlier, but his fins seem different from what i remember. i'm gonna have to pull out some of my books (if i can find them) and have a look see. if anyone else knows what kind it is, plz let me know
Hey Justin!
Thanks for all of the info. The orange one actually passed away this morning.
We saw older ones at the same shop we got the last 3 so we'll get another like it there. This one was SO much smaller than the rest and wasnt eating so maybe he was ill.
The blue one actually chose the area between the rock formation on the left and that slate. He does go into the holes of that formation A LOT. He started out on the other side of the car under that slate but since last night and all of today hes been on the other side. The yellow one chose the car. lol.
Darn, I didnt think theyd get that big. Hopefully they can stay awhile in the 30 gallon.
Thanks again for the info! Its greatly appreciated!
Thanks for all of the info. The orange one actually passed away this morning.
We saw older ones at the same shop we got the last 3 so we'll get another like it there. This one was SO much smaller than the rest and wasnt eating so maybe he was ill.The blue one actually chose the area between the rock formation on the left and that slate. He does go into the holes of that formation A LOT. He started out on the other side of the car under that slate but since last night and all of today hes been on the other side. The yellow one chose the car. lol.
Darn, I didnt think theyd get that big. Hopefully they can stay awhile in the 30 gallon.
Thanks again for the info! Its greatly appreciated!
sure thing, glad i could help a little. sorry about your orange fish too, he was cool lookin. i couldn't find any of my fish books, i guess they're still packed away in our storage space in the basement of the apts.
one of the guys at the fish store i used to go to kept cichlids too, and he told me that none of his "the blue ones" would go near the rock formations he had in his tank, which is weird for cichlids. then i had a friend who told me the same thing about a fish he had a while back, almost like he was scared of the rocks, but with no reason to be. so when i started with cichlids a while back, i happened across a site that said some of the haps natural enemies were mbunas (i'm drawing a blank on the specifics) which are heavy cave/rock dwelers and hunters as well. so i thought maybe there's something along the line that they picked up to stay away from the rocks and caves, at least more so than other african cichlids. oh-well. there goes my theory maybe it matters how far back in the parentage line you'd have to go in each fish to find wild-born. like maybe your fishes great great grandparents were captive born... ok, that's enough of that.
one of the guys at the fish store i used to go to kept cichlids too, and he told me that none of his "the blue ones" would go near the rock formations he had in his tank, which is weird for cichlids. then i had a friend who told me the same thing about a fish he had a while back, almost like he was scared of the rocks, but with no reason to be. so when i started with cichlids a while back, i happened across a site that said some of the haps natural enemies were mbunas (i'm drawing a blank on the specifics) which are heavy cave/rock dwelers and hunters as well. so i thought maybe there's something along the line that they picked up to stay away from the rocks and caves, at least more so than other african cichlids. oh-well. there goes my theory
maybe it matters how far back in the parentage line you'd have to go in each fish to find wild-born. like maybe your fishes great great grandparents were captive born... ok, that's enough of that.
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