38g stocking help

[mike47517]

I have a 38g tank i want to keep chichlids in i know its a pretty small tank but i want to have a fish that can eat live food like fish, worms, etc... i'd also like to be able to have more than just one fish. Any ideas?


thx

 

[mfdrookie516]

shellies, convicts, dwarf sa/ca's

 

[mattrox]

You can browse through this list to start a "plan of attack"
Species Profiles -- Cichlid-Forum

 

[sarahh]

jewels.. they pretty ... and vicious i keep 4 in my 30.. so far no death and destruction.. although i put some extra rocks i for hidey holes
or angels!!

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Just my experiance and no ill feelings sarahh, but i just had 2 jewels in a 29 gal and...well they had quite a bit of destruction. The fish store almost didnt take them, but to your defense keeping fish is almost case by case sometimes as each fish has a certain personality for example ive seen multiple jack dempseys in a 75 and there were literally no problems.

To the OP though, You could go with as mfd said dwarfs like kribensis (breed alot) shellies, convicts or rams (id run your tank for atleast 6 months though) If you can find smaller blood parrots you can keep one in there (i know, but ive seen them literally grow to 3 1/2 inches and stop) Its really up to what fish you like and can fit in there (not literally of course).

 

[sarahh]

no ill feelings here CA..
i actually have the unexpected case of having a fella give me the fish. HE kept jewels, red zebs, johannii, acei and labs together. Any babies that came along went into the community tank ( with mollies and others) until they learned good tank etiquette ( or has their patooties handed to them by the mollies.. very humbling for a cichlid, i am sure lol)

I put the adults (2 females) into the 30 with 2 juvies (1 male one female) and made lots of cover just in case. the male went about establishing his "flashy parts" and his tiny territory, and the adults told him where to get off.. i kind of tend to forget i have cichy freaks here lol

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Yeah my two were in a..i guess you can say lightly fake planted tank...haha it has rocks and stuff, but for the life of me i couldnt do anything to keep them from beatin the crap out of eachother. I had two acei's that were given with the tank, they were so badly tattered i had to just give them away and not expect store credit. They sure are pretty fish though.

You know what i just realized sarahh...I didnt even think just having a jewel breeding pair..wow rough day for me, but yeah you can totally have one breeding pair in a 39 and theyll be fine. They do breed pretty regularly too...haha wow

 

[mike47517]

thx guys