45 gallon

[icydeath]

I like how saulosi's look and they aren't very aggro. They will do well with shell dwellers and that would be a pretty fun and lively tank.

 

[quinnmquinn]

What are shell dwellers called, more specific terms

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[quinnmquinn]

Omg saulosis are beautiful

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[quinnmquinn]

What exactly is this picture illustrating?

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[icydeath]

It shows their color range.

As Juvie's they are all yellow and they slowly shift. The males turn darker and get the bars that you are seeing.

REALLY fun fish to keep.

Sometimes the dominant males (dw not aggressive, just the alpha) will color first and the other males can stay more yellow.

 

[quinnmquinn]

Ah I see, so tell me more about these shell dwellers

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[squirrilah fish]

There's a lot of dwarf Tanginyikans (African) too. Google shell dwelling cichlids.


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[squirrilah fish]

Shell dwellers are smaller cichlids who use old shells as nests, homes, and nurseries. They are really fun in a tank because they will rearrange the shells to their liking.

Also check out Lake victorian cichlids. Very similar to Mbuna, but very different colors. Definitely harder to cultivate, I just think there's SO MANY Mbuna malawi tanks, why not do something different.


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[squirrilah fish]

You could do a nice tropheus tank with that size too.


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[quinnmquinn]

you're right I don't need to do typical, tropheus?

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[squirrilah fish]

Tanginyikan Cichlid genera. Really fun active fish to keep, they come in all types of colors, and swim constantly. I have 2 firecracker tropheus and they crack me up. Very enjoyable.


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[squirrilah fish]

http://youtu.be/0eRW4kQ7PHY


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[squirrilah fish]

That first red one he zooms in on is a firecracker, what I have. I have em in with my peacocks, haven't had any problems yet, fingers crossed.


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[squirrilah fish]

With a 45 you'd only want keep like 10-12, MAYBE 15 of em, but you could throw in some other Tangs as well like Juliochromis.


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[icydeath]

Sorry about that. Was outside. Pretty much, shell dwellers live in shells etc and they rearrange them. Pretty cool... Whatever you get, make sure you enjoy them!

 

[Freakgecko91]

I wouldn't do trophs in a tank that small. Personally, I wouldn't do trophs in anything less than a 75, as their conspecific aggression is quite high. I also wouldn't recommend most tanganyikans if this is your first go around with cichlids. Knowing what species interact in which way can be quite difficult and can really be frustrating. Shellies are great, but trying to incorporate them into a tank as large as a 45 can be difficult, depending on the species. I would recommend them for a small set up for a beginner, but not a large one.

 

[icydeath]

Yeah freak is correct on that one. I would stick with Malawi's for your first go and maybe set an area for the shellies and keep and eye on them. It slipped my mind, but they are easier in smaller tanks.

 

[squirrilah fish]

It's true what Freak said about their conspecific aggression, but I definitely think you could make it work if you wanted too.
Your going to have the similar issues with Mbuna,
Aggression is just a thing you learn to deal with with Africans.

Having another side tank to move overly aggressive fish, or beaten and battered fish into to heal is a good idea. A time out/hospital tank. I use a 15g for this. It could definitely be a little bigger, but it's worked just fine for me.


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[Freakgecko91]

When it's someone knew to the cichlidae family, I usually wouldn't recommend Tanganyikans, Malagasy, Asian, or Victorian cichlids. They all require specific care, habitats, and are not common fish. While there are some readily available Tnagnayikan species, most aren't and even the pretty common species will be $8 each or more. Many species get up into $10-15 each, andI've seen many $30 and up. My spathodus erythrodon 'Burundi" (goby cichlid) were $36 each. I've seen altolamprologus calvus and compressiceps go for $150 each. I love my tangs, but they can be tough at times. Trust me.

Also, many of the cheaper species, ie. leleupi, julidochromis, and certain shell dwellers (n. multifasciatus comes to mind) require specific stocking numbers and tank mates. Their personalities are highly variable. My old leleupi female was a model citizen in my tank, I've also heard of them attacking frontosa.

 

[squirrilah fish]

Whatever you decide make sure you do TONS of research and know what your getting into before you start spending money.

Gecko is right. I have had malawi, Victorians, tangs, and a few new worlds.

Malawi is the easiest, but can also be a pain, and take a lot of work. They are more readily available and common, and probably are the easiest to curate, but I say go for the gusto. So many times I've boughten a fish impulsively, or set up a tank impulsively, and then a few weeks later wishing I had done something different.

I'm very happy with my tanks now, but if I would have done more research, or been more patient, I would have had what I really wanted sooner, and in better working order.

I'm still figuring my fish out honestly. I don't know if you ever get to a point where your just perfectly content with what you have. There's always another fish, another species, another tank make etc. it's way too much fun, lol.


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