newbie questions about cichlid

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maxima423

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i have a 55gallon tank, i want to make it into a cichlid type of environment, the questions i have are :


1) how many cichlids can fit into a 55gallon tank
2) which are the most social? which one is the most aggressive?
3) how many is too many if i decide to raise social cichlids?
4) what other types of fish can fit in with cichlids?
5) what kind of environment are they most happy in?
6) how big do they get to be?

i also see on a lot of posts that cichlids can either be herbivores or carnivores, so my next question would be 7) how do you tell which is which?

any help is good, i did look through numerous posts and did not help as much for a beginner, so i thank you for looking at this posts and helping :p
 
what kind of cichlids are you looking at getting? A 55g could be too small for some, big enough for 50 or so of others. You'll need to figure out if you want africans, sa/ca, or new world cichlids to be able to answer most any of your questions
 
what kind of cichlids are you looking at getting? A 55g could be too small for some, big enough for 50 or so of others. You'll need to figure out if you want africans, sa/ca, or new world cichlids to be able to answer most any of your questions

basically that is what i want to know as well, but as for size, i am looking for small social ones preferably but i do not mind a decent sized cichlid that can be happy in a 55g tank, as for the type, i have no clue what is what, that is why i made this post =P
 
you could always go the SA way and get about 2 angels and a few rams for the bottom and then fill it in with some tetras. Also this way you could throw some live plants in it as well.. Most African Cichlid will rip plants apart...

my tank is:

2 angels
3 Bolivian Rams ( 2 are on one side with a tank divider- I had babies!)
13 Rummynose Tetras
6 Neon tetras (they needed a home)
4 otos
2 Japanese algie eaters.. ( which will be gone soon. they're still really small)
1 mystery snail (for my son)
1 kuhli loach ( my son 3 1/2 swears its a snake so we had to get it lol)
2 sunset gouramis

hope this helps!
 
basically that is what i want to know as well, but as for size, i am looking for small social ones preferably but i do not mind a decent sized cichlid that can be happy in a 55g tank, as for the type, i have no clue what is what, that is why i made this post =P


Well, if you're wanting colorful fish, africans are probably the way to go. This isnt always the case, but generally, you can put more africans in a tank than you can sa/ca. A good reference is Species Profiles -- Cichlid-Forum. The lake malawi and lake tanganyika are africans. For the most part, if you go with africans, it is best to stick with fish from the same lake. If you go lake malawi, you have mbuna, haps, and peacocks to choose from. Peacocks are super colorful, but so are mbuna. Haps tend to grow a little larger and are usually better suited for a 6' tank. In a 55g, mbuna would probably be your best bet, and theyre easier to find (and cheaper usually). You could have 12 mbuna in a 55g if you set it up properly. It is best to have 3+ females for every male. You could have 1m3fm of 3 fish in there.

As for sa/ca, i dont know much about them, but there are several people that do.
 
Well, if you're wanting colorful fish, africans are probably the way to go. This isnt always the case, but generally, you can put more africans in a tank than you can sa/ca. A good reference is Species Profiles -- Cichlid-Forum. The lake malawi and lake tanganyika are africans. For the most part, if you go with africans, it is best to stick with fish from the same lake. If you go lake malawi, you have mbuna, haps, and peacocks to choose from. Peacocks are super colorful, but so are mbuna. Haps tend to grow a little larger and are usually better suited for a 6' tank. In a 55g, mbuna would probably be your best bet, and theyre easier to find (and cheaper usually). You could have 12 mbuna in a 55g if you set it up properly. It is best to have 3+ females for every male. You could have 1m3fm of 3 fish in there.

As for sa/ca, i dont know much about them, but there are several people that do.

o ok that helps a lot, thank you, now the only question i have is, if i go with 1male 3 females, would the 3females fight with each other?
 
no, i mean its a possibility, but if you provide enough rocks for each fish to claim their own territory, then you shouldnt have any aggression problems (assuming you pick compatable fish). You'd probably want to go with some of the more peaceful fish though. Its the males that usually fight or pester the females, hence the 1m3fm stocking suggestion. Also, if you crowd the fish a bit, it will ease the aggression as well.
 
no, i mean its a possibility, but if you provide enough rocks for each fish to claim their own territory, then you shouldnt have any aggression problems (assuming you pick compatable fish). You'd probably want to go with some of the more peaceful fish though. Its the males that usually fight or pester the females, hence the 1m3fm stocking suggestion. Also, if you crowd the fish a bit, it will ease the aggression as well.

o ok i see so more rocks the better, when you say over crowd, how many do you mean? i see on other posts pictures and youtube videos showing people have about 15-20 cichlids, is that enough for a 55g tank? or a little less? how many do you recommend?
 
When it comes to africans, they tend to need a lot of space. They are smaller than SA/CA but more colorful so you have to decide what you want to do. Some people on here say that africans have a lot of personality but ive never had them so i cant really tell you what kind they have but SA/CA have tons of personality.

If you want cichlid movement then africans is the way to go. like MFD said its good to stay with the same lake and region. 15 africans in a nicely setup 55 isnt bad at all. you could get plenty of movement and activity out of that set up. I take his word and other african fanatics on here as gold as most of them have african setups.

If you decide to go with the bigger SA/CA then let me know but just make sure to do your research and really think about what kind of tank you want.
 
i was actually thinking of a Oscar, my uncle has one and he can help me out, he only has one in his 55g tank and i was wondering how many of those you can have in a tank? my uncle does not have a lot of rocks in his tank but has a lot of plants, which do you prefer?
 
Most people like to have approx 75 gals per Oscar. They get pretty big and have a large bioload...

I have 12 Mbuna in my 55 (yellow labs, Maingano and Rustys) and they get along great, or about as well as cichlids can. I also have 2 Syn. Petricola catfish which are great scavengers and beautiful fish.
 
you can have one. they get huge!! My friend has one in a 75. it's too big for the tank. Plus they are an aggressive fish and eat small fish. they are fun to have and will chase a laser pointer around the tank. But not a community fish
 
You could look into getting some dwarf new world cichlids like rams or if you want a lot of breeding you could get kribensis but i think if your looking for a lot of activity then africans are the way to go.
 
Well I'm a Oscar lover :) .... The rule of tumb is one Oscar for 55g with minimal decor as they will rip and fake and real plant out, but I find them to be so much more "smRter then any fish I know , but I have kept 2 Oscars in a 55g for years before having to get a bigger tank .and if you planning on getting the Oscar & any other tank mate make shure they are the same size or bigger then the oscars cause they wil become food! See they are not bad ,lol
 
oscars seem to be good, but if your setting it up make sure to have an extra tank going for the food. (as dried foods will cost you a pretty penny over the years). either a family of feeder barbs breeding away or some guppies. i know it seems cruel. but it adds to alot of entertainment seeing those oscars going for about 5 minutes trying to catch the small ones. feeder barbs go for about 90 c each max, (hence get a few and breed them for a while before getting the oscar) and give em plenty of nutrients (dont forget to give some other parts diet too) and dont cause any amonia or waste because they are live. i know it seems cruel but its a fish eat fish world out there.

taking food into consideration is a must with cichlids :) especially oscars as they prefer live :)
 
African Cichlids........

o ok that helps a lot, thank you, now the only question i have is, if i go with 1male 3 females, would the 3females fight with each other?
First off most of the advice you have received is sound advice. The key to keeping african cichlids is, keep fish from the same lake, Malawi or Tanganyika, providing enough cover for ALL the fish to find places to hide/rest. Your tank will develop a dominant fish,that will be very aggressive. If removed, another fish will take over the dominant role. Most times it will not be the females that fight with each other, but the males being aggressive and chasing ALL of the females. Most africans will destroy live plants. They will dig in your substrate extensively.
I have kept africans for the better part of twentyfive years, and used a 55 gallon tank almost exclusively.I have bred africans, kept malawians and tanganyikians, as well as south and central americans. You will need dither fish to entice the africans out of hiding.
You will need plenty of rocks to provide caves etc for the fish.
Do not let this deter you, buy a good book, read up on the fish. Find a reputable dealer to get good information from. A good number to start with 10-13, plus a couple of dither fish. Remember, these fish are aggressive, and will get big. 10 small fish in a 55 gallon tank will not look like a lot of fish. Be patient and let them grow in size and personanlity.
 
i decided on getting bolivian rams for my community fish, just two for my 30g breeder, but if i decided on just getting bolivian rams and those colorful rams, how many would you say i can fit before territorial aggression is a problem? would the females fight with each other? from what you are telling me its just the males =P so would 1male and 7females be good?
 
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