small cichlids in 10 gallon tank?

[flyer215]

So my friend gave me a 10 gallon aqarium that I'm going to bring back to school with me (i'm a college student currently on feburary break). I'm going to set it up, cycle it and then maybe in a week or so... get some fish. is a week enough? or should i cylcle it for a month?

I've always wanted cichlids. They're pretty much my dream fish. At the pet store yesterday, I saw they had small assorted cichlids, medium assorted cichlids and large assorted cichlds.

I'm thinking about getting only 2 of the small assorted cichlids for my 10 gallon. They're actually very very small.

I did research and I read that it's not good to put clichlids in a 10 gallon because they will grow.

Would it be okay to get the 2 small cichlids and keep them in my 10 gallon until I can afford another larger tank? I can't afford a larger tank right now but I will be working in the middle of May(when the semester ends) so I can buy one then. Would it be okay to keep the two small cichlids in the 10 gallon for that length of time?? Keep them in a 10 gallon from beginning of March until May? and then move them? or should I just wait?


I went to both pet stores in that same town and they said it'd be fine to keep them in a 10 gallon tank but only temporary. how temporary is temporary? i don't really trust the advice i get from the people who work at the pet store...

so please give me some advice!! thanks!!

 

[Maxkolbe]

These assorted cichlids are more than likely Africans from lake Malawi. They are very aggressive which in addition to being fairly large waste producers makes them unsuitable for a ten gallon aquarium. You should look into 40+ and definitely do your research if you want these fish. If you do want cichlids I do believe shell dwellers are suitable for this size tank. You may wish to look into those. Other than them unfortunately you are going to need to upgrade to keep cichlids, even short term.

You also will probably need more than a week to cycle your aquarium. Look into either fish-less or fish-in cycling. Cycling is process I. Which you establish a bacterial colony that processes ammonia into nitrates. For this to happen you need an ammonia source such as straight up ammonia (fish-less) or fish (fish-in). Either one is effective but I would recommend the fish-less since there is less chance of harming the fish. You also will want to get a liquid water testing kit (avoid strips since they tend to be very inaccurate). There are lots of good articles on how to do this.

Good luck with your aquarium and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 

[Nathanpopp]

A cool cichlid that will work in a 10 gallon is a "Brevis" or shell dweller. You could get a pair of them in a 10 gallon permanently. Do research on them though.