Male to Female Ratio

[cFolks24]

Okay, so I am wanting to start a dwarf cichlid tank. Im new to the cichlids but Ive heard very great things about them. I'm really just looking for the bright color the males bring though and I don't want to mess with the fry. I was wondering if I should just get males or should I put a female in there? And if I do have to put in a female.. Is there anyway she won't get pregnant?? I've heard they like to breed!

 

[GreenLily]

You can do an all male tank. As far as I know, they should all get along since there won't be females to fight over. The biggest worry then would be territory and as long as you provided enough caves for them, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[cFolks24]

Okay thanks! I also was wondering if South Americans and Africans would get along?? Like a cockatoo and blue ram?

 

[GreenLily]

SA and Africans wouldn't mix, because Africans tend to be moderately aggressive. Cockatoos and blue rams would get along though- Rams aren't Africans, they are from Thailand. I had to look this info up, because I didn't know for sure what world rams were from, but I was certain that they aren't Africans.
Anyway, cockatoos and rams should get along just fine, especially if you do a larger, male only tank. The larger tank will help with territorial issues that the fish may have.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Rams are not from Thailand. Microgeophagus ramirezi (aka the blue ram, german blue ram, gold ram, electric blue ram, these are all the same species, just different color morphs of the wild type blue ram) is from South America, but they have been extensively line bred in Thailand. There are no cichlid species native to Thailand to my knowledge, possibly some etroplus species but I doubt it


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[GreenLily]

Rams are not from Thailand. Microgeophagus ramirezi (aka the blue ram, german blue ram, gold ram, electric blue ram, these are all the same species, just different color morphs of the wild type blue ram) is from South America, but they have been extensively line bred in Thailand. There are no cichlid species native to Thailand to my knowledge, possibly some etroplus species but I doubt it


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Thanks! I only got the info from liveaquaria.com. There was a chance I was wrong, but I knew that they were definitely not African cichlids. Thank you for clearing that up.

 

[cFolks24]

Awesome! Thank you both! I also understand dwarfs prefer soft and acidic water, is there anything besides driftwood that could be put in the tank to affect the water and make it more comfortable for them? (Like rocks or stones)

 

[Freakgecko91]

Awesome! Thank you both! I also understand dwarfs prefer soft and acidic water, is there anything besides driftwood that could be put in the tank to affect the water and make it more comfortable for them? (Like rocks or stones)

You can add peat to the filter, almond leaves work as well.

Most of the time, any readily available fish is going to be able to thrive in most pH ranges, given they aren't extremes. Nearly all the apistogramma cacatuoides and agassizii on the market are line bred to achieve the colors the exhibit (reds, double red, triple reds, super reds, orange flash, orange gold, etc.) so they are quite removed from wild stock.

pH is the biggest concern when it fluctuates within your tank. That is something you do not want. It is also a concern when the fish is wild caught and from a more extreme pH level, such as wild caught discus with extremely acidic and soft water, or certain rift lake species that prefer a much higher pH (the three rift lakes actually vary pretty greatly in pH across each lake, they are all generally above 7 in every region of each lake), as these fish have been living in these ranges.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Also, dwarves generally don't tolerate other males well, or other species for that matter. What size tank is this? Dimensions and a picture would help a lot

 

[cFolks24]

No tank yet, I am trying to plan everything out beforehand to decide how big the tank will be and what will need to be in there. Would you just suggest one species if it were a smaller tank like 40g?

 

[cFolks24]

Actually let me ask this first, what would be considered a small tank if the dwarves only get about 2inches?

 

[Freakgecko91]

The smallest a pair of most dwarf species can go in is a 20 gallon long. Truthfully, the biggest you can afford, and have space for is the best idea. I recently moved and have had to downsize my entire collection ( i had 5 tanks running at one time) to a single 20 long, and it's not nearly as much fun. I keep shell dwellers from Tanganyika (neolamprologus multifasciatus). Look into the shellies as well, although in small tanks you can't keep much with them, although I've managed to keep a pair of goby cichlids and a group of dwarf tanganyikan bullhead catfish with mine in the 20 long (not easily either, a lot of territory spats between the multis and gobies)

 

[cFolks24]

Okay so if I get a 20g long (which was probably around what I was going for) I could get a pair of Cockatoos or Rams but not both? Because of territorial issues.. Correct?

 

[Freakgecko91]

Yeah, that's the issue at hand

 

[cFolks24]

What other fish could go in there? Since both are semi aggressive, right.. Any schooling fish?

 

[Freakgecko91]

A school of small tetras or rasboras would work, like neons or harlequin rasboras


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[Brookster123]

If you're wanting a mixed batch of dwarfs is highly recommend a 40b.. tons of floor space for territories.. if you want all males? You'd need 5+ of each but 8+ would be better... 2 male rams will beat the bag out of each other in a 20long..

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[Gillie]

You will see the best color from a male if there are females present, as far as having to raise fry you can always leave it to nature. The tankmates will get most of them but a few may make it to adulthood.

A 40g leaves you open to pretty much any species you want.
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[cFolks24]

I've thought about it and I think I will go with having a female in there as well. Would the female be stressed too much if it was only her with another male?

 

[cole_russell]

In my opinion if you're going to do dwarf cichlids you should do a planted tank and research using dirt in your aquarium. Also I prefer to add peat to the dirt in my tank to help keep the ph down. Unfortunately my tank is not suitable for dwarfs seeing as I stocked it long before I found out about them .