Help! Looking for beginner cichlids for a 29-gallon semi-aggressive tank

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Gilltyascharged

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Apr 27, 2022
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Used to raising community aquariums and bettas, hoping to start a semi-aggressive aquarium. So far I'm looking at a cichlid or two and possibly some barbs and loaches, not sure what to look for. Only experience with semi-aggressive tanks would be when my mom had a single parrot cichlid, and my grandpa has had gouramis with tiger barbs, not to mention having angelfish with some corys. Both were in 29-gallon tanks of the same design, and none of the setups had any issues as far as I know of. Looking for advice and suggestions, will try to answer any questions necessary.
 
I'm thinking convict cichlids but be aware they breed like rabbits. They get 5" in the females and 3.5 to 4" in the males. The females will be territorial. They seem great in my community tank. They ignore my corys and pleco unlike my African cichlids. Problem with a lot of other aggressive cichlids are they can 10" plus. Baby convicts are so cute. I have at least a few. I'm trying to get my blood parrots to mate with my convicts. To get polar blue parrots. Also blood parrots to mate with my severum. I really want to try to get a parrot severum. But those are in my 150g. But yeah if you want aggressive cichlid tank your probably going to want to get at least a 55g to really enjoy them. My Africans have to be in large groups to distract aggression. But if you have more self control than I and get only a couple fish you may get away with 29g. Are rams a cichlid? Emperor rams are adorable you could probably do 5-10 of those in a 29. I think they max out around a couple inches and they ram each other. That's were they get there name. Hope I gave you some ideas in your venture.
 
Thanks for responding so quickly! I believe rams are a cichlid, but I could be wrong as I am new to the aquarium world. I'm only allowed to get a few at a time due to household restrictions, and have to wait until my guppies die off (my mother currently has a peaceful community tank, probably going to enjoy them for as long I can though).
 
Yes, Rams are a dwarf cichlids. Bolivian rams are the hardier, but harder to find ones. German Blue Rams, Gold Rams, Black Rams/Dark Knight Rams/Black Knight Rams, and Electric Blue Rams are all the same species, the Venezuela Rams. They're more delicate than the Bolivian Rams are. Apistogramma are also a nice choice in dwarf cichlids, but much harder to find than the Venezuela Rams. The easiest Apistogramma to find is the Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid, or the Apistogramma cacatuoides, it's also the most forgiving of the Apistogramma. If you want something hardier, you can try Julidochromis, Either Transciptus or Gombe, they're small enough for a 20g tank. Multis are much harder to care for, they need sand and snail shells big enough to hide in, though they're the smallest cichlids in the world, the males being just under "2, and can be kept in a 10g if necessary. Kribensis might also be okay in a 29g, but they can get aggressive during breeding. Though, all cichlids are generally aggressive when they've got eggs/fry. In my experience, the Julis are the least aggressive when it comes to protecting their young. They'll protect the rocks that is their territory, eggs and fry included, but once the fry get big enough they'll chase them off, or some might be allowed to stay and help care for their younger siblings. I've seen Kribensis fry eat their younger siblings, and the parents just ignored it. All of these cichlids will stay on the bottom. I once had Cacatuoides in a tank with guppies, and they all got along well enough, even when the Apistogramma spawned. Guppies stick to the top of the tank, Apistogramma to the bottom.
 
Careful with the Apistogramma, You can only find them in the summer, online, unless you have a very good LFS. Even if your LFS is a good one, Apistogramma are generally only shipped in summer. The best place to get them, is if you're lucky enough to find a local breeder. Apistogramma cacatuoides can be housed in harder water than any other Apistogramma species, which are blackwater fish. Rams are blackwater as well, but guppies are hardwater.
 
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