Should I jump into Cichlids?

[Dixiegirl89]

I love gbrs! Too bad they stay so small, and are way too docile for a normal functioning cichlid tank.

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[joels3400]

Thank you for all your replies!

I'm going to be doing an all male tank. I don't really want to deal with babies or getting rid of fish. I don't mind paying a little more to get what I want.

What about tank size. I preferably would like to get a 55 gallon but could get a 75. If I get a wide 55, wouldn't that be just as good since they prefer length over height? Also, how many would be a suitable amount in each tank?

 

[cmw9787]

didn't know there was a wide 55. probably a hard tank to find (and more expensive). FYI, 75 gallon complete setups are all over craigslist. I just got one a few days ago that included the tank, stand, filter, heater, lid, light, gravel, decorations, food, random accessories, and some nice fish for $300. Although 55s are more popular, i think 75s are a far better tank because of the extra floor space.

 

[joels3400]

Maybe there's no wide. It looks like a 55 is the same length as a 75 but the 75 is 5" wider. The only problem with a 75 is that my sink is far away from where I want to put my tank. Water changes will be a little tricky and the less I have to move, the better

 

[Fishy Smell]

Go as big as you can, you'll always want to upgrade. Ive got a 130g, a 55g and a 48g which just about copes with all the cichlids i desire!

Good starter cichlids are Keyholes and Bolivian Rams. Very hardy and peaceful. They do lack colour and the personality of some of the bigger and more difficult guys though.

A good thing to do is to get one of each sort as it generally avoids breeding unless you have two very similar species (ie convicts and sajica).

Suitable for a 55 would be convicts, sajica, blue acara, ebjd, keyholes, rainbow, bolivian rams, firemouth, angelfish, the list goes on. You couldn't put all those types together though of course. I would stick to things that are not likely to get above 6"

You could probably go with a couple of 6" with a trio around 4" with no probs.

A peaceful set up would be an angel, keyhole, bolivian ram, and maybe a cockatoo cichlid and similar (5-6 individuals).

A more aggressive would be an ebjd or blue acara, female con or sajica, rainbow and firemouth. (4-5 individuals).

A 75 would give you more options of course.

 

[cmw9787]

Maybe there's no wide. It looks like a 55 is the same length as a 75 but the 75 is 5" wider. The only problem with a 75 is that my sink is far away from where I want to put my tank. Water changes will be a little tricky and the less I have to move, the better

Garden hose my friend. I went to Wal-mart and got a hose adapter for my kitchen sink downstairs and my bathroom sink upstairs (I have multiple tanks). They also sold a $8 25-foot hose that I use specifically for fish. If you're careful you can use the hose to siphon water out and then attach it to your sink to refill.