25 Gallon Aquarium

[Greeny]

Hi there,

I have a 16 inch square tall aquarium (30 inches high). I am thinking of making it a cichlid aquarium.

In your opinions, is this a reasonable size for a cichlid tank?

Of course I will do lots of research and only get smaller fish, but do they need a bigger tank?

I could also make it into a community tank for tetras, barbs etc.

Thanks for your opinion!

Greeny.

[HN1]

What type of cichlids are you interested in?

[spoonman]

Dont most cichlids like room to swim? I have malawi and they like to zip from one end of my 115g to the other. It is 48" long and I think a 72" would be better. 16" might be too constricting. IMO it would be better for a tropical community tank. But, we all have opinions, and thats mine.

[Greeny]

I have not done research on different types...I want smaller ones. Not Jack Dempseys or Oscars or Angels as I know they get too big for the tank.

Thanks spoonman for your opinion. That's the reason I'm asking. It is an odd shape tank, so I thought the rule of thumb might not apply (.5 to 1 inch per gallon) if cichlids preferred their home to have some length.

Are all cichlids like that or just Malawi?

[HN1]

Apistos would be fine in there. There are other options as well depending on what interests you. Can you do a Malawi setup? No. You could do shellies or a planted apisto tank, etc. though. The "inch or half-inch per gallon" thing is pretty bunk. It all depends on the type of fish and their natural behaviors. With that footprint and the limited area for O2 exchange, anything you stock will need to be lightly stocked.

[Quartz92]

I completely diasagree with the no, you can't do a malawi tank, and also disagree with the 1inch per gallon. In cichlid tanks its always better to overstock. In a 25g you could put about 8 cichlids so lets say 4 yellow labs and 4 P. saulosi, you could also push it and put a pair of something else. Remember though this requires more filtration!

[HN1]

Originally Posted by Quartz92

I completely diasagree with the no, you can't do a malawi tank, and also disagree with the 1inch per gallon. In cichlid tanks its always better to overstock. In a 25g you could put about 8 cichlids so lets say 4 yellow labs and 4 P. saulosi, you could also push it and put a pair of something else. Remember though this requires more filtration!

Let's agree to disagree then. Those fish get way too big and/or are way too active for a 16" square aquarium.

[Quartz92]

Sorry I completely disregarded the tank demensions. What a weird shape for a tank. I would to a planted tank in that! I would but a pair of angels in there, with other small community fish.

[joy13]

The thing about a 30 inch tall planted tank is the amount of light that actually gets down to where the plants are growing. I don't know what type of fish would work in tall narrow tank like that it would have to be smaller fish and you would probably want some type of top dwelling fish as well as middle.

I keep thinking frog tank maybe some type of tree frog something that like more up and down movement. I don't know just a thought for an odd size tank.

[Greeny]

It is a weird shape for a tank, but very interesting looking. A design challenge perhaps? I have a bigger filter than I need with two extra impeller extensions and a powerful air pump so I can include several airstones.

Why a planted tank? Wouldn't it be hard to light it with it being so deep? I suppose I could plant things at different levels...

I thought angels wanted to be in groups of 4 or more?

I'm very interested in the design challenge (which is why I bought the odd tank...$20), but I want whatever fish are in there to be happy...so keep the options coming!

Thanks,
Greeny

[HN1]

The planted idea could work, but you'd probably want to stick to lower light required plants and maybe plant anubias and ferns on rocks or DW to raise them a bit. IMO, that tank wouldn't be adequate for even one angel. There are plenty of "nano" fish (CPDs, Ember tetra, pygmy hatchets, etc) out there that would be great. They can be difficult to find, but if you're up to the challenge and want something truly unique the effort can be totally worth it.

[spoonman]

My problem with the tank for Malawi Cichlids was not the capacity but the shape. I thought a longer, shorter tank would be better.

[Quartz92]

I think a pair of angels would be great! Angels like taller tanks. Some onion plants would look great in the back! I speak from experiance.

[HN1]

They do like taller tanks, but they also need lateral room to move. I wouldn't keep a single angel in anything smaller than a 29G (30"x12"). A pair in such tight confines would definitely create chaos as they matured.