Cichlids/14Gal Tank

[zildjiandevil88]

Hey guys,

I just went out and bought a 14 gallon fish tank. it was a complete starter kit, this kit came with light, heater, filter,... blah blah blah

so i just wanted to know, if i can have Cichlids in this size tank???
if so which kind, and also how many? i still haven't set my tank up
yet, all i need is gravel, or sand and some little decorations to put around.

what do cichlid fish like, sand or gravel?
please let me know, if you can answer any of my questions.

Thanks,
-Nick

 

[enadeau12]

not to rain on your parade.... but! 14 gallon plus cichlids, not going to mix that well. i started out with a 20 gallon tank and have a few cichlids in it myself and realized that it wasnt going to work, so i've upgraded to a 55 gallon cichlid tank. if you really want cichlids for your tank i would look into only one or two dwarfs. like a ram or kirb. cichlids are fans of sand also.

 

[joy13]

You can have small cichlids like apistogramma but most do better in larger tanks. Apistogramma Once you decide what cichlid you want read up on it since some do better in tanks with a lot of plants others are considered shell dwellers.

 

[zildjiandevil88]

Thanks guys for the replies!

I just finished my 14 gallon tank today, everything is working fine.
just put in nice gravel, plastic plants, fake tree, heater, filter, and also installed an air pump. looks nice...

i just conditioned the water, and I'm now just letting my tank go through it's
cycle for a few days. after these days are up I'm going to grab some fish.
what temp. is good for small cichlids? because I'm going to get prob. 2 or 3
small cichlids... which type should i get for my tank?

My tank has a million tiny bubbles on the back glass and also the front.
are they gona go away? is it just because i filled my tank for the first time?
How much air flow should i allow through my air pump? its extremely bubbly at full blast, is that ok? or should i reduce the bubbles?


please let me know, i'll post pics of my tank soon.
Thanks,
-Nick

 

[SWerner13]

Bubbles are normal. Read about fishless cycling, most of the dwarf cichlids you will be looking into are gonna have a tough time surviving a cycle, especially in a 14 gallon tank. Right now I have a 1F/1M German Blue Ram in a 10 gallon tank and they do fine. I would look into them, they are a little more common than some of the other cichlids which makes them easier to find and have great colors and personality. I wouldn't spend money on cichlids though if you are going to cycle w/ fish.

 

[zildjiandevil88]

Thanks for that tip!

i"m not going to cycle with fish, I'm going to wait until my cycle is complete.
do you have to do a water change after the ammonia and nitrites levels go down
to zero? or can fish live in the water i've been testing?

please let me know!
Thanks

 

[SWerner13]

There is an article in here somewhere i think the getting started section. read that first.

 

[loneranger]

there's some cool small rift lake cichlids out there, particularly the dwarf shell dwellers from Lake Tanganyika.
Have a read of
http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/shellweb/
Ad

 

[colematthewmalaka]

Dwarf cichlids like the ramirez dwarf cichlid will do very well bogwood and a soft to neutral PH is necessary.

 

[veetors]

I had a pair of German Blue Rams in a 14 gallon tank for over a year. I gave them and the tank away to a friend due to moving and they are still swimming around as happy as can be......

 

[JustOneMore20]

Some options for a 14g would be a pair of Rams (Bolivians are hardier than Blues) or possibly a pair of Apistogrammas, though I wouldn't suggest those to beginners....they tend to be a little more sensitive to water quality.

Or you could go with some shell dwellers, like mentioned above. They prefer sand (most of them) and you'd need some shells. http://www.cichlidbreeding.com is a good source for shells. Neolamprologus multifasciatus are a small shell dweller. You could start with 4-5 and they'd eventually reproduce. They live in colonies and don't eat their fry, meaning their numbers keep growing.

They prefer hard water and a higher pH, but tank raised fish would tolerate water with medium hardness and a more neutral pH.

Do a fishless cycle and don't put fish in until the ammonia and nitrites are 0 and you have some nitrates. Pure ammonia or a c0cktail shrimp are good ways to cycle without fish.

 

[missileman]

Please understand fully what cycling a tank means.
To fully cycle a tank take 6 to 8 weeks or more unless you are able to add a good bacteria source. Do not believe the claims of most over the counter cycling products, most will speed the cycle up but it will still take 3 to 5 weeks.
Actual live bacteria from an existing tank can speed it up to 1 to 2 weeks if from a reliable source.
Until you add amonia or an amonia source like fish the cycle will not even start and there is no point of testing.