Cichlids

[Davy_Jones]

What type of cichlids would be best in a 30 gallon aquarium?

 

[Zagz]

Moved to cichlid discussion.

Dwarf cichlids like GBR's or bolivians. No africans at all.

 

[Gillie]

African shell dwellers like Multifasciatus, Occelatus or Brevis would work in a 30 gal. If you are loking for color then definately stick with dwarves from South America.

 

[WaterPond]

another good african for a 30gal would be kribs...

most shelldwellers (like names by rwhayley)

i would recommend some smaller south american cichlids, such as apistos, and rams.

A pair of convicts can also be happy in a 30gal, if they are alone.

 

[triazole]

some of the less aggressive mbuna would work as well - labs (yellow / white), saulosis are safe bets.
a pair from hemichromis sp. (jewels) from africa would be suitable with some caution.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd skip any kind of African Cichlids except for Shellies. Other than that, I'd stick with South Americans.

 

[JDogg]

pair of bolivian rams/GBR or trio (1m/2f) apistos...

 

[Stephen]

I'd agree with the suggestion on apistos if you're after colors. Shelldwellers would also be nice.

 

[Sicklid]

Boy, I sure hate to do this... Let me say I used to feel the same way as all of you guys on this particular post who have rang in with suggestions so far... But after seeing this in another post a few weeks back, I have to be fair and show Mr. Davey Jones this 30 gallon:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/tanks/displaytank.php?tank=2205&group=owner

Not that long ago I would have said it's not a good idea to stock a 30g like that, but with good maintenance and filtration and the correct ratio of M to F, it looks like it can be done.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I still don't feel that a tank of that size is appropriate for African Mbuna. But to each their own.

 

[hamburgler]

Boy, I sure hate to do this... Let me say I used to feel the same way as all of you guys on this particular post who have rang in with suggestions so far... But after seeing this in another post a few weeks back, I have to be fair and show Mr. Davey Jones this 30 gallon:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/tanks/displaytank.php?tank=2205&group=owner

Not that long ago I would have said it's not a good idea to stock a 30g like that, but with good maintenance and filtration and the correct ratio of M to F, it looks like it can be done.

x2...if you do it right it works out just fine.

 

[Mosaic]

Actually, I think there are a lot of Africans that would be appropriate. You all are thinking about the Malawis, but there's a lot of Tanganyikans that would do well - shellies, cyprichromis, julis. You'd just have to check the compatibility, but there are many that are around 3-4 inches. You could have a pair, at least.

 

[ksfishguy]

A couple of firemouths and some swordtails.

 

[ksfishguy]

Yo, Davy, have you setup a tank yet?

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

A 30g really limits your choices of cichlids, unless you're interested in a single specimen tank. Shellies and dwarfs are really the only viable options, IME.

 

[Big Ben]

Actually, I think there are a lot of Africans that would be appropriate. You all are thinking about the Malawis, but there's a lot of Tanganyikans that would do well - shellies, cyprichromis, julis. You'd just have to check the compatibility, but there are many that are around 3-4 inches. You could have a pair, at least.

julies are pretty cool. i kept 3 in a 10 gallon with a dalmation molly at one point. theres a few varieties available but some get biiger though im not sure which ones. julidochromis dickfeldi dont get too big to keep a few in a 10 gallon, just make sure u give each one a rock cave. the more caves, the more secure they feel and ull see them more. i beleive they dont grow more then 3 inches, and thats the females. males are the smaller gender withthis fish. Julidochromis transcriptus and julidochromis dickfeldi are teh nicest in my opinion but there are others that are nice its really just what u like.

 

[coldmachineUK]

Boy, I sure hate to do this... Let me say I used to feel the same way as all of you guys on this particular post who have rang in with suggestions so far... But after seeing this in another post a few weeks back, I have to be fair and show Mr. Davey Jones this 30 gallon:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/tanks/displaytank.php?tank=2205&group=owner

Not that long ago I would have said it's not a good idea to stock a 30g like that, but with good maintenance and filtration and the correct ratio of M to F, it looks like it can be done.

x2...if you do it right it works out just fine.

x3. Done it myself, for me experience is speaking for ooodles in this case. I am one of the first to raise awareness when it comes to overstocking, but in this instance I think it's being overly cautious to say "no africans in a 30G". FWIW, I'm now also on a 3rd batch of fry with my saulosi setup

Here is the crunch:
1. A 30G is just fine for some species of Africans. Yes, they are active fish, but there are hundreds of species of Africans so discounting them all is a bit unrealistic IMHO.
2. A 30G, and up to short of a 55G, is fine for one species only. This is where I think the confusion reigns: people usually want to keep multiple species in a tank (which personally I never think is a good idea anyway, re hybrids/breeding etc, but that's a whole other issue...). If you want to keep three species of africans in a tank, then yes a 30G is far too small. A 30G is absolutely fine for many (not all) single species setups.

But, I know with some we have to agree to disagree on this one!