please help me choose a dwarf cichlid

[thing fish]

hi there. i have a newly cycled 20 gallon long and am looking to have a pair of dwarf cichlids. they will likely be the only fish in the tank.

i am hoping to choose a fish that has interesting behaviors, fun to watch, and will likely spawn. i enjoy watching cichlids raise their fry.

i keep my water pristine and have 250 gallons/hour of filtration. tank is planted with anubias, micro sword, and java moss. ph is 7.4 and the water is hard. should be well-suited for dwarf cichlids.

my lfs has a shipment coming in next week, and i am trying to research each of these before i make a decision. any advice/suggestions would be great. some of these may not be appropriate for my tank but i am looking to find what will be before i buy.

here is what the new shipment contains:


25) sm Lamp. caudopunctatus red fin $17. ea.
20) sm Lamprologus helianthus yellow Congo $14. ea.
25) sm Lamprologus leleupi orange $14. ea.
20) sm Lamprologus "minutus" Zambian brevis (shell dweller) $14. ea.
25) sm-md Lamprologus ocellatus gold $20. ea.

15) lg Aulonocara premium assorted 3.5"+ COLOR, MALES $55. ea.
50) sm Aulonocara sp. rubin red (Euro bred) $20. ea.
30) sm-md Chilotilapia rhoadesii ~2" Nice! BIG! $13. ea.

20) sm-md Apistogramma baenschi NEW $40/pair
20) sm-md Apistogramma borelli yellow good size!! $30/pair
20) sm-md Apistogramma cacatuoides double red $36/pair
20) sm-md Apistogramma cacatuoides orange BIG! $36/pair
20) sm Apistogramma hongsoli red $45/pair

 

[limnologist]

Idk much about dwarf cichlids, but, I was just gonna suggest the good fallbacks:
Convict cichlid-
Kribensis-
Rams-

 

[Brookster123]

Apisto borelli or cacs

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[Kittykat364]

I don't know much about cichlids but I'd suggest against the ocellatus because they prefer sand and may dig up your plants.


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[dalto]

How hard is hard?

If it is moderately hard than A. cacatuoides is a good choice. If it is super hard than I would go with the brevis.

 

[jrudd013]

Apistogramma if it were me. Im sure the subspecies all have different need so you need to research a lil. You didn't say what type of substrait you have. These guys like to play in the sand. Well mine did at least. They require softer water though. Mine was at around 5.4 give or take.

 

[Freakgecko91]

Apistogramma if it were me. Im sure the subspecies all have different need so you need to research a lil. You didn't say what type of substrait you have. These guys like to play in the sand. Well mine did at least.

Those are actually species, not subspecies. Sorry to be a detail freak, but it makes a difference. Apistogramma is the genus, and each one is a species (cacatuoides, borelli, etc.). Then there are collection points of each species, which is often a river name in quotation marks after the species name


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[thing fish]

my water's hardness, i do not have an exact number for hardness. i could possibly test for that this week. i just know i get hard water stains and calcification.

i have kept pulvicachromis taeniatus in the past but never could get them to spawn. are kribs easier in that regard?

i have heard a couple people suggest the apistogramma borelli and do like the look of them. they look very similar to the nannacarra anomola i kept previously. i enjoyed them very much and had a few spawns/batches of fry.

thanks for all the input...oh yeah my substrate is a mix of small gravel and eco complete.

 

[MICEY]

KIRRABIES , THERE AFRICAN but I cant spemm there name , the have a point on there tails
they like harder water are easy to sex and breed are cheap and easy to find

 

[Gillie]

Either the Apistogramma cacatuoides or borellii will do fine in harder water. Both species are great and considering the price of a pair compared to the other fish each, they are the better deal.

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[thing fish]

thanks to everyone...i think i am leaning towards the Apistogramma cacatuoides, though i do not know how to say it...ha. is there a common name?

 

[Gillie]

Cockatoo dwarf cichlid, uh-pis-toe-gramma cockatoo-oid-eez

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[Brookster123]

Cockatoo dwarf cichlid, uh-pis-toe-gramma cockatoo-oid-eez

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No you're a cockatoodueis

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[thing fish]

ha! thank you all very much. will post pictures when i get them on 10/7

hey brookster, these fish are coming from Ned's

 

[Brookster123]

Ohhhhh ohhhhhh hahahah ohhhhhh dude they have these "apisto red vieja"!!! You have to get them! I'll meet you there! Amazing fish! I'll set you up with some almond leaves.

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[Gillie]

Ohhhhh ohhhhhh hahahah ohhhhhh dude they have these "apisto red vieja"!!! You have to get them! I'll meet you there! Amazing fish! I'll set you up with some almond leaves.

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Macmasteri aren't really a beginner apisto though....

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[dalto]

Macmasteri aren't really a beginner apisto though....

Nicely done

Almost all the fish labeled as vieja are really line bred macmasteri.

Also, just a heads up that if his water really has that much calcium in it Almond leaves won't do much for him. My tap is like this too. Only way to soften it or lower pH is to mix it with tap.

 

[Brookster123]

It's in a 7.4ph tank, it's most likely just some funky color strain? .. the water is the same across the board here apparently as I've done my research. Dude wants something cool and I was just throwing it out there
.

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[Freakgecko91]

If your water wasn't so hard, I would have recommended looking into the genus Dicrossus, aka the checkerboards. Filamentosa and maculatus are both awesome looking dwarves and less seen. They can be pulled off in harder water, and are a higher level of experience when it comes to dwarves typically, although it seems you do have some experience. They'd still do better in much softer water.

Another species worth looking into, just to offer you some more species to think about, is crenicichla compressiceps. They are a dwarf pike cichlid, and are awesome. They're not like many of their beastly sized cousins withing crenicichla and are actually considerably peaceful. A pair in a planted tank would look awesome, with a school of decent sized dithers.

Just thoughts, although I just remembered you posted what is in the shipment.

 

[Gillie]

Another species worth looking into, just to offer you some more species to think about, is crenicichla compressiceps. They are a dwarf pike cichlid, and are awesome. They're not like many of their beastly sized cousins withing crenicichla and are actually considerably peaceful. A pair in a planted tank would look awesome, with a school of decent sized dithers.

Just thoughts, although I just remembered you posted what is in the shipment.

Compressiceps are the nasty ones. I had to upgrade to a 40 long with heavy cover before I saw reduced aggression in mine. Sethimg from the C. regani group would be on the mild side.

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