Toying with idea of Cichlid tank -- advice, help appreciated

[librarygirl]

Hi everyone,

I currently have a 5 gal Betta tank and a 29 gal community tank with schools of small fish. Originally, I was planning to upgrade the 29 gal to a larger tank for my small fish but it isn't really needed and having a larger tank with small fish means I could only have more small fish and I'd like something bigger.

So....my first thought was a Cichlid tank. I live on 3rd fl of an apartment so I can't go too big. I'm thinking 40-45 long (unless Chichlids prefer high tanks, I have no idea).

I'd like a peaceful Cichlid community (if there even is such a thing ). So I have many questions (those I've thought of and I'm sure more that I haven't).

• Would a 40-45 be sufficient for them?
• I know they need caves and hiding spots so Cichlid stones and slate caves would be plentiful
• Gravel or sand?
• I'd probably use a canister filter unless there are arguments for something else in relation to what they prefer
• I have plenty of extra media from my current tank to help seed it and I'd do a fishless cycle first anyway to ensure the tank is fully cycled for them
• Do they need a particular PH? My water is fairly soft (KH 1, GH 3) with a PH of 7.0-7.2 after it gasses out (from the tap it's 8.4 but goes down to 7-7.2)
• And for stocking......any suggestions? I don't know much about the various types so I thought I'd ask the experts
• I wouldn't mind males and females (watching breeding behavior would be fascinating and I wouldn't mind some baby fishies) unless the aggression would be too severe

Below is a pic of the space that the tank will reside in. It's the dining area of my living room, so I'm not sure whether two tanks would be too much weight (it's a fairly new building, about 15-20 years old, seems very solid) but I have no idea where the beams or joists are.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[gman42]

i have a 40g breeder, and im planning on putting 1m, 3f OB peacocks. a 40g breeder would be perfect for a group of yellow labs, and possibly some red zebras.

 

[librarygirl]

Would red zebras be peaceful, I'm reading they can be aggressive? Also I'm seeing a lot about different types of Cichlids (African, Malawi, etc) and how not to mix certain ones. It seems Africans are the "easiest" and more "peaceful," is that true? So for a 40, I could fit a few yellow labs (which are gorgeous) and one or two of something else, is that right?

I'm trolling the web for info but if anyone has some good sites please share. Thanks.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

They can be they are listed to be mild.

 

[tiger terror]

Would red zebras be peaceful, I'm reading they can be aggressive? Also I'm seeing a lot about different types of Cichlids (African, Malawi, etc) and how not to mix certain ones. It seems Africans are the "easiest" and more "peaceful," is that true? So for a 40, I could fit a few yellow labs (which are gorgeous) and one or two of something else, is that right?

I'm trolling the web for info but if anyone has some good sites please share. Thanks.

You'll find that they're all aggresive,peacocks being somewhat timid but still aggressive..over filtrate ,over stock ,plenty of caves,50% weekly pwc's& stay within a certain lake species.could probably get by with 8-10 being the max..


75g Lake Malawi Reef

 

[mfdrookie516]

You're asking for specifics on a very broad range of fish. Cichlids prefer soft to hard water in temps ranging from 75-86 and can be somewhat mellow to incredibly aggressive. They are also carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores requiring tanks from 10g to 200+ gallons.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Hi everyone,

I currently have a 5 gal Betta tank and a 29 gal community tank with schools of small fish. Originally, I was planning to upgrade the 29 gal to a larger tank for my small fish but it isn't really needed and having a larger tank with small fish means I could only have more small fish and I'd like something bigger.

So....my first thought was a Cichlid tank. I live on 3rd fl of an apartment so I can't go too big. I'm thinking 40-45 long (unless Chichlids prefer high tanks, I have no idea).

You want it as long as you can

I'd like a peaceful Cichlid community (if there even is such a thing ). So I have many questions (those I've thought of and I'm sure more that I haven't).

Their are peaceful it all depends on stock

[*]Would a 40-45 be sufficient for them?

Can be a 55 is recommended

[*]I know they need caves and hiding spots so Cichlid stones and slate caves would be plentiful
[*]Gravel or sand?

Sand

[*]I'd probably use a canister filter unless there are arguments for something else in relation to what they prefer

I use a sump and canister and some people use hob

[*]I have plenty of extra media from my current tank to help seed it and I'd do a fishless cycle first anyway to ensure the tank is fully cycled for them
[*]Do they need a particular PH? My water is fairly soft (KH 1, GH 3) with a PH of 7.0-7.2 after it gasses out (from the tap it's 8.4 but goes down to 7-7.2)

Ph 7.2-8.6
Hard water
Temp 74- 82


[*]And for stocking......any suggestions? I don't know much about the various types so I thought I'd ask the experts



[*]I wouldn't mind males and females (watching breeding behavior would be fascinating and I wouldn't mind some baby fishies) unless the aggression would be too severe
Below is a pic of the space that the tank will reside in. It's the dining area of my living room, so I'm not sure whether two tanks would be too much weight (it's a fairly new building, about 15-20 years old, seems very solid) but I have no idea where the beams or joists are.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hope this helps

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks everyone. I'm realizing that these are a broad range of fish so perhaps my questions were too general, my apologies. Upon more research I'm leaning toward a (SA?) dwarf cichlid tank due to the size constraints of the tank (either a 40 long, 40 breeder or maybe a 46 bow). Dwarfs seem to require softer water which I already have. So does this help narrow stocking some? I'm researching compatability now but I so far I'm finding it difficult to get much concrete info on which types and how many would go together in a 40-ish gal tank.

Maybe I need to re-think this Cichlid idea....

 

[darkmatter_3500]

A 40 breeder has a great footprint for its gallons.

 

[tiger terror]

Thanks everyone. I'm realizing that these are a broad range of fish so perhaps my questions were too general, my apologies. Upon more research I'm leaning toward a (SA?) dwarf cichlid tank due to the size constraints of the tank (either a 40 long, 40 breeder or maybe a 46 bow). Dwarfs seem to require softer water which I already have. So does this help narrow stocking some? I'm researching compatability now but I so far I'm finding it difficult to get much concrete info on which types and how many would go together in a 40-ish gal tank.

Maybe I need to re-think this Cichlid idea....

Definitely check into rams they are gorgeous fish...

 

[5x5]

I agree about the 40 gal breeder. That has a good footprint and you could do a good variety of SA/CA. If you want to try cichlids and can go as large as a 40b, I think you'll be fine. You'll be fine with dwarfs or almost anything that stays under 4 - 6 inches.

 

[DragonFish71]

There's actually a good amount of cichlids that could fit in a 40b. You have your rams (GBR,Gold,Bolivian) apistos, shell dwellers, kribs, jewels, and I know there's more, these are just off the top of my head.

First step is finding what's available in your area, unless you don't mind ordering online, and go from there.

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks everyone! A 40 breeder would be doable, I think. I'm a bit nervous about keeping a 40 breeder and a 29 gal in the same area of my apartment though as that's potentially 800+ lbs of combined weight. Any issues you can think of? I could rearrange some things in the living room and spread the tanks to either end but it might be a hassle to do so.

As for where to get the fish, that's another issue. To my knowledge not many LFSs here carry Cichlids. There are a couple I could try once I'm ready to stock but I don't know what they'd have and given that I've been to most stores here (both large chain and smaller LFS) I'm not 100% comfortable with how well they maintain their tanks overall as I've seen some horror stories. All of the fish in my 29 have come online and I've had good experiences with them so I may need to look online for stock which opens up more possibilities than I might otherwise have locally. I'd have to check around here first to be sure though.

Are there any "Rules" to what species should or shouldn't be mixed with others? And what about M:F ratios or is it different for each one?

Sorry for all the idiotic questions. Clearly more research is required on my end, too.

 

[darkmatter_3500]

I think they are 120 dollars at pet smart with glass lid and lights

 

[Andrew McFadden]

I ordered all mine from WWW.livefishdirect.com uneasy very pleased with what all I got

 

[a.tetreault]

i think the best idea would be to just see whats available to you, see what you like and then ask questions about those fish and see which ones will work for your tank.

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks. I have another idea though and didn't want to start a new thread so here goes:

Instead of having a separate CIchlid tank would it work if I bought a larger tank, say a 55, and put some Dwarf Cichlids in with my current fish? My only worry is that I have a lot of small fish so not sure it would work. My current stock is:

Celestial Pearl Danio
Spotted Blue Eye Rainbows
Ember Tetra
Panda Cory
Sterbai Cory
Nerite Snails

So, if I got a 55 would I be able to keep the fish above and add some Dwarf Cichlids? Again, I'd love at least one male/female of something to breed but if the aggression would be too much for my current fish then I could limit it to just one male or female of whatever. Off the top of my head I was thinking a pair (or one) of GBR and then maybe a small harem of Apisto (Cockatoo?) or would that be too much?

Sorry for the stupid questions.

 

[George9]

I'm following this thread Thought about starting one myself. Lots of good info here!

I think you could definately to the dwarf cichlid thing. Except apistos and rams get SUPER SUPER aggressive when breeding, so i dont know if a pair would be the way to go, but in my an expert on the topic either.

I keep both a ram and a single apisto with no aggression issues.

 

[Loudog21]

You should look into a 55 gal. It's 5 inches narrower and only 12 inches longer. I think it's better for cichlids. I've got four pretty aggressives and they are ok.

 

[librarygirl]

I'm following this thread Thought about starting one myself. Lots of good info here!

I think you could definately to the dwarf cichlid thing. Except apistos and rams get SUPER SUPER aggressive when breeding, so i dont know if a pair would be the way to go, but in my an expert on the topic either.

I keep both a ram and a single apisto with no aggression issues.

Hm....how aggressive? Would my small fish be killed? I'd feel awful if that happened, but at the same time it would be so cool to have a mating pair. And figures that Severum Mama just posted her new stock list and she happens to have a pair of Apistos! I do have an empty 20 gal I could use temporarily but..... I can't win I guess lol