30 gal help

[Newbneedshelp]

Well im thinking about getting anotehr tank (in december) and will probly be a 30gal and i was wondering if I could do a small amount of cichlids in there and how many? oh and do they need special conditions?

thanks in advance!!

 

[poppab02]

I have 8 in a 55 gallon and they seem to be extremely happy; however when I had 6 of the 8 in a 29 gallon there were a lot of territorial problems. Do research on what type of cichlids you want to get because some are nicer than others, and you do want to buy cichlids from the same region. My cichlids live in practically normal water, I have never fooled with the pH or anything, but they do like warmer conditions; I believe the recommendation is 78-82.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

There are a few types of cichlids that can be housed in a 30 gallon. What type water do you have? Some require soft, acidic water and others need hard, alkaline conditions. It's best to match the fish you buy with the water you have.

 

[shawmutt]

I would not recommend African mbuna cichlids for a tank that small. I tried to beat the odds with my 30 gal and had very bad luck for the same reasons as poppab

 

[Menagerie]

You can house kribs, brichardi, rams, Apistos or shellies with no problems in a tank that size. Unless you end up with a breeding pair of brichardis or kribs, the others will need a smallish space for their young.

 

[TankGirl]

You could also do convicts (you'll likely wind up with a lot more convicts, tho!) or keyholes, or a pair of angels. Definitely post back with KG, GH and pH of your tap water, though, cause like Voodoo says, it is much easier to match the fish to your water.

BTW, what cichlids do you like?

 

[Newbneedshelp]

i have no idea what the water conditions are and i have no clue how to find out, and i have tried to find out.

well ive been looking at alot of cichlids lately and i like angels, key holes, convicts, and firemoths

 

[TankGirl]

It will be good to have a pH, GH and KH (GH/KH often sold together, as in the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals test kit) set of kits for general purpose use, no matter what kind of fish you keep. It is helpful to know these values as they can impact how you manage your tank(s).

Your LFS will have all of these test kits, or you can bring in water to them and they will usually test for you at no charge, but write down the actual numerical values, rather than what they tell you, which is usually "your ammonia and nitrite are fine, but you should lower your pH and get it to neutral." Do not listen to this info, but get the readings.

 

[supafreak]

have you thought of shell dwellers? some are beautiful, most are dosil, and all could live in a tank that small