Adding Cichlids to a community tank

[Ferris]

Can anyone tell me which cichlids (if any) can be added to a traditional community tank? Specifically the 90 litre tank i have with the fish listed below.

Any advice will be much appreciated!

 

[Adrinal]

I think any species even the most docile S american ones would nip the guramies...

 

[Ferris]

Thanks for the info, what is it about the gourami's that they don't like?

 

[Adrinal]

not DONT it is that the will LOVE their wiskers

I should also say I am not a SA expert by any streach of the imagination.
You might want to post again in the New world cichlids section...
I can tell you with almost 100% certianty that Africans wont work.

 

[kingzac]

your spelling is pants mate but i go along with what your trying to say!

 

[guppymonkey]

A Kribensis might work. They are supposed to be good community fish.

 

[CFC]

All cichlids are aggressive to a degree and to add them to a comunity tank you need to give them room to form a territory and the other fish room to escape a moody cichlid. IMO your 20 gallon tank does not have this to offer and it aready contains one aggressive fish (the RTBS) which will have already established a territory, before adding any kind of cichlid you need to upgrade to a tank which is at least 30 gallons (120 litres). While on the subject of tank sizes do you realise that your silver shark (bala shark) could grow to over a foot and should be kept in a group of at least 3 of its own kind? If you plan on keeping this fish for the long term you will need a tank of at least 75 gallons (300 litres) and prefferably much bigger.

 

[Ferris]

Thanks for that, would you say that all Cichlids including the Kribensis are not suitable? I know about the silver shark, he's quite happy on his own at the moment and I understand that he will grow to the size of the environment, i.e the tank he is in. Are you saying this is incorrect?

 

[CFC]

Yes that is incorrect, that fish will only grow to the size of the tank and then stop is a myth. What actually happens is that the fish does stop growing externally but internally it carries on causing the fish a excrutiating death.

IMO there is no cichlid you could add to your tank without some problems.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

not DONT it is that the will LOVE their wiskers

I should also say I am not a SA expert by any streach of the imagination.
You might want to post again in the New world cichlids section...
I can tell you with almost 100% certianty that Africans wont work.

My African kribensis are fine in my largest community tank.

 

[G_Sharky]

Here are the list that I would be putting on my community tank, I'm no expert, this list is based on my personal research and try it on your own risk
rainbow cichlid
festivum flag cichlid
kribensis
Angel fish
Firemouth cichlid(gets pretty big so it's )
You could also try to check out fishprofiles.com as they have all the species profiles on every possible cichlid.

 

[tdins_2]

an angel should work i have one in my 25g tank look at my sig it gets along fine and has no nipped fins and all my fish have there full fins with no agression problems but my angel will outgrow my tank

 

[silver]

If you get an angel please get 2, they love swimming in pairs. My advice would be to get only two, not three and maybe of the same color as well. In my experience they do pair off and if you have 3, one will be left out. I have only 3 and the one that I have that is left out just so happens to be a different color (kind?) so I don't know if the others didn't choose him to pair up with because of the color difference or if it was just coincidince.

Good Luck!!

Silver