Dwarf Cichlids

[tr0p1cal]

well i guess title says it all, can i have more than 1 different type of dwarf cichld

 

[Wills]

Depends on tank size in gallons and also the foot print of the tank. Which species do you have in mind?

Wills

 

[tr0p1cal]

was thinking apistos, i got 2 kribs atm, but its limiting what i can put with them so if i can have a mix of apistos, rams then maybe i will change over. I have ordered a 120gallon tank arriving in about 7 weeks time.

 

[Wills]

So these dwarfs will be going into the 120g? Whats the dimensions of this? I dont think you need to stick to dwarfs unless you want to. However one thing I would do if I were to have a 120 for dwarfs is a huge harem of Apisto Nijsen or Panduro - the females are absolutely stunning yellow and black panda markings. Maybe something like 1 male and 7 females lets see what your foot print is like first before I suggest what else though Just a personal preference here but if you are going for dwarfs cichlids I would move the kribs out as apistos and rams are all SA and some of the apistos might be a little too soft for a krib.

Serious kudos to you though for setting up a 120 for dwarfs as well

Wills

 

[tr0p1cal]

its a 4x2x2 comes out as 120 gallons on here, all i have is 2 kribs 2 britlesnose and an armoured rock shrimp. looking for ideas i love these little fellas

 

[Wills]

Ok so are you keeping the kribs or rehoming them? If you keep them I would say things like acaras or maybe some of the softer Central American species but if not I think there are some really stunning options for a dwarf tank here mixing apistos and dwarf acaras with a few schooling SA fish as well.
Wills

 

[tr0p1cal]

i like the kribs and would love to keep them, but ive read and been told i couldnt really have any others with them maybe some keyholes. I like the look of appistos, rams and the cockatoo cichlid aswell. I wasnt sure if i could mix these together better or wot i could have with them. i thought if i can get a better choice of fish then i would be willing to rehome the kribensis. If possible could you name some species i can mix then i can have a look at them, i dont really want anything bigger than about 6inches in there.

on a side note my friend has discus in his community and im wondering about them with these cichlids, so if you have any experience with that then it would be cool .

 

[Wills]

I would avoid discus with kribs as discus need soft water and kribs are quite neutral to hard water. So that kind of makes them a good choice to mix with Central American cichlids. However people regularly mix apistos and rams with discus.

To go with the Kribs maybe Rainbow Cichlids, a lone Sajica, I want to say T.Ellioti or T.Aureus but I know there are more experienced keepers on here with them that can help you out. Again a single Cutteri, or an obvious one for me to recommend is the honduran red point also female nics might work. The main problem is avoiding breeding pairs in this tank as they will dominate too much territory especially with the more voracious parents like the Kribs, Sajica and Cutteri. Since you have a pair of kribs I would just add single specimens for other cichlids.

Then have some medium sized rainbows for dithers like red iranians and some yellow panchax for the top

Wills

 

[tr0p1cal]

but if i remove the kribs, can i mix all apistos and rams together?

 

[Wills]

Yeah you could probably mix a few species of apisto and rams in there quite comfortably.

 

[tr0p1cal]

ok cool, but should i stick away from breeding pairs, should i follow a certain ratio?

 

[Wills]

With the rams and apistos? Rams usually stick to pairs though Bolivians do well in groups. Apistos usually work best in hareems as the male can "pester" each female in turn so no one female has all his attention which is not a bad thing. So for apistos it is usually recommended to have 1 male and 2 females though in your tank I would do 1 male and at least 3 females because you have the foot print for it. IMO if you had a got a pair of blue rams and then 2 groups of apistos (1M 3F) you would be somewhere near your stocking for cichlids in that tank. But then if you mix that with a large school of tetras, a few cories, maybe some spotted headstanders if you like them and a nice L number or 2 I think it would be a really stunning tank

Wills

 

[tr0p1cal]

k thanks alot for your help mate.

 

[tr0p1cal]

oh sorry one more, german blue rams, can they be kept in groups, and the bolivians can the groups be mixed or is it 2/2 ratios or 1male 3 females?

 

[shane87]

i have mixed dwarf cichlids in my tank with no problems as long as they dont stay in each others teritry for to long... i have a pair of apisto agassizis....4 keyholes and 3 bolivian rams, the nly bully is the biggest ram who likes n one to go under the filter thats his place as fr the apistos he doesnt bother anything which i would of thought he had the biggest agression problem, i had a female krib but took her out she hated my keyholes who are one of the best fish iv got they always eat ut o my hand and mvoe to where ever i go in front of the tank