Just set up our first aquarium...

[Amadaca]

LuvMyFish, as someone here already suggested, you should reconsider stocking your tank with cichlids. Personally, have never had much time for them. Too many are over-sized, hugely ill-tempered, & highly territorial. However, there is one that everyone finds to be an absolutely beautiful little cichlid that is peaceful & can easily be housed in your size tank.

The ram, or butterfly cichlid, is definitely one you should consider. They are small, peaceful, relatively easy to maintain, & oh so spectacular.

Ideally, place them in a well-planted aquarium. Definitely one I would recommend if you have your heart set on cichlids.

 

[cichlidmaster]

And yet another opinion!!!!

CM

 

[wetwetwet]

Never a shortage of them

 

[reef3]

yes you can put 3 mbunas, but mbunas are the most agressive cichlid, and therefore you should keep more than 5 together, thats my opinion, because if not the stronger one will make the others misserable, unless you have very very good places to swim run and hide in the tank..

 

[Danny - the lost soul---]

lumyfish,

As mentioned by CM in that 20gal there is a wide variety of cichlids you can have. Some are smaller smome are bigger, some shell dwellers some not. There is a selection of them. Shell dwellers would be ideal if it's what you want.


Butterfly fish, they are easy to maintain but have there down falls. Thye need plenty swimming room, they are best kept alone due to there long fin filiments, the prefer bugs in there diet. This means HIGH protien if having other cichlids such as some aficans that SHOULD NOT have high protien , this can pose a problem not to mention the butterfly will get tore to shreads.


You have got to go either way, cichlids or more community type fish. A BUTTERFLY is a timid cichlids that SHOULDn't be housed with aggressive tank mates. Not even small fin nippers such as tetras, barbs. IMO / IME, IME

danny

 

[cichlidmaster]

IMO/IME putting a trio or even a pair of mbuna in such a small take would be suicide!!!!

I would never recommend mbuna for such a small tank.

I have successfully housed several pairs of Julidochromis transcriptis in a 20 long. Even when breeding these fish are a great species for this size tank.

Then of course the aforementioned shellies are also a great choice.

Mbuna should never be housed in anything less than a 55 gallon!!

Then again the previously mentioned peacocks (Aulonocara sp.) would also do if of the smaller variety.

CM

 

[cichlidmadness]

There is alot of Africans cichlids you can put in a 20gl long, Cm is right, you can put Benga Sunshines peacocks in there, they only get 3.5" to 4", there's some nice shell dwellers,

Juli. Transcripts (which I a breeding pair and all the fry in my 20gl long)
Lamp. ocellatus
Neol. Brichardi or the Daffidel pulcher
alto. Calvus/alto compress which are nice to have
ps. Demasoni are small enough to have


There's alot more than I can think of

cheers,
cichlidmadness