Keholes

[lrhodes]

So... the LFS that's about 45 minutes from my house just told me they can order me some keyholes.... they run around $5 each.
Should I or shouldn't I?
They would go in my 55 gallon. How many should I get?

From what I've read, they are pretty peaceful. Tell me some stuff about them.
Don't know what happened to the title of this post........... lol.

 

[Ninjouzata]

Is there anything currently in your 55g? If so, can you list them?

 

[lrhodes]

Plecos and guppies. 3 plecos. Lots of guppies. In the process of finding new homes for the guppies.

 

[Ninjouzata]

I thought I'd ask that so someone who knows about them wouldn't need to when they came to help
So yeah I don't know enough to help you, unfortunately, sorry
 
THIS would be all I know.
 
Hope someone who knows more about cichlids comes along soon

 

[lrhodes]

Thanks! I have read that article along with several other and watched probably every keyhole cichlid video on YouTube! Lol.

 

[Ninjouzata]

Yeah I figured you had seen it was just showing that's pretty much all I'd know
 
Hard not to go looking at every single vid and article you can find! 

 

[hobby5]

I have never kept them myself only seen them in our school aquarium. But I have kept and bred many other cichlids and would very much expect that similar principles apply. Can you get a pair for sure, then I would go for a single pair? Mostlikely not. So get 6-8 juveniles. Make sure your tank is well structured with plenty of hiding places and broken lines of sight. Sit and wait

 

[star4]

Keyholes are peaceful but also can be extremely shy, you would need quite heavily planted set up so they do not get stressed, I have kept a small group usually one male to 2 females.

 

[Mark Z.]

Did you wind up getting them? I bought two today. I really like them!

 

[m1lky12]

I got a couple going back a year or so now as juveniles so they're more or less fully grown now, and I've since added another a few months back and all three get on, other than the odd chase round the tank. From what I read before I got them the male/female ratio doesn't matter as much as other cichlids and they'll just appreciate the company of their own type, plus it's pretty hard to tell the difference between male and female when they're young (I believe I have one adult male and female and the juvenile is also a male). They are rather shy and tend to hang out in the lower/middle level of the tank in and around the decor and won't appreciate any more boisterous fish.
 
If I were you I'd go and buy 5/6 juveniles and just see what happens, they're not the hardest fish to breed from what I've read so if your lucky you could manage to get a pair!
 
Hope that helps.