Starting A New Tank

[keith1569]

hey guys i am thinking of getting a 20 gallon tank and getting some African Cichlids..I found on liveaquaria.com some really exotic looking ones. Do you guys recommend any other sites that sell these more exotic colored ones and such? also any suggestions are very welcome..

i was thinking of getting the 20 gallon starter tank for tropical fish at petsmart and gettin some sand or white rocks and adding in some black rocks by like stackin them around for the fish

also this is my first post on this board. it seems like a great board with tons of helpful people

thanks again

keith

 

[kribensis12]

You dont need to buy online. Go to a homeowned store and get your fishtank and your fish. They are cheaper at hms and they are better quality same for fish also.

 

[adambrum]

What type of cichlids there are many groups with some varying need and tank size there's,

lake malawi- mbuna,haps and peacocks
lake tanginika- shell dwellers and the rest ( dont know much about this lake)
lake victoria-Rare
then there the kribs (dont know much about these either)

At 20 gallon i think you would be looking at shell dwellers or kribs as the others require at least a 48" tank

Oh and welcome to the forum

 

[keith1569]

i am lookin at the Malawian Cichlids. I really like the way they look

 

[adambrum]

That would be a 4ft 45gallon min for those due to aggression of these fish, They grow very fast so even small fish will need a large tank.

have a quick read of the the article at the top in the pinned section " the mbuna aquarium"

 

[keith1569]

cool thanks..i will be checkin that pinned topic out

 

[MaidenheadAquatics]

second on that adam, they do need a min 4ft and bear in mind they need a very good filter. PH needs to be harder then normal tropical fish aswell.

luck

 

[fishfishfish]

i started out with a 20 gallon when i got my first 5 malawi at 1 inch each.in a few months i got my current 33 gal and maybe 7 months later,i got a 55 gallon.u can start with a 20 gal but u will need to go bigger fast