thinking.....

[SConrad]

i want to get into cichlids realy bad!! i see some beautiful ones at the LFS and i want to get into them so bad!

my questions are:
What is a good beginner cichlid?
Do they require special foods?
Are there any possible tankmakes???
i have more questions and they will come along soon enough..THANKssssss


sconrad

 

[aloaring]

What cichlids have you seen? what kind of tank have you got set up? And what size fish are you thinking of getting?

 

[Vip]

True, theres to many types of cichlids for us to say without knowing what you have, and are ready for..

 

[SConrad]

Thats where i need help... idk how big of a set-up or what kind of a set-up i need

i also dont know what type of cichlid i saw, sry that im not much help...

 

[aloaring]

You might be best off starting with the dwarf cichlids then, theres lots of choice and I find they are easy to keep, great personality and beatiful colours on them as well as interesting behaviour.
Theres lots of apistogrammas
Bolivian or Blue Rams
or i have nannacara anomala.
And they only need a smaller tank and will live in communities but with no big boisterous fish!

Or if you want something bigger you could go for Angels (need a tall tank)
Or Kribs or keyholes cichlids!! Since you've had no experience with cichlids i recommend these as i have had then since i started in the hobby a couple of years ago and they are super hardy and real characters.
Kribs can be aggessive if you get a breeding pair or a lone female (as i did)
The keyholes I found are perfect lots of people think they are dull as they are brown but I love them and they never fight with anything and will stay with the smallest of fish and they don't grow too big but have a great personality. Have a look at this:
Keyholes

 

[SConrad]

Great idea!!!

i saw this apisto agasizzi

and i realy like him...and i love rams too! and kribs are awesome as well!!! i think i want to set meup a dwarf cichlid tank!!! how many gallons would i need if i wanted some rams, apisto's, and kribs?? could i possibly put something different in their tank?

well thanks a ton!!!!!
sconrad

 

[Vip]

That pic is of a blue dolphin dude, its a african, i know the color makes it a really nice fish, but it wouldnt last long with new world cichlids..


The Sev, convict, and acara would go good in a 55g tank, they would all get along.
The trimac would kill all three of them and they need a larger tank.
Anything else you like?

 

[SConrad]

Thanks for the help Vip...but i think im goin dwarf at first and then from then on in i'll get more aggressive....thanks again everyone!


what else do i need to know about the dwarfs..i wont be starting till probly august, but i need as much info as possible!

 

[aloaring]

Be careful when mixing the cichlids though!! I'm currently okay with rams and kribs together or rams with the apistos but i think kribs might pick on smaller apistos! As for tank size my 2 nannacara anomala (golden eye dwarf cichlid) are in a 15 gallon tank quite happy. While my Keyholes and kribs live together in a 30 gallon tank. So its a matter of what fish you want to keep together. With a 55 gallon you have a lot of choice!!
Personally I am a huge fan of the dwarf cichlids absolutely amazing fish! Have a look at this website:
Apistogrammas

 

[Pleco-Heaven]

Firemouths are good aggresives to start off, I started my cichlid tank up (with fish) 6 days ago and they've been great, very interesting to watch (especially at feeding time) just a bit shy. maybe someone else can give you more help.

 

[SConrad]

do you think i could mix apistos and rams together? I think that would be nice.

i was thinking just a 10 gallon tank with:
1 pair of rams
2 apistos
*something for cleaning*
and whatever else i could put in there that i could get away with


thanks,

sconrad