Thoughts on a Tank with Single African Cichlid?

[hansgruber7]

I was thinking of getting a single African cichlid for a 40 gallon tank. I don't want to deal with fry or with fighting or have to get a larger tank, but I love African cichlids. Is this a bad idea?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

To my very low knowledge on Cichlids: Yes, they can be kept alone, but it’s not recommended. The only Cichlid that can be kept alone is the Oscar.

It’s recommended to keep at least a breeding pair in the tank, to provide company. @HoldenOn may be able to give some more advice.

 

[HoldenOn]

Can't keep any africans alone, that'd be a nice size for a krib pair, though you'd probably get fry. You could do EBA which are cool (still get 2)

What's your GH?

 

[hansgruber7]

I use RO water, so my GH can be whatever I need it to be. Is it because they get lonely or stressed? Are Oscars different in that way somehow? What about a Jack Daniels alone or something like that?

 

[Wills]

There are quite a lot of cichlids that can be kept as singular specimens, as mentioned above Oscars but most of the larger Americans often end up as wet pets apart from in huge tanks. However in a 40 gallon none of these would be an option.

In terms of Africans the rift cichlids are best kept as a group but I dont think there would be a massive issue if you wanted to keep a singleton but you dont have to, you will get more out of the tank if you did a community. You would be able to go down the Tanganika route quite easily and there are a bunch of decent sized cichlids you could combine 2-3 species and maybe have some of the smaller Synodontis cats too.

If you wanted to go down the american route something like a singular male Honduran Red Point, Rainbow Cichlid or Firemouth, Ellioti or Salvini and keep them with a couple of species of livebearers like Goodieds or Swordtails.

Or you could do the South American route but this would be best as a community set up with a group of dwarf cichlids like Cupids, Checkerboards, Apistos or Laetacaras. Mid sized cichlids could work as singletons like some of the Acara types like Blue or Metae and then build a community around them with varieties of tetras, headstanders, cory cats, small L numbers or whiptails etc.

Wills

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

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Wills covered it pretty well.

If your water is hard enough or you add a Rift Lake conditioner, I would get a few African Rift Lake cichlids. Go for mouth brooders because they only produce a small number of young and you can usually sell them quite easily.

Maybe have a male and 3 or 4 female peacock cichlids (Aulonocara species), or some Protomelis species. You could also have a male peacock and some rainbowfish, which do fine in hard water. There's lots of options, it just depends on tank size, your water supply, and what you want to keep.

Alternatively, have a mixed tank of male cichlids. Lots of colour and no babies. Although I think everyone should be breeding fish to help protect the species from extinction, but the choice is yours.

 

[hansgruber7]

It's a 40 gallon breeder, so I think 36 by 18 by 36. I would be open to getting a larger tank. I use RO water because my tap water is terrible, and I use Seachem Equilibrium along with Alkaline and Acid Buffers, so I assume I could get the hardness and PH I need.

I would love to get a peacock cichlid, but the thought of dealing with fry is a little overwhelming to me. Maybe if there aren't too many of them, I could consider figuring it out. The idea of managing aggression between males is a little overwhelming to me too. I guess I need to do more research. But you would recommend against a single male peacock cichlid in a tank I gather?

 

[Fishiemang]

Put a few in there with places they can set up shop. Then, every few months, shake things up by moving it around. They won't become too territorial and will cohabitate just fine. I got a peacock, krib and jewel cichlid in a tank with convict and they hang out together. They race and chase once in a while, but they don't lose fins so....

You could keep one alone, but, it may not have the longest life span it could. Fishies need homies to chill with. Put some dither fish in there to give the single guy some company. Might help in the longevity thing....

 

[Colin_T]

Most peacock cichlids only have 10-20 young per batch and the female looks after them for a month or more so you won't have hundreds of babies every week. You can either leave the babies in the tank to fend for themselves after the mother stops looking after them, or catch them out and grow them up.

Baby cichlids are easy to look after. Just feed them newly hatched brineshrimp, microworms and some finely crushed flakes or baby pellets.

You can have one male peacock but I think it is a wasted tank if you do. Get a male and a couple of females and let them breed. Sell the young and use the money to pay for fish food, power, water or put it towards a second tank and a double tier stand. If you don't want to do that, put the money in a bank. You won't make heaps of money but you will make enough to cover the fish food and a bit more.

 

[hansgruber7]

Most peacock cichlids only have 10-20 young per batch and the female looks after them for a month or more so you won't have hundreds of babies every week. You can either leave the babies in the tank to fend for themselves after the mother stops looking after them, or catch them out and grow them up.

Baby cichlids are easy to look after. Just feed them newly hatched brineshrimp, microworms and some finely crushed flakes or baby pellets.

You can have one male peacock but I think it is a wasted tank if you do. Get a male and a couple of females and let them breed. Sell the young and use the money to pay for fish food, power, water or put it towards a second tank and a double tier stand. If you don't want to do that, put the money in a bank. You won't make heaps of money but you will make enough to cover the fish food and a bit more.

Thanks. Would a 40 gallon be sufficient for a male peacock and a few females? Should I expect 10-20 young every month or so? How long do they have to grow out before I can offload them? I assume if I don't fish them out, would most get eaten? I know most people don't care, but I hate the idea of the young getting eaten under my care. So I would likely need to set up a separate grow out tank, right? How large would that need to be? Maybe 20 gallons?

Sorry for all the questions. I can do my own research as well, it's just that there seems to be so much conflicting information out there.

 

[Fishiemang]

Here's my lone peacock with my convict...hangin.out. Glass is kinda crudded up on that side due to Pete the pleco not being able to get in there.

 

[Colin_T]

Thanks. Would a 40 gallon be sufficient for a male peacock and a few females? Should I expect 10-20 young every month or so? How long do they have to grow out before I can offload them? I assume if I don't fish them out, would most get eaten? I know most people don't care, but I hate the idea of the young getting eaten under my care. So I would likely need to set up a separate grow out tank, right? How large would that need to be? Maybe 20 gallons?

Sorry for all the questions. I can do my own research as well, it's just that there seems to be so much conflicting information out there.

Yes your tank would be big enough for a male and 3 or 4 female peacock cichlids (Aulonocara species).

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If the temperature is warm and the fish well fed, they will breed every month or so. In cooler water or if they aren't being fed much, they will be less likely to breed.

Fish breed when conditions are good (warm water, lots of food and no predators). Controlling these factors will limit the breeding. However, it might not stop them completely because some fish are just randy.

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The baby fish can usually be sold when 3 to 4 months old. They should be about 2 inches long by that age.

If the adult fish are well fed, they normally ignore the babies and let them grow up in the tank. If the adult fish are starving they usually eat the young. However, most cichlids don't eat their own young, so having a single species in the tank, and feeding the adults well, most of the babies should survive with the adults.

If you remove the babies after they have started swimming off on their own, you can grow them up in a tank that is 2 foot long or bigger. They will grow faster in bigger tanks so the more room the babies have, and the more food they get, the faster they grow.

If space is a limiting factor, you could get a double tier stand and have two tanks on it, one above the other. One tank could hold the adults and the tank below could be for rearing the babies.

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No need to apologise for questions. That is why the forum exists.