What cichlids are great to begin with?

[BLASK]

I am starting up my second 20gal US tank that I want planted and with cichlids.

Tank stats:

^ Substrate is 15lbs of Seachem Flourite (black) and 10lbs of Estes very fine white gravel on top.
^ Filtration is a Penguin 125 w/ Biowheel.
^ Lighting is Coralife 24" Aqualight Power Compact Strip Light- 1X65Watt.
^ Co2 is the Hagen Plant Gro Co2 Natural System. (not installed yet)

I will begin a cycle today with one or two guppys and want to begin getting plants and putting them in. After the cycle is complete I will begin planting plants. Then the co2 will be installed along with the plant food additivies.

After all that- What are great small cichlids to start with? I want at least 5 if thats ok in a 20gal.

My location is south florida and there seems to be alot of them to choose from at the LPS's

Thanks

 

[pseud]

I don't think there's any type of cichlid you can have 5 of in a 20 gallon aquarium. I think you'll be good to go with a pair of dwarf cichlids such as Rams or some kind of Apisto. Anything else is gonna be too big, or too many for the tank size and you're gonna run into aggressive territory problems.

Check out this thread: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=82727

And let me recommend a male/female pair of German Blue Rams. Beautiful fish, lots of character, they spawn fairly easily, just be sure to keep the water nice and clean.

Oh, and good luck

 

[modernhamlet]

Gotta agree w/ psued, you're generally only going to get 1 pair of cichlids living happily in a planted 20g. But don't let that stop you. There are some great dwarf ciclids out there and there are plenty of interesting tankmates for them. Here are a few of the possible pairs:

Rams
Apistogramma sp. (possible trio)
Keyholes
Rainbow cichlid
Kribs

Assuming you plant really well (w/ that lighting you should) and provide plenty of wood or rock shelters and caves, I'd suggest a trio of Apistogramma cacatuoides. Rams would be great too if you can find healthy specimens.

A small shoal of 6-8 tetras, pencilfish, or other schooler would complete the tank nicely.

It sounds like you're setting up a really great tank. Let us know what you decide to go with.

 

[lucky62]

you could keep 5 of these in a 20 . peacock gudgeons . *not a cichlid *

Or a pair of checkerboard cichlids , possibly 2 pair if the tank is 30 ", and well planted . *not hard to keep *

female

male and female , sorry for the bad quality , notice my little gudgeons on the bottom

 

[pseud]

mmmmm, Apistogramma Agassizi

 

[OohFeeshy]

Or, you could try shellies.

 

[modernhamlet]

Or, you could try shellies.

[snapback]871314[/snapback]​

I actually almost suggested that (I think it's the only situation where you can REALLY have 5 cichlids in a 20g), but realized it would really defeat the purpose of the substrate, lighting and CO2. This will be a planted tank.

 

[lucky62]

mmmmm, Apistogramma Agassizi

[snapback]871304[/snapback]​

He's awesome , I got 4 males last month on an aquabid transaction , good looking , but no red in the tail , for what I paid I really can't complain .........$12 US , all four .



I think Shellies could l work with plants like Java fern and anubias

 

[lucky62]

again not a cichlid , but somewhat similar

http/msxml.infospace.com/_1_2M7IUM602F7G...rlet%2Bbadis%2B

 

[playfulalliecat]

I haven't kept the dwarf cichlids or any shell dwellers. I can tell you from the African breeds I have kept and the SA/CA, I have not been able to keep plants. Either they eat them like a salad bar or they dig them up! I even had hornwort which I had read several times was too rough and spiny and they ate it! This was Christmas Fulu fry which I thought would do well with plants in their tank but it didn't last long!

Good luck and let us know how it goes if you go with any of the suggestions!

 

[BLASK]

thx for the replys everyone, when you say pair you do mean male and female right? this is gonna be my first time getting cichlids, I don't know how to sex them. I have always had platies in my other tank and they are easy to sex, are cichlids the same? (by sex i mean telling what they are, not making them breed)


one more question- i want this tank to be %100 real with no artificial deco, I was wondering what online or lfs has real rocks that would look great in my tank?

here are pics: (btw- i changed the filter to a whisper 20, it makes less agitation)

and one last thing- with 15lb of flourite and 10lb of white fine gravel, i do not think it will be enough for all the plants, should I add another 5lb bag of white fine gravel? these are the plants im getting:

2 MARBLE VALLISNERIA
1 AMAZON SWORD
1 RUBIN SWORD
6 DWARF CHAIN TENNELLUS
2 RED TEMPLE BUNCH PLANTS
2 MONEYWORT BUNCH PLANTS
1 RUFFLE SWORD
1 ANACHARIS BUNCH PLANT
2 CABOMBA BUNCH PLANT
ALL BUNCH PLANTS ARE 6-8 STEMS PER BUNCH

THANKS AGAIN!

 

[pseud]

He's awesome , I got 4 males last month on an aquabid transaction , good looking , but no red in the tail , for what I paid I really can't complain .........$12 US , all four .



I think Shellies could l work with plants like Java fern and anubias

[snapback]871330[/snapback]​

He's not mine. LOL. Wish he was. Maybe in the future I'll dive in and buy a pair.
That's an nice price for 4. I've seen them for $35 a pair (which is what pushed me away, I'm a beginner cichlid keeper, didn't wanna pay that much and make mistakes through inexperience and lose the little guys).

 

[pseud]

thx for the replys everyone, when you say pair you do mean male and female right? this is gonna be my first time getting cichlids, I don't know how to sex them. I have always had platies in my other tank and they are easy to sex, are cichlids the same? (by sex i mean telling what they are, not making them breed)

[snapback]871821[/snapback]​

Yup, we mean a pair.

Some are easier to tell than others. Sometimes it's difficult, it really all depends on the species, the age, and the health of the fish. You'd have to ask specifically, as there's no set rule for every cichlid, although generally the female is smaller than the male. (I think this is true for most, if not all cichlids)

German Blue Rams are pretty easy to sex. Female is smaller, has a pink tummy. Male is larger, more yellowish.

 

[tttnjfttt]

Reading through all these posts, I've got a few questions/issues I want to raise. Blask has never said if he wanted African or New World Cichlids. There are some very major differences between the care requirement.

I can't say for sure about shell dwellers, but I know most african cichlids are known to dig and tear up plants. Also, African Cichlids prefer a HIGH pH (like atleast 8), but running CO2 will lower the pH.

I don't know much about new world cichlids, but i do know they prefer a lower pH, so you may have better luck with them.

 

[Ben]

i agree with everyone else
There are many options.
Also, when buying Apistogramma, remember to get 2 females to 1 male in the tank

DD