Got 4 Kenyis and a 20G tank. Is this alright?

[ClimbAZ527]

I got 4 Kenyis in my 20G tank. I was just wondering if this is alright? I was told the rule of thumb is that the tank size equals fish max length times number of same fish. For example, 4 Kenyis time 5 inch max length equals 20G tank.

[JSchmidt]

In short, no, your tank is entirely too small for kennyis. Kennyis (Pseudotropheus lombardoi) are highly aggressive, territorial african cichlids that will not only quickly outgrow a 20, but they are so mean that the dominant fish will likely kill the others. You need a minimum of a 55 to keep 4 kennyis.

Sorry, but keeping kennyis in a 20 just is a bad, bad idea...

Jim

[OrionGirl]

Just to point out--what you refer to is the old inches/gallon myth. While this is an acceptable way to determine stocking level for certain types of fish, it should not be applied to any and all fish. Small, slim bodied fish such as neons can be stocked using the inch/gallon method. For heavy bodied fish, aggressive fish, fish with large territory needs, this method falls flat on it's mythical face. Cichlids in general are aggressive, and heavy bodied, so there's no way that this standard can accurately be used.

If you can not upgrade the tank, I would return the fish now, while they are all still alive. Do some research, and find some fish that will fit into your tank happily.