starting a chillid tank advice please

[judgemax]

ok I have a 20 gal that i recently purchased with everything but the hood, for 3 dollars at a yard sale ..what a steal ...have priced hoods and going to get one this weekend but before i do i want to start a cichlid tank and am going to tell you what i want and you guys can tell me if it is plausable ...
Is a twenty going to be big enough for a starter cichlids tank?
Do I need specific wattage for these fish ?
I would like to go with an all black backing and the neon green plants only with black gravel ..will the colored gravel affect the fish have used it before in a small five and noticed the color kinda leeches off it. would like to have something the size of a full grown white skirt tetra are there any cichlid that will stay this size and that have bright colors that are natural ..and the differances in feeding them versus a freshwater ..have only ever had freshwater since i have grown up and am really starting to gain interest in the cichlids they are beautiful fish ...any help or suggestions would be apperciated ...tia..julie

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

hehe... first off.... its Cichlid not chillid.... ;)

And in a 20 gallon you could do a couple choices. A pair of German Blue Rams, a pair of Bolivian Rams, a pair of Kribensis, OR a few apistogrammas. All these are dwarf cichlids. Remember they can be territorial so i reccommend only a pair of each, except for the apistos since they like to be in a harem (i think?).

I would not get any gravel that leaches stuff into the water. Try to find some all-natural gravel, with natural plants and rocks and wood. That way the colors of your fish will stand out more.

Cichlids generally like to have lots of hiding places, so make sure to get some rocks and wood to make some caves.

As for feeding get some good cichlid flake food, and provide a varied diet with some frozen blood worms and brine shrimps.

HTH
-Diana

[judgemax]

first thanks for not laughing to hard i changed the spelling to the correct way lol and rams get very large dont they? the lfs has some that are huge do the german ones stay smaller and do they breed in wich case would i need a seprate tank ? is there a natural dark gravel that i can use that you know of ? and i would put caves in but would like to use something that will blend in, with the whole black scheme ..and do the fish you mentioned have bright colors ? sorry about all the questions but have been trying to find the perfect fish for my iideas with this tank and i would like to keepthe look very different from my 29 gallon which is basically all tetras ...and can i put in an algea eater? and should i not use fake plants then? im not very good at keeping the live ones lol my green thumb does not extend to underwater unfortunatly..i have a very natural and serene tank with natural gravel tan white and brown and drift wood and such so i realy would like to go with the minimals in this tank would wood be esential to these fish?

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Do a google search on the fish i mentioned to get lots of pictures and sites with information on them. German rams stay small, with the bolivian rams getting a littler larger but will still be fine for a 20 gallon tank. If they breed they will raise the babies in the tank with them, so you should not need a separate tank until you want to grow out the babies on thier own.

Have a look at the pet store to see what gravels they have, and make sure its not just some cheap stuff where the color will 'flake' off the rocks. I get all my substrate from local rivers so i dont know what is out there in the way of brand names and stuff.

These fish really should have some hiding places to make them feel secure. Maybe find some black or dark rocks to make a cave structure (make sure its really secure) if you want dark colors.

With these fish i mentioned it would be okay to add a couple small catfish such as cories, a little algae eater, and some top-dwelling dither fish such as tetras or danios.

You can use fake plants thats fine, they will provide some cover to make the fish feel secure. I prefer live plants, but you can find some nice-looking fake ones. If you want to try your hand at plants try Java Fern, its really easy, low light, and grows like a weed.

Wood is not essential but they like it... i would add some if you can, if not then rocks and plants will be good enough for cover. Remember part of the reason you are adding lots of hiding places is because cichlids can be aggressive, and will sometimes chase each other. Its good to provide them with places to hide or you might end up with a beat up or even dead fish.

For what you are looking for i would say German Blue Rams would be the best, however they are pretty sensitive to water conditions so you need to keep up with water changes. Finding good stock is essential as well.
Here's a picture:
http://www.timstropicals.com/Inventory/Dwarf/RamBlue.jpg

HTH
-Diana

[judgemax]

hey thanks for the advice I am heading to the lfs today to investigate i have to lfs that i frequent and i am sure i can find something for substrate that would work out ok ..all of my original gravel from my fresh is river as well an dthe only time i ever used the store bought the color went all through the tank ..i really like the look of the german blue rams and am getting really excited can't wait to bring then home lol ..so of to the fish store i go thanks again for being so patient with my never ending questions ..