Best Types of Cichlid for 20g

M

mtiller

wolf-pac
Jun 29, 2005
394
0
0
Georgia, United States
what are the best types of cichlids commonly available that you may know about? i'm looking to stock my 20g. i was considering two convict cichlids and either an electric yellow cichlid (i think that's the name) or this white cichlid (dono the name :P), and also what tankmates can cichlids have?
 
a twenty gallon tank severely limits both the kind of cichlids you can have and the number.

to begin with, a pair of convicts will fill a twenty gallon tank .. that means NO tankmates.

next, don't mix african cichlids (electric yellow - Labidochromis caeruleus) with central american species (convicts).

a twenty gallon tank is too small for almost ALL African cichlids save for the "shell dwellers" such as Neolamprologus brevis.

don't buy ANY cichlid you don't know the name of and have thoroughly researched prior to purchase. a "white cichlid" that you don't know the name of could turn out to be a 16 inch monster that you'll kill in short order in such a small tank.

test your tap water for gh, kh and pH and consider cichlid species that prefer your water chemistry. for example, if your tap water is hard and alkaline, the african shell dwellers are a good choice. on the other hand, if your water is soft and relatively soft (mineral free ... low TDS), than Apistogramma would be an ideal cichlid for you.

other reasonable options for a twenty gallon tank: Pelvicachromis pulcher, Taenicara candidi, Tateurndina ocellicauda
 
oooh ok, that i didn't know. well i'll probably get a pair of convicts then. i'm going to thoroughly research convicts before i actually go and buy a pair. oh and also, how would you sex them?
 
females of quality convicts in good condition have a significant amount of orange on their ventral portion .. i.e, belly and lower sides. males do not. note that simply choosing a male and female convict cichlid won't guarantee a successful pairing. Sometimes if the female or male is smaller or weaker than the larger convict cichlid, the larger fish will attack the inferior fish and may end up killing it.

convict2_jc.gif
 
CaptnDan said:
As a side note to this, with a pair of Convicts, have a plan for what to do with fry. They're actually very good parents. Watching them care for their offspring is a real treat.

They will treat you to this spectacle quite frequently. I think they're part rabbit.
Click to expand...
oh yea... they are like the rabbits or mice of the fish world i swear
and they are even worse than livebearers because most of their fry survive because mom and dad dont ususally have them for dinner.
 
Last edited:
what about yellow convicts? or Pseudotropheus demasoni?
Click to expand...
there are no 'yellow' convicts ... you probably mean yellow Labidochromis? a twenty gallon tank is far too small for either of these species. they're both rock dwellers, and by the time you add the necessary rockwork to the tank, there'll be no room left for fish.
 
i know that the labs are too large, but just to clear that up http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/308.htm is where i read about "yellow convicts" and this is the lab profile http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/520.htm if i'm annoying anyone i do apologize for it. i'm just moving in to cichlids. never had any experience, thus i'm asking questions. and the Pseudotropheus demasoni profile http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/418.htm i thought a fish of around 3 inches would be ok in my tank, but i may be wrong. fishcatch22 suggested getting a pair of apistos. i'd love to if i could find them locally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom