Whats an easy to care for cichlid? [Archive]

cuticom

12-08-2006, 5:38 AM

Rbishop

12-08-2006, 5:51 AM

http://www.cichlidforum.com/

http://www.cichlid.org/

http://malawicichlids.com/index.htm

http://www.cichlidlovers.com/

cuticom

12-08-2006, 6:01 AM

which would be one of the easiest to acre for though? are they all fairly easy to acre for?

fish_freak

12-08-2006, 8:42 AM

Cichlids are all realativly hardy fish that require the same care and water maintence as most tropical community fish. African cichlids that ones that look like salt water fish and will benefit from the addtion of rift lake water conditioners that make your water simulate the hard alkaline water they come from but its not something you have to add.

johnlarson66

12-08-2006, 10:02 AM

I would start off with yellow labs. They seem to be the hardest and most well tempered. They are also widely available.

Many people think my tank is saltwater because of the colors that the african fish have.

I also have items in my tank to keep the PH up. I have shells, coral, and the dreaded crushed coral mixed in my gravel. I would suggest having plenty of rocks so they can hide and a few fake plants. They are very territorial and like to have thier own space.

I add aquarium salt, but after coming here I am not sure if that is needed. I was told at a LFS to do it, so I did. I have not added it to my latest tank.

If doing a small tank, I think 2 yellow labs would look great. I think there are other ones that do not get as big, but I think yellow labs are great starter fish.

I will say that once you get into africans, you will most likely want a larger tank. They are fun fish to have.

Star_Rider

12-08-2006, 12:09 PM

if you are considering a 50L tank is apprx 13 gallons the 60 l is about 15 gallons.
check your water..that may also help determine which way to go with cichlids.
recommend dwarf species with thos tanks.

ie soft/acidic water go with species that thrive in soft/acidic water

hard/base water you can go with the speices that thrive in hard water.

JulieC

12-08-2006, 12:21 PM

The key thing to remember with African cichlids is that they need clean water. It is so important that you clean the tank using a gravel vacuum at least once a week. If they don't get clean water, it can lead to diseases like popeye which can be hard to treat if you don't maintain good water quality. The water test kit is your best friend with these guys.

Another key thing to remember with Africans is that they are very territorial. They are the kind of fish that you have to overcrowd to reduce aggression over territory. Yellow labs are some of the less aggressive Africans, but they are still Africans and can't help but be territorial. Provide lots of caves, plants, rocks, and other hiding places so that the subordinate fish have some place to hide from the dominant fish.

I'm not sure how large 40-50 litres is, but I recommend no smaller than a 30 gallon tank for more than one African. Also, if you only have 2, then the dominant fish will pick on the other until it is dead (that's how Africans are). The recommended ratio is 1 male to 3-4 females. That would require (in my opinion) at least 30 gallons of tank.

There's a lot of research that goes into this, but once that's done the fun can begin. Just make sure you do your research on the fish you are interested in before you buy them. I guantee that your fish keeping experience will be better if you do the research in the beginning.

Good luck. Looks like you're off to a good start!

JulieC

12-08-2006, 12:23 PM

I forgot to recommend a fish in my last thread!

I'd say go with a shell dwelling species of African cichlid. They're small and they are very prolific. Parents and older generations of fry will raise the younger generations, in some species. They tend to do better in smaller tanks, as well.

Squawkbert

12-08-2006, 1:41 PM

For a med/sm tank, I'd go w/ a Firemouth. Tough, small, lots of personality, pretty.

Star_Rider

12-08-2006, 1:52 PM

My mum is under a delusion that cichlids are salt water fish and incredibly hard to care for. I'm attempting to change that LOL.

So what cichlid is an easy to care for fish that dosnt need an overly large tank, say a tank about 40-50 litres, that dosnt need extra water additives besides the usual filter and heater?

And could I have some websites about the fish?

thanks ever so
Emma
tell mum..angelfish, discus are both cichlids.(I wouldn't recommend either of these for the tank you are considering)

there are a lot of species you can consider but..I would recommend getting the largest tank you can and get a test kit..test pH (will help determine whichfish you can get)
ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

you can do a fishless cycle and while the tank is cycling..you can start looking for cichlids you can keep.

fell free to post your results and ask for suggestions.

Cory Lover

12-08-2006, 2:06 PM

For a med/sm tank, I'd go w/ a Firemouth. Tough, small, lots of personality, pretty.

Hi,

Aren't Firemouth to big for a 13 or 15 gallon?

I would get some South American Dwarf Cichlids. For a 15 gallon tank, you could go with a Ram, Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid, Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid, and some other S. A. Dwarf Cichlids.

Cory Lover

grannylvsfish

12-10-2006, 7:28 PM

if I was to have nothing but fire mouths, how many to 29 gallon tank? I have pots and such in my tank, can I have like 5 fire mouths, seems like a waste of a big tank to have just 2 fire mouths in it.
question 2. if I have 1 fire mouth, could I add several different cichlids ? or should I stick to just the one breed. ? and what is the best fish to get to go with a lone fire mouth?? . thanks.

jm1212

12-10-2006, 7:33 PM

a 29 gallon will hold no more than two- there is no way five would fit. you will still have room for a school of larger tetras like balck skirts or red eyes.

if you only have one firemouth, you could have an angel or a convict, but rams will get bullied, and anything bigger than an angel is to big for your tank.

cuticom

12-10-2006, 10:09 PM

Well we ended up buying an 80 L tank. We will be getting a rainbow shark to go in it as well. Would any of thsoe cichlids live with a rainbow shark?

fishlips

12-13-2006, 1:42 PM

Here's the deal, Don't bother with South American fish. Most of your africans and Central Amercian cichlids are robust fish and you should have not much of a problem.

That said I say go for a female (orange spot on belly) convict and get a male convict too. Don't put any thing else in the tank or it will be killed!

Let them spawn and have fun with them!!! Watch how they take care of the young etc. They may eat the first couple spans but will get it right. Feed the fry to other large fish or give them away to others as fish food. You'll be hooked to cichlids for life!

A perfect newbie cichlid setup. Don't worry about them outgrowing the tank. The male will kill the female at some point in time and you'll be left with the male to grow fat.

Convicts are very easy to care for.

johnlarson66

12-13-2006, 4:15 PM

I always thought Convicts were South American.

Convicts are fun and hardy. I do not know about using the fry for food.

cuticom

12-13-2006, 7:18 PM

Star_Rider

12-13-2006, 9:21 PM

Um no offence but i wnat a PET, not something that will go and kill other things. Or something that will just be killed when its mate grows bigger. I cant see how anyone can say things like that, all animals should ahve an equal chance at life, if you know they are gonna kill each other, you shouldn't house them together. Feed babies to another fish? no thanks, I'm a vegetarain, can you really see me feeding helpless fish to another one becaue I dont know what else to do with it?

It's like saying you can house a python and a lapdog together, sure one will kill the other, but it'll be interesting.

Sorry but that just really annoys me

actually your example is not quite the same.

it is natural for fish to eat their own kind especially the babies. it is a built in mechanism that helps control the population.

in reality the fish do have an equal chance it's just that some have a better chance.

in the real world many of the species compete for space. cihlids eat small fish . a defense mechanism in some small fish is to school. the schooling distracts the predator so they have difficulty targeting single fish.
they also have large spawns.

Many folks see the fish as pets and others see them as food.

cuticom

12-13-2006, 11:01 PM

johnlarson66

12-13-2006, 11:14 PM

My guess is that if the shark had fry, they would eat them too.

Big fish eat little fish. I think that is true for most of them.

Convicts are great, but your tank is too small.

I think a few yellow labs would be great for you, nice bright color and active.

Maybe agresive fish are not your liking. Either way, cichlids are not saltwater fish and for the most part, not that hard to care for.

fballguy

12-13-2006, 11:59 PM

Don't worry about them outgrowing the tank. The male will kill the female at some point in time and you'll be left with the male to grow fat.

I think this is what cuticom is talking about. He is saying that you don't have to worry about overstocking a tank because the fish will kill eachother and the tank won't be overstocked anymore. As far as fish eating fry, that's fine with me, I feed fry to my fish all the time. But you should never overstock a tank just because you know 1 fish is going to die anyway.

cuticom

12-14-2006, 12:04 AM

I dont agree with the feeding of any live animals. It's juts my opinion, I cant bring myself to eat meat. I'm happto feed freezedried foods etc,as i acn distance myself from that but live fry?

I think I'll definately stick with the rainbow shark

Emma

Miguel

12-14-2006, 12:05 AM

Am I wrong or did you say that your tank was 80 liters?

cuticom

12-14-2006, 12:27 AM

Yes, before you say it's too small for a rainbow shark, I do know that. Am saving up for a three-four foot tank for when it's bigger

Miguel

12-14-2006, 9:17 AM

Why not wait until you get the bigger tank and then start looking for cichlids that would work with the space you will eventually have. It would open up more options and could cause less agression in the tank.

bblboy54

12-16-2006, 6:10 PM

To me the example is the same. I understand that in the WILD that is what fish do. Fish kept in tanks are captive bred, and are bought and cared for as pets,

Anyways, thats definately put me off cichlids, i think I'll just stick with the shark

Quite honestly, the entire idea of an aquarium is to recreate the beauty and excitement that lives in our waters and this means bringing what is inate nature into your tank. Any fish you get will benefit from some type of live food.... small tetras may not be eating guppies or minnows but if you feed them brine shrimp, they will thrive more than a diet of just flakes.

Believe me, nothing infurates me more than people that have a lack of care for fish and torture their fish -- including the flushing of a life fish. However, feeding a bigger fish feeders is giving your pet part of what they were born to do. What is a natural thing in the food chain is something totally different than having your fish live in horrible water conditions or flushing them live, etc, etc. Even most of your flake foods are made from seafood.

Just adding my two cents. I don't mean to disrespect you in any way but I sometimes feel that if you aren't giving your fish live foods every now and then, you are depriving them.

fish_chic

12-17-2006, 10:18 AM

why dont you get a pair of kribensis a male and a female. they get to be about 3 to 4 inchs and they are rather hardy and aren't too sensitive to water conditions (but doesnt' mean that they can be neglected from wcs and such). they are very beautiful fish and breeding is easy and they are great parents too, so separating the parents from the fry is not necessary. they are a great cichlid to begin with.

cuticom

12-17-2006, 6:21 PM

Nah, I think I'll just stay with the shark and get some gouramis or something. Unless cichlids dont have to be in pairs, I do not want to breed any fish, no matter how easy it is, I'd still be left with way to many fish and nowhere to keep them, as i refuse to feed baby fish to other fish.

KingOfTheDeep

12-19-2006, 7:45 AM

they dont have to be in pairs, you can just get females of whatever SMALLER species

i have NEVER in all my fishkeeping years (12 years) had a male convict kill the female, in fact, mine stayed together until they got old and died

i have had 8 pairs since then, and not once have any of the males killed, or harmed the female...just my 2 cents

not saying it wont happen..but IMO its rare

now back to the subject

you can house 2-3 of the smaller cichlid species in there

like rams, or keyholes, or you could go with a festivum, and kribensis

there are lots of other options besides cichlids also..

JulieC

12-20-2006, 5:19 PM

I think that part of the problem here is that some extreme views about fish keeping have changed your mind. I don't take the same views as some of the other people that posted here do. Here's my take on things...

Just a couple of things that I want to address:
Not all cichlids are so aggressive that they kill off their tankmates. Your shark, however, is.

You don't have to feed cichlids live foods, but don't feed freeze dried as it can cause them (fish in general, not just cichlids) to get constipated. Feed them frozen and it is almost as good.

There is a wide variety of cichlids that you can go with. Take a look at my 2nd post on the first page. Shell dwelling africans don't have to be in breeding pairs. Neither do rams or dwarf cichlids. Keyhole cichlids tend to be a little bit shy, but stay small.

Do not get a festivum as they need about twice as much space as you have.

coupedefleur

12-21-2006, 7:32 AM

Keyholes are sweet fish, but they're not very colorful. Their markings do change according to their moods, so that makes them very interesting to watch.

For a 10 to 15 gallon (4 litres = about one gallon) tank, an excellent choice would be Nanacara anomala. It is very easy to tell the sexes apart, they are nice-looking, and relatively peaceful. Mom is very protective of her fry.

http://www.biotop.be/modules/upload/upload/!photos/!aquariophilie/nanacara.JPG

http://www.zierfischclubbremen.de/Kopie%20von%20nanacara-anomala.jpg