1st time w/cichlids

[mpx]

I've got 37 gal high & gonna give all my fishes away to a friend & want to do a cichlid tank.

I'd like very vibrant colored fishes, especially blue.

I'd also like them to stay small, maybe 5 inches biggest, preferably around 3 inches.

How many could i get & whut to put in tank? Just rocks? Whut kind?

whut else can i keep w/them like bottom dwelling fishes? I was thinking a couple dojo loaches or eels.

was gonna try SW instead but the costs are just too much for a starving college student.

[andruboz]

i'm not so much into africans so,
dwarf cichlids might be a good option.
sounds like rams [german blue] or various kinds of apistogrammas or a curviceps.

could do a convict but if you have a pair, they get too mean when breeding.

a fire mouth also very cool lookin but also on the mean side.
they max out at 6".

dont know of any eel that would stay small enuff for a 37. most also seem to like brackish water. the loach is a better option or maybe a ropefish if you have a cover on the tank that wont allow it to escape. [notorious for that]

what fishes are you giving away?

[firetank]

hey there mpx...:)

i depends really on your water qualities -- if your water is hard and has high ph, matbe a little colony of shell-dwellers or some such, not exactly sure...

if you are around soft-neutral, how about a pair\trio of medium sized ciclhids like Keyholes, Laetacara sp., Bolivian Rams.....

You could even go for something a bit different - how about the dwarf pike Crenicichla Regani (http://www.cichlidae.info/gallery/Crenicichla/default.html)

http://www.fishbreeding.dk/grafik/cregfem.jpg

[firetank]

OOoops androbuz - we posted same time!!

ps -- instead of the eels, how about 3\4 kuhlie loaches instead???
with maybe 5\6 hatchet fish for top layer???

dont dojo loaches prefer a lower temperature??



:D

[JimG]

How about kribs (Pelvicachromis pulcher)?

[mpx]

How about one flowerhorn? My parents found one that looks really nice & want me to get it.

Would that be ok or is my tank too small?

oh, i've kept a dojo loach before when the temp in house got into 90's. He was perfectly fine.

I read peacock eels grow 1 ft. max.

[Tightdog1]

if u want a flowerhorn i would say at least 55g and maybe 75g cause they are very aggressive and normally can only be solitary fish.

what are your tap water parameters? pH? hardness?

[GEV83]

Some of these were mention granted some may look better in other pics so this is just a ruff outline color intensity does vary.

http://freshaquarium.about.com./library/graphics/fw0014.jpg
Bolivian Ram
http://freshaquarium.about.com./library/graphics/fw0003.jpg
Firemouth
http://store1.yimg.com/I/fish2u_1734_585330
German Blue Ram
http://www.adiscusdream.com/gallery/solid/480x360/Blue%20Cobalt6.jpg
Blue Cobalt Discus
http://www.aquariacentral.com/pictures/lcaeruleus.jpg
Electric Yellow Haps

[Molino]

You could consider Electric Yellows. They are more peaceful than most african cichlids and according to the profile (http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0372&view_records=1) max out at 4 inches.

[JSchmidt]

Yellow labs wouldn't be the best choice in a 37 high, because they are rock dwellers and prefer a tank with a larger footprint. They'd hide in the bottom all the time, and you'd have a tank with most of the upper reaches looking quite empty. You could probably only keep a trio of yellow labs in a tank of that size.

Have you considered angelfish? You could keep a trio in that tank, along with some tetras...

Jim

[mpx]

Yeah, i'd like Discus, but read they are tougher to keep than most other fishes.

I've already got Angels right now. I want to get rid of them.

I think i might just do cardinals w/neon gouramis. That would be a very colorful tank.

Or how about 1 bgk? Then when it gets to big I can trade 'em in.

I was also thinking of getting a bichir & doing same when it gets too big. These two fishes have got to be the coolest fishes i've ever seen.

[Molino]

JSchmidt: Yellow labs wouldn't be the best choice in a 37 high, because they are rock dwellers and prefer a tank with a larger footprint. They'd hide in the bottom all the time, and you'd have a tank with most of the upper reaches looking quite empty.

Very good point. I stand corrected.