making a 30 gallon african cichlid tank

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freddieclowncat

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May 10, 2012
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Well I saw a 100 gallon african cichlid tank at a local pet store and it was amazing, so colorful and when you came to the glass the cichlids interact with you. So I wanted to make one.I can't have a tank larger than 30 gallons because of all the space taken up by my other tanks. What fish can you think of that can fit because all of the ones I researched need 50 and more( except kribenses but I want rift lake cichlids).

The main criteria are:
1. fit in the tank( of coarse)
2. interactiveness( the second most important)
3. color( preferable bold yellow, bright red, or dark blue)
 

Pittbull

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Apr 14, 2007
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Not too many options for Mbuna and a 30gal but what comes to my mind is Sualosi they are considered to be Dwarf Mbuna African cichlids and the best part is that the females are yellow and the males are blue with black barred stripes really nice looking and should breed for you, also they will great you at the top of the tank to beg for food.. Start out with 6 Juveniles but an ideal stock should be 1 male and 4 females..
 

freddieclowncat

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May 10, 2012
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I found a list of dwarf mbuna on a website
Cynotilapia afra
Labidochromis caeruleus
Labidochromis chisumulae
Pseudotropheus demasoni
Labidochromis exasperates
Labidochromis sp. Hongi
Placidochromis sp.
Pseudotropheus daktari
Pseudotropheus msobo
Pseudotropheus polit
Pseudotropheus socolofi

How many and which of these can I have in my tank?
 

Pittbull

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Only 6 will do for such a small setup, i would pick one group and stick with them, the Afra's are a cool fish but most of those other fish get a little bigger than the Dwarf size..
 

stormywendyann

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Apr 21, 2012
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Pseudotropheus demasoni
I have two of these in my 60 gallon. They are awesome. They start out as spotted black and white cute little fish and mature into blue headed fish. It is quite an interesting transformation. Mine are just starting to turn no. I have a 60 gallon long and have about 20 dwarf cichlids in it. If your tank is long, you might be able to fit in 8-9, but the cichlids all swim the length of the tank not the height.

Make sure you put in tons of rock hiding spots. I stacked rocks to mimic a reef. Every fish has a differant crevice to hide in.
Plants are a waste of time because they eat them. I tie a group of lettuce together, weigh it down and feed it to the cichlids everry few days. They love. it.
A lot of small gravel on the bottom as they love to dig, especially under rocks to make a hiding spot.

Hope this helps a little.
 

freddieclowncat

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May 10, 2012
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I am still trying to decide what to do

15-35 gallon clownfish breeding tank
30 gallon african cichlid tank
or a 40-50 gallon oscar tank with a small tank for breeding feeder cichlids as a snack

right now I am just gathering info on all to decide which I want any more info you can give on any would be helpful
 

blue2fyre

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Pseudotropheus demasoni
I have two of these in my 60 gallon. They are awesome. They start out as spotted black and white cute little fish and mature into blue headed fish. It is quite an interesting transformation. Mine are just starting to turn no. I have a 60 gallon long and have about 20 dwarf cichlids in it. If your tank is long, you might be able to fit in 8-9, but the cichlids all swim the length of the tank not the height.

Make sure you put in tons of rock hiding spots. I stacked rocks to mimic a reef. Every fish has a differant crevice to hide in.
Plants are a waste of time because they eat them. I tie a group of lettuce together, weigh it down and feed it to the cichlids everry few days. They love. it.
A lot of small gravel on the bottom as they love to dig, especially under rocks to make a hiding spot.

Hope this helps a little.

Those are tropheus not demansoni.

Demasoni
art_p_demasoni_01.jpg
Tropheus duboisi
tropheus_duboisi_maswa_2.jpg

Demasoni are really aggressive but very nice looking. They need to be in groups of 12+ or they kill each other down to 1.


The best dwarf mbuna for that size tank are pseudotropheus saulosi. Males are black and blue while females are bright yellow. It makes a nice species tank.

art_p_demasoni_01.jpg tropheus_duboisi_maswa_2.jpg
 

freddieclowncat

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May 10, 2012
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couple quick questions not related to african cichlids
what is the minnimum tank size for a solo oscar( feeding every 2-3 days), the minnimum tank size for red devil and green terror( feeding every 1-2 days), minnimum tank size for solo red devil( feeding every 1-3 days), or minnimum tank size for a jack dempsey with a green terror (feeding every 1-2 days)?
 

fshfanatic

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Apr 7, 2006
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couple quick questions not related to african cichlids
what is the minnimum tank size for a solo oscar( feeding every 2-3 days), the minnimum tank size for red devil and green terror( feeding every 1-2 days), minnimum tank size for solo red devil( feeding every 1-3 days), or minnimum tank size for a jack dempsey with a green terror (feeding every 1-2 days)?
You should probably start your own thread and ask these questions instead of highjacking this thread for something not even remotely related.
 
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