checkerboard cichlid?

fishcatch22

fishcatch22

The Picotoper
Jun 13, 2006
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Morris, Illinois
I saw the neatest little juvi checkerboard cichlid at my LFS and I fell in love with him. I don't know much about them, so...
can I keep one in my 10G? I know they only get to be 2-3" as adults.
any specific care requirements? are they aggressive? would it fight with my pleco for the cave in my tank?
 
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please help me guys.
 
No. They prefer more space than what a 10 gal provides. They also require fairly pristine water conditions with negligble nitrates and no signs of poor water conditions.
 
Yes, they want very good water conditions, and on the soft and acid side of things. I would say they're harder to keep than rams.
Very nice fish, otherwise. I wouldn't get just one either.
 
well.... my tank is heavily planted and the pH stays around 6.5, nitrates on last test registered 0-5.

so... it's possible, but not a good idea? I was poking around on google and found a page by a man who kept a breeding pair in a 10G. I also want a challenging fish, as I feel i'm ready to start getting into the rare, sensitve fish.
 
Yes, well some 'reputable and liong-standing' betta breeders keep mating pairs in a cut-down 1-gallon milk jug or a wide-mouth 1 gallon pickle jar. (i always used a 10-gallon tank... for MANY ver good reasons!)

A breeder, no matter how 'reputable', doing something that's normally not prefered for the species doesn't make it good fish-keeping, hon.

If you really want it, go ahead and get it, but save up for a bigger tank for when it outgrows your 10-g. That's what I'm doing with my Bichir and she's perfectly happy with the arrangement!! ^__^
 
fishcatch22 said:
well.... my tank is heavily planted and the pH stays around 6.5, nitrates on last test registered 0-5.

so... it's possible, but not a good idea? I was poking around on google and found a page by a man who kept a breeding pair in a 10G. I also want a challenging fish, as I feel i'm ready to start getting into the rare, sensitve fish.
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It would require getting rid of some of the fish you have if not all. And if I read your other threads correctly and am deciphering your signature about a worm colony, I'd say you do not have suitable water quality with the infestation of planaria.
 
rbishop said:
It would require getting rid of some of the fish you have if not all. And if I read your other threads correctly and am deciphering your signature about a worm colony, I'd say you do not have suitable water quality with the infestation of planaria.
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planaria? these are whiteworms. they live strictly in my gravel (unlike planaria) and are not in any way out of control as long as I don't overfeed, they are sort of like small white earthworms. I occasionally dig them up and feed them to my rasboras. i have no idea how they got there, probably with some fish I bought form the reef as they use them as food there.

hmmm.... well ok, just a thought. i'll just get more rasboras.

this man was not a breeder, he was a hobbist and actually got a pair by accident. I don't think they really breed them at all, most come in with shipments of cardinals from SA.
 
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coupedefleur said:
Yes, they want very good water conditions, and on the soft and acid side of things. I would say they're harder to keep than rams.
Very nice fish, otherwise. I wouldn't get just one either.
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I have 2 checkers in my 55 planted with 7.2 ph, and I do waterchanges every 3 weeks. I deffinately don't think they are harder than rams b/c the last 3 rams I've purchased have died on me withing 2 weeks and I've had these guys for close to a year.
 
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