are there any cichlids that can fit in a ten gallon? ive heard key hole cichlids would work. how about rams? and both work can they be kept together and what are some good tank mates for them in a ten gallon? thanks
cichlids in a 10 gallon
- Thread starter redwing191
- Start date
Keyholes, Rams, Kribensis, but only with each other. I would only keep a pair of one of them in a 10 gallon. Perhaps some neon tetras, or kuhli loaches.
How about shell dwellers? I would reccomend those to anyone that wants cichlids in a small tank.
I would reccomend those for more experienced aquarists, but yes theres a possiblity for those as well. 
if you have a ph at least over 7 then you can keep shellies and they are very easy. just make sure you have a sand (crushed coral should really be used) substrate and 2-5 shells/ fish.
i also like german blue rams alot.
i also like german blue rams alot.
I would make that over pH 8. Those shelldwellers are from Lake Tanganyika, and to my knowledge, the pH in the lake differs from 8.4 to 9.2. pH 7.1 or .2 would be alright for Keyholes, Rams and Kribensis.
Jimmy
you are somewhat correct, the ph is more like 8 - 9, but this doesnt mean you have to have that in your aquarium, they are extremely hardy fish and can take a very wide range of water conditions. and the truth it that almost any fish can take almost any water type if slowly acclimatized. my LFS owner bred german blue rams in ph 8.4!!
over 7 is fine for shellies although if possible higher is better.
over 7 is fine for shellies although if possible higher is better.
I totally agree! My electric blue and German blue Rams were very hardy in all ranges of water, one thing I must warn you about are males. I've had 2 different males two different times completely dominate my tank and everyone in it when they were solo. And if you end up with a breeding pair like I did both of them get more hostile, obviously, and I actually had my male on their third batch of eggs get tired of the female and beat her up, resulting in her death. Kribs are great fish as well, but make sure you have SPACE they are space hogs!!! I can not tell you enough lol
Inmy personal opinion, there are 2 cichlid species commonly available that will do well in a 10 gallon and that is neolamprologus multifasciatus or n. brevis. These are tanganyikan shell dwellers from Africa. They literally live, sleep, and breed in snail shells. They are very prolific and prefer to live in colonies. A 10 gallon can actually house about 5 adults. The multies are the world's smallest known cichlid, never reaching 2". I have a small (4) breeding group and love them.
i would not do Keyhole cichlids in a 10 gallon, they can reach 4" or so and can be aggressive. Water quality will be hard to manage and the male might kill the female in a small tank - then triple your problems if they have fry. AFAIK, Rams would be best in at least a 20g as would Kribensis but if you are adamant about WCs and have good filtration you can give it a try.
Honestly, you can get a 20-30g tank for very cheap most places, so I wouldn't do a 10g for many species at all. Only as a temporary or nursery or something like that. Even then, fry won't grow very fast in such a small tank
