1st time w/cichlids

M

mpx

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Dec 31, 2002
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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.
 
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?
 
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

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

fw0014.jpg

Bolivian Ram
fw0003.jpg

Firemouth
fish2u_1734_585330

German Blue Ram
Blue%20Cobalt6.jpg

Blue Cobalt Discus
lcaeruleus.jpg

Electric Yellow Haps
 
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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
 
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