Making the switch to cichlids

Rowangel

Rowangel

I like fish with tarter sauce
Jan 20, 2006
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Champaign, Illinois
Ok, I’m looking for some experienced help with cichlids. Currently I have a planted 30g tank that has been set-up for about a year, with some general community fish. I’d really like to switch it out from a community tank to a Cichlid tank, but I'm not as familiar with Cichlids as I am with other types of fish. I want to keep the 6 neon Tetras I have but everything else is going to go. So, what I’m looking for is some good stocking suggestions/combinations. I’m not picky about region, I like both the African and SA. I’m looking for maybe one nice show fish and a couple smaller ones, I do like the look of blue rams but I’m open to ideas.

Any thoughts are welcome and I’d love to hear about what you’d do. My goal is to stock it correctly the first time (which will be a first for me) and not regret any purchases. Thanks in advance for any ideas!

-Chris
 
Apistos or Rams only i'd say for that size and if you want to keep the neons...and other SAs or Africans need a bigger tank and would love the snack you're providing as a tank-warming gift...
 
A pair of Apistos or Rams would be a perfect fit for a 30 Gal! Might be able to get away with a pair of checkerboards also.

You definately want to keep with the Dward Cichlids with that size tank.

Just remember to research all options to see which you like the best and once you decide, get them from a reputable location/breeder.
 
It's going to be tough to maintain more than one pair of dwarfs in that tank (they have pretty sizable territories for such small fish. Maybe a pair of rams (although I hate recomending them becuase they are so hard to keep) and a pair of keyhole cichlids. Or a pair of apistos and some keyholes (not rams, apistos hate rams). Apistos and angels would work as well. Just remember the key is TONS of structure. Fully 1/2 to 3/4 of the tank should be covered with rock, driftwood, plants.
 
Ok, I am seriously loving the look of apistos. I did some poking around online and at first glance they seem to be along the lines of what I was looking for. I do love the rams, but I think if I had to choose I’d defiantly go the apisto route. Both the checkerboards and keyholes are appealing to me as well. Of course, like anyone, I’d love to put as many fish as possible in this tank, but I’d rather do it right. Do you think I could safely fit a pair of Apistos, Keyholes and possibly one other pair, like checkerboards, in as long as I keep the tank planted and with lots of hiding spots?
 
No way. The only reason you MIGHT be able to fit keyholes is that they're body shape doen't seem to elicit the same violent response from apistos that other dwarfs (checkboard, ram) do. I should also add that I've only been keeping a pair of apistos with keyholes for a short time and right now the tank is set up as a temporary holding tank. I removed all caves to try and limit territorial markers for the apistos, and there are also six keyholes in this tank. The lack of conflict might be a result of controled overcrowding (too many targets). We'll see what happens when everybody goes into the 55g heavily planted in another month. I think it will be fine with a 48in tank, but I'm really not sure how well it will work in your 30g. Make sure you let us know.

The one combo I will vouch for is apistos and angels (don't forget they're a cichlid too). whatever you do, put the apistos in LAST, make the only "cave" area at the far end of the tank, and put some sort of visual screen (high plants) in the middle to break the apistos "line of sight"

If you stock 3-4 young angels, a male cacatuoides and three to four females, plus a big school of neons your tank will look full and awesome. You will see alot of interesting interactions between the females. Especially if they spawn at the same time.
 
Wouldn't the neons become lunch for the angels?

Thought they were predators..
 
Won’t angels get too big for my 30g? It sounds like Apistos aren’t fond of other tank mates. I have read a few positive things about gephyra and nijsseni being kept with other apistos, but Maybe I should look into other Cichlids that would work better together. Would rams be more compatable with other cichlids than apistos? I was hoping to go with a three (smaller) species combination (including the tetra) but that not being reasonable, I think I could be very happy with two nice looking species with a 1 male-2 female ratio, and maybe two schools of different tetra…hum...
 
If the angels are young they may not eat the neons.

I'll qualify that and emphasis is on "MAY"

LOL

I have been raising Bolivian Rams..they are a bit hardier than the blue rams..so far I have a pair in a 20 with a couple of tiger barbs(started as a shoal of 6 ) and three oto's

I also have a pair of bolivians in a tank with keyholes and angels in a 75

you can keep more than a pair of angels in a 30 if they are young.
or if you maintian a very good wc schedule .
 
A 30g is fine for a pair of angels. If you want three smaller cichlid species give it a try. I would love to put three dwarf species in a 30g, but in that small a tank I think someone would end up being miserable. If you do, I would avoid apistos all together except for maybe borelii (small and less aggresive than other species). From the tone of your posts, it seems that you aren't quite grasping how territorial some dwarfs can be, so I just want to emphasize that. Most apistos will claim 3/4 of you 30g tank, and even the less territorial keyholes and rams will need sufficient space to display natural behaviors. That's why Im suggesting angels as the third cichlid. They don't have a problem making their territory above that of the dwarfs. Whatever you do, let us know how things develop. You may hit on a new combo of cichlids that can share a smaller tank peacefully. For the most part though shoehorning too many dwarfs into a tank just leads to beat up fish or a controled overcrowding situation like what you see at LFS where no fish can establish any kind of territory. You may have a bunch of dwarfs in the same tank, but they won't display much natural behavior, and the ongoing stress from that type of housing will eventually cause illness. If you want to keep a bunch of dwarfs, get a bunch of 10g tank.

Last thing, keep in mind that aggresion toward other cichids in a tank is variable from fish to fish, even within a species. Your best chance will be to get all the fish as small as possible (like from private breeders that will sell you fish that have not reached sexual maturity). That way they have time to work out an "arrangement" before anybody gets serious about protecting a territory. Good Luck.
 
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