Now before I get too many people tell me that a 29g is TOO SMALL for a cichlid tank (I know you we're thinking it when you saw the thread 
), let me explain. I don't really have room for anything larger (this tank is in my bedroom, and as I would of course love a 125+ gallon tank, it just isn't realistic in there). Also, my other tank is a 28g and I've become accustomed to the maintenance involved with that, and wasn't really looking to take on a second huge tank, maintenance-wise. So, me and the wife went shopping, and she initially liked an odd size 16g hex tank, but I talked her into the slightly cheaper (go figure) regular rectangle 29g. And long story short, it's now cycling in my bedroom with a couple of live plants and 2 danios. Its about 2 weeks in now, and I'm of course getting anxious to stock it!
We decided up front that we both wanted this to be a cichlid tank. The level of personality is what got us, I think; they act and swim in a way all their own. So for the last few weeks, I've been trying to figure out what to put into the tank. I’m new to cichlids, but not to fish. I enjoy doing my homework before diving in. But this is where I'm hitting a wall. She absolutely loves the colors of some of the African cichlids at the LFS (the blues, and electric yellows come to mind right now), and has a strong opposition to the SAs that are in the tanks next to them. For some reason, all of the SAs in any of the LFS that I'm visiting are all a dull drab color compared to the Africans, mostly earthtoned browns and grays. I see all of these nice photos online, so I know that colorful SAs exist, they just don't seem to be local for me.
The problem with the Africans is that most of them get too large. The Petsmart that I was looking at even labeled one with a max size of 3" (almost perfect size for me), but when I got home to do more research, turns out that particular one gets 7"! A little disheartening :headshake2: as it kills my chance at that one. If I remember correctly, that one was a Blue Acei, but don’t quote me on it.
So I can't trust the labels on the tanks at the LFS, and most places online will list the fish with a pretty high minimum tank size (and for a lot of species, I understand that they NEED the space). But I know there are options out there, and that's why I'm turning to you guys for a little advice.
Here's the ultimate goal, a small collection of fish, with a nice collection of color and impact. What can I say, the wife wants color in the tank!
A little info on the tank... it's pretty bare right now. It's a glass aquarium, with black gravel (which has a slightly smaller grain size than most aquarium gravel I've ever used, but I would still by no means consider it a "fine" substrate), with a darker natural colored river stone (slightly larger size than the gravel) mixed in. There are a couple of fake rock decorations in there, and a few lives plants with a couple more fake plants. I was iffy at first about the live plants with the cichlid's reputation for digging and tearing them up, but I figured it was still at least worth a shot. I'm getting some more plants soon, and although this won't be a heavily planted tank, I am going to try to get a good amount of greenery in there. I want to start planting now, so that when I get the fish, the plants will have at least a little time to settle in and grow a bit. Looking at some Anubias Nana (sp?), and probably some Java Fern (low light, so we'll try to start there). I've been pretty torn on the rest of the tank's setup. I want to get a couple of pieces of driftwood, or some natural stone in there, but that all depends on the fish I choose, and whether I'm looking for hard or soft water in the end.
All in all, I'm waiting to decide on the tank's future by first deciding on what fish I want to keep. I'll cater the rest of the tank to their needs, so I'm pretty open to suggestions.
As far as total stocking, I was planning on shooting low. I figured with a smaller tank size, and the aggression levels of some of these guys, that I would probably only be able to keep a few in there. I was hoping that if chosen carefully, that I might be able to see 3 or 4 in there total. This might be over or under, but that's what I was thinking.
Of course, I was hoping to get a few other fish as well, since I won't be able to keep 12 cichlids in there. Probably keeping the 2 danios in there now, and maybe even adding a couple buddies for them (but if they have to go, I have a perfect community tank they would fit right in). Perhaps a cory or two, or small pleco for some cleanup, and then maybe a few hatchets or med-large tetras for some extra action/color. But again, this all depends on what cichlids end up in there.
So far, I'm most heavily leaning towards a pair of Cockatoos. I love the vibrant color of the double or triple red males, and the yellow of the females can rival that of some Africans it seems. Of course, this is all based only on photo's I've seen, since I've never actually seen these guys in real life. If I did that, I'd probably stick with just them. Not necessarily looking to breed them, but because it sounds like their breeding time aggression could be bad if I had another 1 or 2 other cichlids swimming around. Anyways, just thinking out loud on this one.
I was also leaning towards ordering these guys online, probably from liveaquaria.com, unless you guys have other suggestions. So this opens the doors to almost any species. It seems I can't find too many Apistos locally, and with the store's proven track record of labeling the fish, I'd like to actually get what I'm looking for.
I know it's a lot of info, and a very open-ended question, but I'm just looking for suggestions. I’ve got plenty of time, and I’m just trying to come up with a game plan.
So, what are some small, 29g tank-able, somewhat peaceful, and most importantly colorful cichlids? Thanks in advance guys.
), let me explain. I don't really have room for anything larger (this tank is in my bedroom, and as I would of course love a 125+ gallon tank, it just isn't realistic in there). Also, my other tank is a 28g and I've become accustomed to the maintenance involved with that, and wasn't really looking to take on a second huge tank, maintenance-wise. So, me and the wife went shopping, and she initially liked an odd size 16g hex tank, but I talked her into the slightly cheaper (go figure) regular rectangle 29g. And long story short, it's now cycling in my bedroom with a couple of live plants and 2 danios. Its about 2 weeks in now, and I'm of course getting anxious to stock it!We decided up front that we both wanted this to be a cichlid tank. The level of personality is what got us, I think; they act and swim in a way all their own. So for the last few weeks, I've been trying to figure out what to put into the tank. I’m new to cichlids, but not to fish. I enjoy doing my homework before diving in. But this is where I'm hitting a wall. She absolutely loves the colors of some of the African cichlids at the LFS (the blues, and electric yellows come to mind right now), and has a strong opposition to the SAs that are in the tanks next to them. For some reason, all of the SAs in any of the LFS that I'm visiting are all a dull drab color compared to the Africans, mostly earthtoned browns and grays. I see all of these nice photos online, so I know that colorful SAs exist, they just don't seem to be local for me.
The problem with the Africans is that most of them get too large. The Petsmart that I was looking at even labeled one with a max size of 3" (almost perfect size for me), but when I got home to do more research, turns out that particular one gets 7"! A little disheartening :headshake2: as it kills my chance at that one. If I remember correctly, that one was a Blue Acei, but don’t quote me on it.
So I can't trust the labels on the tanks at the LFS, and most places online will list the fish with a pretty high minimum tank size (and for a lot of species, I understand that they NEED the space). But I know there are options out there, and that's why I'm turning to you guys for a little advice.
Here's the ultimate goal, a small collection of fish, with a nice collection of color and impact. What can I say, the wife wants color in the tank!
A little info on the tank... it's pretty bare right now. It's a glass aquarium, with black gravel (which has a slightly smaller grain size than most aquarium gravel I've ever used, but I would still by no means consider it a "fine" substrate), with a darker natural colored river stone (slightly larger size than the gravel) mixed in. There are a couple of fake rock decorations in there, and a few lives plants with a couple more fake plants. I was iffy at first about the live plants with the cichlid's reputation for digging and tearing them up, but I figured it was still at least worth a shot. I'm getting some more plants soon, and although this won't be a heavily planted tank, I am going to try to get a good amount of greenery in there. I want to start planting now, so that when I get the fish, the plants will have at least a little time to settle in and grow a bit. Looking at some Anubias Nana (sp?), and probably some Java Fern (low light, so we'll try to start there). I've been pretty torn on the rest of the tank's setup. I want to get a couple of pieces of driftwood, or some natural stone in there, but that all depends on the fish I choose, and whether I'm looking for hard or soft water in the end.
All in all, I'm waiting to decide on the tank's future by first deciding on what fish I want to keep. I'll cater the rest of the tank to their needs, so I'm pretty open to suggestions.
As far as total stocking, I was planning on shooting low. I figured with a smaller tank size, and the aggression levels of some of these guys, that I would probably only be able to keep a few in there. I was hoping that if chosen carefully, that I might be able to see 3 or 4 in there total. This might be over or under, but that's what I was thinking.
Of course, I was hoping to get a few other fish as well, since I won't be able to keep 12 cichlids in there. Probably keeping the 2 danios in there now, and maybe even adding a couple buddies for them (but if they have to go, I have a perfect community tank they would fit right in). Perhaps a cory or two, or small pleco for some cleanup, and then maybe a few hatchets or med-large tetras for some extra action/color. But again, this all depends on what cichlids end up in there.
So far, I'm most heavily leaning towards a pair of Cockatoos. I love the vibrant color of the double or triple red males, and the yellow of the females can rival that of some Africans it seems. Of course, this is all based only on photo's I've seen, since I've never actually seen these guys in real life. If I did that, I'd probably stick with just them. Not necessarily looking to breed them, but because it sounds like their breeding time aggression could be bad if I had another 1 or 2 other cichlids swimming around. Anyways, just thinking out loud on this one.
I was also leaning towards ordering these guys online, probably from liveaquaria.com, unless you guys have other suggestions. So this opens the doors to almost any species. It seems I can't find too many Apistos locally, and with the store's proven track record of labeling the fish, I'd like to actually get what I'm looking for.
I know it's a lot of info, and a very open-ended question, but I'm just looking for suggestions. I’ve got plenty of time, and I’m just trying to come up with a game plan.
So, what are some small, 29g tank-able, somewhat peaceful, and most importantly colorful cichlids? Thanks in advance guys.
