Are there any cichlids that are keepable in a 15 gallon tank? I have read that rams could be kept in a tank this size, but don't really want to buy them due to the fact that they're very susceptible to disease. What about brichardi? Do they get too big or would it be possible to keep one or two in a tank this size?
Small tank cichlids?
- Thread starter vaheelsfan
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There are many cichlids that are small enough to thrive in a 15 gallon tank. Some of the smaller Rift Lake cichlids, such as Julidochromis transcriptus, Neolamprologus ocellatus, and Neolamprologus multipunctatus would do extremely well. Or, from West Africa, you could try something from the krib group.
Of course, in any smaller tank you will need to be more careful about your filtration and maintenance routines, because there is less room for error.
Let us know what you decide to do.
Of course, in any smaller tank you will need to be more careful about your filtration and maintenance routines, because there is less room for error.
Let us know what you decide to do.
I don't know scientific names, but what about kribensis (I believe previous post mentioned that) and/or convict cichlids? They stay pretty small, and aren't as aggressive as the African ones I understand.
There are other South American dwarf cichlids besides rams that would do well in a 15 gallon. Most of the apistogrammas would be fine. A good dwarf cichlid site is apistogramma.com. They have a gallery with pictures of lots of dwarf cichlids (S.A. & African) as well as a forum.
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There are a wide variety of Julidechromis, I have owned a couple before and they were my favorite fish. I've got a 75 with an assortment of cichlids. All are bigger than the Juiles. But the Julie's never took any crap from anybody, and really kept to themselves. Beautiful fish too. Easy to breed.
Just look around, you'll find something you like.
Just look around, you'll find something you like.
I just set up a 20 long and ended up going with the neo-multi's and am very pleased with my choice. I think the first thing you should consider is your water conditions. Africans are hardwater,high PH fish where fish like Rams are softwater fish. My water being about 8.3 and very hard is perfect for the shelldwellers like the multi's I got. Convicts are not too big for the tank but from what I've heard and read, would multiply way too fast for a 15. the Brichardi get to around 3" and will create a community and as long as you keep "thinning the heard" you could probably keep those. Any of the shelldwellers as mentioned by Harry would be a good choice. After asking lots of questions, searching forums and websites, I decided on the multi's because they are smaller fish, create very nice colonies and coexisist with eachother very well. On top of this, they have a very interesting lifestyle, moving sand around and positioning shells for homes. there are better looking, larger shell dwellers out there but from what I've seen and heard, they hide more than the multi's. Kribs would probably live in a 15 but you wouldn't be able to keep many young for long since they reach around 4". I really have no experience yet since my multi's have been in their new tank less than 24 hours. I get my information from talking to others and reading websites and books so I suggest you do the same as I did. www.cichlid-forum.com and www.cichlidforums.com are great websites to check out also. www.cichlid-forum.com also has a library of articles, many of which are "small tank recipes" for setups just as these. search and read all you can. If you have hardwater and high PH and want rams, you probably would need to lower them or vice versa for africans. most fish can tolerate other water conditions if acclimated properly but I'm told their lifespan will be shortened. Being rams are already fairly short lived, probably isn't a good idea. I've only had one gold ram in my hardwater and it mysteriously died after a week. Not sure what happened. Just do research like you're doing and it'll make things much more enjoyable. Kyle