Thinking of trying cichlids

M

missourigrl

AC Members
Jul 16, 2006
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I posted this on the newbie board before I saw this forum. :duh:
A few years ago I had a 37 gallon freshwater tank set up with some Gouramis and it did quite well. I haven't had it set up since we moved 3 years ago and I'm thinking about setting it back up again. I would like a small variety of fish that are easy to take care of. I was thinking of trying cichlids. Any recommendations on which ones?
Has anyone ever ordered online? If so, where? Is this a safe way of purchasing fish (i.e. is it harmful to them)? The reason I am inquiring is because I live in a small town with one small pet store. The nearest big town is about 2 hours away.
How many cichlids could I put in my 37 gallon?

Thanks.
 
missourigrl said:
I posted this on the newbie board before I saw this forum. :duh:
A few years ago I had a 37 gallon freshwater tank set up with some Gouramis and it did quite well. I haven't had it set up since we moved 3 years ago and I'm thinking about setting it back up again. I would like a small variety of fish that are easy to take care of. I was thinking of trying cichlids. Any recommendations on which ones?
Has anyone ever ordered online? If so, where? Is this a safe way of purchasing fish (i.e. is it harmful to them)? The reason I am inquiring is because I live in a small town with one small pet store. The nearest big town is about 2 hours away.
How many cichlids could I put in my 37 gallon?

Thanks.
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I would get probably get African cichlids. There small and easy to take care of. No but know any place where you order fish. Maybe try eBay or something like that, or go to craigslist.com, you might be able to find something there. Welcome to forum. :hi:
 
Thank you.

One more question...how difficult is it to keep blue rams? They're a beautiful fish, but I've read different things on the net about them.
 
Blue rams are supposed to be pretty sensitive to water conditions. Bolivian rams are also very pretty fish and are a little more tolerable of differing water parameters. A good setup for a 37 gallon would be a pair of rams, a school of 6 medium tetras (2-3''), 4-5 cory cats, and and ancistrus catfish. Or something similar. If you add driftwood and live (or fake) plants, they will feel right at home. You could do the same kind of community tank with regular rams too, but i would get a test kit before you buy any, and see what the water hardness is in your town.. all of the above generally prefer somewhat soft, acidic water... (ph 6-7, dH 5-12).. if you have very hard basic water,.. then you are just right for african cichlids.. check out the kribs in that case :)

gl!
 
I would get probably get African cichlids. There small and easy to take care of.
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actually, they are neither small nor easy to take care of. moreover, a 37 gallon tank is really too small for these fish. African cichlids are VERY aggressive fish and in order to keep them successfully, you should maintain a single male with 3-4 females of the same species. this dictates a group of 4-5 fish which grow to nearly 5 inches. in addition to the sexual ratio necessary to maintain a group of African cichlids, you need to understand that they are rock and cave dwellers and need a tank with LOTS of both. by the time you add sufficient rockwork to maintain that group of 5 fish, there will be precious little room for them to swim.

a 55 gallon tank is generally considered a minimum for these fish.
 
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