Jewel Cichlids

[happytreestump]

I have an unused 10 gallon tank right now and was reasearched online about the jewel cichlid which apparently grow to about 4-5 inches. I always used the one inch per gallon rule for my ten gallon tanks, and thought about getting a (breeding possibly?) pair. Along with a pair of jewels, maybe a pleco too? Altogether, this would seemingly allow the about 10 inch rule, plus of course the pleco. Pictures at least of the jewels seem promising. Any comments on jewels and specific needs of this fish- I already know about the no live plants for them so..... umm yea.... respond if you know about jewels and tell about past experiences....

 

[mariners]

Ok first of all, the inch per gallon rule, i would avoid that like the plague when it comes to cichlids, it can get you more trouble that you thought. Cichlids aren't like any other fish i've ever kept, they are a lot smarter and require a lot more room because of it. also with the pleco i'm not too sure, i've had bad experiences with cichlids and plecos in a bigger tank than a 10. So i would say no to this setup, you imagine a fish getting 4/5 inches long, how long is the 10 gallon? it's not going to be able to swim from side to side much. However we'll see what others think.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

With cichlids, don't use the 1in per gallon rule. That cuts out the cichlid territory, and just counts the body size.

It is possible to have a pair of jewels in a 10gal, but not reccommended. I've bred convicts in a 10gal before, so it is possible.

All in all i'd shoot for at least a 20gal for 2 jewels and no pleco unless its a dwarf pleco.

 

[SeaMonkeyMiner]

Ive tried that exact same setup with two jewels and a pleco in ten gallon. Bad times. First off Jewels are very aggresive and hate other fish(just my experence). I didnt really want to breed them but i got two. One was a little smaller. We'll get to that later but first the pleco. I purchased a 3in rubberlipped pleco to go with them seeing that a common pleco would soon out grow a ten gallon very quickly. The second day in the tank i noticed half of his fins had been torn. so i moved him to my 55g. Also plecos are a little over rated in my books I love them dont get me wrong but my tanks never get green algea so i really dont need them i keep them just for looks. So back to the jewels a couple days later i come home and the little one is huddled in the corner with fins missing and later that night(i went to the store to get a seperater) he was dead and now im left jewel thats all by himself in my ten gallon. He looks great dont get me wrong i love his colors. But may want to rethink it a little bit learn from my mistakes so you dont have go through the same thing i did. But a single jewel in a ten gallon is nice. And with the plants ive had plants in there with him but doesnt seem to bother them. But that my just be mine.

 

[steakaphagus]

I kept Jewels a while back, and totally agree with S-M-miner....jewels can be really aggressive to any fish, including their so-called 'partner'......mine got on really well to start off with, and even spawned a couple of times, but then suddenly turned - male had mauled the female within just a few hours. Mine had live plants too, and seemed OK with them.
I'd definitely go for a larger tank with jewels, but not sure how large is large enough!

 

[wayne]

I'd go for a 30 for jewels. They really are nasty, especially when they're maturing, getting ready to breed.

 

[tiggeryoda]

I have kept Jewels, sucessfully breeding them several times in a standard 2 ft tank with live plants that flourished...before it all went pear shaped..... as they grew larger, the male mauled the female severly, at which time I ended the project.

I then tried again with a standard 3 ft and sucessfully kept them for several years.

I would recommend as large a tank as possible, particualy since they eventually grow to a fair size and in a 3 ft I managed to sucessfully raise fry in the same tank to about 2 to 3 inches in length.

They dont seem to tolerate other fish well when breeding, even a pleco, so if you put other fish in the tank, be prepared to remove them....

on the up side with a good diet including flake and frozen foods such as bloodworm they certainly live up to their name, especially when spawning, as very colourful fish.....GOOD LUCK !