tank size

[sarahp]

I have an empty 70l (approx 15 imperial gallon) tank and would like to know if this would be big enough for a few cichlids. I have read that you can buy dwarf fish. If it was big enough what sort of fish and decor would be best?

 

[Lotus]

That's about 18.5g ... there is a difference between UK and US gallons

 

[Cichlidian]

Tank length is more important than size

More important in cichlids is tank length rather than capacity. Persume urs may b around 2.5 feet long.
If u r planning for african cichlids Blue Mbuna, Auratus & Electric Yellow will do good. U can place 8-10 juv.specimens 2" each.
If u r panning for american cichlids u can hold only 1 pair. Convicts would do good. Dont go for giants like oscars or midas who can possibly outgrow ur tank.
If u wanna know more on tank setup & other cichlid related topics i would welcome ur response in mail. I've set up serveral cichlid tanks & luv 2 learn & share about cichlids & their fascinating behaviour

 

[bobrob]

If its a long tank go with african dwarf cichlids. Others can tell you more than me.

 

[sarahp]

unfortunatly my tank is 24"L x 15" H x 12"W doesn't look good for cichlids!

 

[bobrob]

Actually I think 24 inches would be fine for a dwarf cichlid tank. You could try africans or get a piar of rams. Soulfish or cichlidman could tell you more about it than I can. psst just between us theyre a little crazy about em

 

[bobrob]

Sorry for the couble post but I forgot to tell you to not tell them I said that . He He they wont know anything.

 

[sarahp]

what i don't want though is to have to buy 5 or 6 little ones then have to get rid of some when the tank is too full. I get very attached to my fish!!!!!!!!

 

[Cichlidian]

try convicts

If u dont wanna get many african dwarfs u can try with a pair of convicts. They will also breed if u provide them wth their natural environment.
U can really enjoy the parental care they provide.

 

[TaffyFish]

Sarah, I would suggest you look up Tanganyikan shell-dwellers, neolamprologus multifasciatus (multis), neol. ocellatus or neol. brevis. These guys are fantastic to watch, you'll be an addict in no time.

Choose one of the above species, you can start off with 1m and 2f, which will need 6+ shells with an inch wide opening, sand or crushed coral substrate and a few rocks/cobbles at the back. Also see if you can get a synodontis petricola, they're beautiful and stay real small.

Read up on setting up a shell-dweller tank at the cichlidrecipe.com or lake-cichlid.co.uk

 

[MrMup04]

you can put a couple of juvi convicts in the tank, but thats all i can say

don't wanna make da same mistake as i did wen i didn't know about fish yrs ago

 

[Managuense]

there are really a lot of cichlids you could do.

the multies, brevis, ocellatus are all pretty cool little shellies

convicts are cool..

you could do a pair of julies like ornatus, transcriptus, etc.

do you want color, behvavior, etc. ??

the tanganyikan shellies and such are not particulary colorful but more than make up for it in behavior-- so it is up to you in the end.
M

 

[SoulFish]

Shelldwellers would be good as said above, also dwarf cichlids would be great such as rams, apistograms, or other dwarfs, i would suggest doing research on dwarf cichlids and deciding which you like most

although i do disagree with

If u r planning for african cichlids Blue Mbuna, Auratus & Electric Yellow will do good. U can place 8-10 juv.specimens 2" each.

None of these fish could go in anything under a 30 gal, most nothing under a 55gal