thinking about it...
- Thread starter mattistat
- Start date
I don't know about that. Have you given thought to some of the Lake Tanganyika shelldwellers. You can keep a nice little colony of something like Lamprologu ocllatus, L. similis or L. brevis with some small mid-top dwelling tetra, rainbow or danio to act as dithers.
A small group of blue rams, 1M:2-3 females and some tetras?
If you wanted there are many cichlids you can keep as a pair as well as other community type fish in a 30 gallon tank. You just have to look. *thumbsups
A small group of blue rams, 1M:2-3 females and some tetras?
If you wanted there are many cichlids you can keep as a pair as well as other community type fish in a 30 gallon tank. You just have to look. *thumbsups
I'm not to versed in the ways of a community tank...as i usually keep my cichlids in tanks to themselves or species tanks. However pending approval of a more qualified poster i'd say some Apistos (cockatoos) and a school of Hatchets will be fine in a 30gal. Of course the hatchets are pending, for sure you can keep apistos in a 30gal.
Like Strait said though, there are other choices. Most of the shell dwellers from Lake Tanganyika, Apistos, Rams, checkerboards, list goes on.
Like Strait said though, there are other choices. Most of the shell dwellers from Lake Tanganyika, Apistos, Rams, checkerboards, list goes on.
The rams I have seem to do great despite moving them 3 times within the first 2 weeks I got them (2 were couple hour drives) and missing a few water changes, I rarely check my PH and I had them without heat for a while because I packed my heaters and coulden't find the box. Heck I even had to rush and acclimate them MUCH faster than I would have liked because I was going to be without power and had to run back to the old place to get the rest of the fish before it got too late. I don't think they are any harder than tetras, I can't seem to keep neons alive for the life of me, but the rams do great! 
I'd say go for it! I have a pair in a 29gal with 5 neons and a L204 Flash Pleco. There is still a little room for something else, I was going to put the Von Rio tetras in wiht them, but hubby forgot to catch them and I put my EBJD in the tank not knowing... RIP rios.
I'd say go for it! I have a pair in a 29gal with 5 neons and a L204 Flash Pleco. There is still a little room for something else, I was going to put the Von Rio tetras in wiht them, but hubby forgot to catch them and I put my EBJD in the tank not knowing... RIP rios.
Rams would do fine in pH up to 8.0 IME. It's breeding that becomes the concern as viable fry become increasingly difficult to obtain as pH and hardness rises.
However, they are more sensitive when it comes to overall water quality, they don't tolerate ammonia or nitrites and nitrates should be kept as low as possible.
Temperature may also be an issue, since they are more warm-water fish. Water too cool may make them more susceptable to disease or parasites. If you can keep them in clean stable water conditions, pH and hardness shouldn't be much of an issue.
You can also opt for Bolivian rams. They're bigger, hardier and longer lived than M. ramirezi.
You should also look into the dwarf acaras. Laetacara sp. My favorite so far is L. dorsigera with their beautiful red wine-colored throat and belly and big-ol' lamb eyes and small mouth. L. curviceps is probably the easiest to find and not lacking in color or behavior. They're more cold-tolerant but should be kept well and in stable conditions, regardless of pH and hardness.
However, they are more sensitive when it comes to overall water quality, they don't tolerate ammonia or nitrites and nitrates should be kept as low as possible.
Temperature may also be an issue, since they are more warm-water fish. Water too cool may make them more susceptable to disease or parasites. If you can keep them in clean stable water conditions, pH and hardness shouldn't be much of an issue.
You can also opt for Bolivian rams. They're bigger, hardier and longer lived than M. ramirezi.
You should also look into the dwarf acaras. Laetacara sp. My favorite so far is L. dorsigera with their beautiful red wine-colored throat and belly and big-ol' lamb eyes and small mouth. L. curviceps is probably the easiest to find and not lacking in color or behavior. They're more cold-tolerant but should be kept well and in stable conditions, regardless of pH and hardness.
"african cichlids" is a broad generalization. There are many African cichlids that are not nearly as aggressive as the majority of rift lake cichlids. Many West African cichlids are comparible in temperament and keeping (pH, hardness, diet) to the smaller South American cichlids.
Many rift lake Africans also would not compare to the aggression exhibited by most popular Central American cichlids and larger South American cichlids.
It's easy to get lulled into generalizations but when you really have a good look into all the different kinds of cichlids and how they live you get a better perception of what they are really like.
Where in SoCal are you? I see a nice female ram in your avatar mattistat. Very nice pick-up! *thumbsups
Many rift lake Africans also would not compare to the aggression exhibited by most popular Central American cichlids and larger South American cichlids.
It's easy to get lulled into generalizations but when you really have a good look into all the different kinds of cichlids and how they live you get a better perception of what they are really like.
Where in SoCal are you? I see a nice female ram in your avatar mattistat. Very nice pick-up! *thumbsups