rR c wants to know:
i want african cichlids
right now i have 6 cichlids and 2 algae eaters
the guy at the fish store said up to 12 fish wud would
but that seems like over populating the tank…
but ive had these 8 fish in the tank for about 4 monthes
and they are doing perfectly fine.
and ive also heard that over populating an african cichlid tank is good cuz they cant really pick on one certain fish.
is that true??
i want african cichlids
right now i have 6 cichlids and 2 algae eaters
the guy at the fish store said up to 12 fish wud would
but that seems like over populating the tank…
but ive had these 8 fish in the tank for about 4 monthes
and they are doing perfectly fine.
and ive also heard that over populating an african cichlid tank is good cuz they cant really pick on one certain fish.
is that true??
July 28th, 2009 at 3:57 am
put all of them in there.
July 30th, 2009 at 8:50 am
about 10 to 15 depending on what else you have in the tank.
July 31st, 2009 at 11:30 am
it depends how big they are and they are not all exactly the same size so i think it will be a little hard to do that one, just put enough in so that they are not all crowded
August 2nd, 2009 at 12:25 am
Look the fish wont be able to complain but you should choose what you thinks right for them. Keeping things locked up either way I suppose you could say is cruel. But this is life so you choose a balance.
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:44 pm
i wouldnt put many more in there, maybe 2 more. cichlids will get at least 4″ long over time and depending on what ones you get they can get ALOT bigger than that.
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Its ok to keep that many cichlids together n I think it is true that it is harder for them to pick on a certain one because thats what I saw with mine. When I added more than they got along better and none were killed but if you put too many and they dont have alot of room then they will not grow. So it depends if you want them to stay small or not.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
cichlids grow pretty big and are fairly dirty fish so adding anything else would be a bit much. Use the 1 inch per gallon rule, if you have a 20 gallon tank you should be able to hold 20 1″ fish, or 10 2″ fish and so on. Also remember that cichlids will grow and take this into account.
When in doubt, understock your tank.
check out this link for more info
August 8th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
It would depend on the size of the fish versus the tank. Little tiny fish (like neon tetras… which are less than a 1/2″ each) would allow you to put more overall numbers in the tank. BIG fish - especially aggressive critters… require more room and thus, fewer fish in the tank.
August 10th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
What African cichlids do you have?depending on that you may be over stocked already.If you don’t know the types try posting a picture or a description.These web sites have lots of good information about cichlids:
August 11th, 2009 at 1:08 am
If you want african cichlids you really need to do your research. Don’t just mix and match these guys. I’m betting that you’ve got your from the “assorted or mixed africans” tank? This isn’t always the greatest idea. You could end up with potentially over aggressive fishes. 6 in a 20 gallon is too much in fact especially with Mbuna (usually that’s what they put in assorted african cichlid tanks)
If you want a more concise version of what “African cichlid” you can put in your tank, i’ll give you a quick example. First off, i’d go with shell dwellers from Lake Tanganyika (n. ocellatus, n. multifasciatus, n. similis, etc) but make sure not to mix more than one specie of shell dweller. You could also potentially house a pair of Kribensis, which are in fact “african cichlids” although they don’t inhabit the same areas as the rest of these more commonly seen ones.
If you’re intent on keeping Mbuna, i suggest to go with the least aggressive and smaller mbunas with the exception of p. demasonis. You could go with Iodotropheus Sprengerae (rusty cichlids) or labidochromis caeruleus (electric yellows). In a 20 gallon tank that really limits you a lot esp with mbuna. the yellows will easily grow over 5 inches. Rusties might be a better choice as they are peaceful and small.
but whatever you do…
DO NOT APPLY THE stupid 1 INCH RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! especially to MBUNAS. You’ll end up with dead fish everywhere.
Now continuing with other cichlid options, you could also try dwarf cichlids from south America. Any of the apistogramma species would be much better in the 20 gallon tank than the rift lake cichlids.
For more info here are a few links.
Good Luck!
August 11th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Simple answer–you’re already overstocked. Don’t add any more fish!!!!