Fergy Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Can anyone help me out with species that max out at 4-5"? I'm setting up a planted tank so if they don't destroy plants that would help too. I've never kept cichlids before so any difficult species to keep might not be a good idea. Right now it's a 33gal and all I'm planning is plants and cichlids. Thanks for any info. :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 SA dwarf cichlids are a good choice(rams, apistos). They stay small, leave plants alone and are peaceful for cichlids. Rainbow cichlids(herotilapia multispinosa) but when I kept mine they did eat a bit of my plants. Some of the west african species(kribs, egyptian mouthbrooder) might also work. That will start you off. Check out some of the profiles in those sections and let us know if you have any favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergy Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 I'm thinking out of those the rams would be my top choice, bolivian rams if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergy Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 So I think I've settled on the bolivian ram if possible, due mainly to the peaceful attitude, small size and cooler water temperatures. Any suggested tankmates? I was thinking 5-6? Would that be too much in a 33 gallon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 5-6 will most likely be too many for a 33. I would try buying 1 male and 2 females, or 5-6 juvies until you get a pair. For a 33 I would only keep a pair or a single male. For 5-6 you would want to upgrade to at least a 75 or larger. Any kind of schooling fish would look nice with the rams like tetras, barbs, or other small species of peaceful fish. The bolivians are a great choice over german blues, because they tend to be more hardy. Kribensis would be a fine tank mates for the rams, but during spawning these guys can get pretty aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergy Posted October 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 5-6 will most likely be too many for a 33. I would try buying 1 male and 2 females, or 5-6 juvies until you get a pair. For a 33 I would only keep a pair or a single male. For 5-6 you would want to upgrade to at least a 75 or larger. Any kind of schooling fish would look nice with the rams like tetras, barbs, or other small species of peaceful fish. The bolivians are a great choice over german blues, because they tend to be more hardy. Kribensis would be a fine tank mates for the rams, but during spawning these guys can get pretty aggressive. So the quantity limitations is based more on territorality (is that a word?) than on fish size? I was just trying to go by the rough "inch of fish per gallon" for maximum stock. And if I were to keep a pair, do they spawn fairly regularly? I wouldn't mind try to breed them at some point in the future, but at this point in time I'm just too busy for trying my hand at that. Would just a single male be more preferable in that situation? Thanks a lot for the replies and the help. I'm still a long way from actually putting fish in the water. Still waiting for the flourite dust to settle and the tank to start cycling at this point. Want to get as much research as possible done in the meantime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 I had 5 in a 55 no problems, so a trio in a 33 would be fine. I'd start w. 6 and let them pair off... and keep one extra hoping it's a female. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 Yeah the inch per gallon rule is a very misleading rule. It works with some species, but with fish especially cichlids, I wouldn't even bother going by that rule of thumb. Any cichlid can be aggressive, especially conspecific or towards their own species (mostly male to male) and when breeding. It would be best to get at least one pair, and an extra female is certainly fine. You just won't want to end up with more than one male in a 33. I find even with 5 of them in my 90 gallon, the males are always going at each other. Once cichlids spawn, and the conditions are kept good, they will start to spawn on a regular basis. I have not yet bred my rams so I don't know how difficult they are to breed (I think I got unlucky and might have 5 males lol). If they breed, just don't do anything with the babies. Let the parents care for the young until they basically stop parenting them, then you can remove the young and sell them or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 You can also go with bolivians and another dwarf species like Laetacara dorsigera or something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergy Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Thanks for the advice everyone. So is it easy for the layman to sex cichlids? Or will I just have to rely on the staff at whichever store I go to? Or even just have to buy a few and hope? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Thanks for the advice everyone.So is it easy for the layman to sex cichlids? Or will I just have to rely on the staff at whichever store I go to? Or even just have to buy a few and hope? Depends on the type of cichlid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergy Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Thanks for the advice everyone.So is it easy for the layman to sex cichlids? Or will I just have to rely on the staff at whichever store I go to? Or even just have to buy a few and hope? Depends on the type of cichlid. Sorry.. I was still talking about the bolivians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 If they are smaller, it would be best to start off with 5-6 of them and when they are large enough to sex, weed them out so you have 2 females and 1 male. You can either keep the extra female, or when the male pairs off with one, get rid of the other. Bolivians are harder to sex than the german blue rams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fergy Posted November 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 I picked up 3 bolivians the other day and they're adjusting to their new home. Still too small to tell for sure, but I think I've got 1m/2f. Only time will tell I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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