Ccichlids for a 10G?

[Moe]

My son is asking for a fishtank for Christmas. The other tanks in the house have tropical fish in them. I was thinking of something different. Are there any cichlids that can live in a 10G tank? I wasn't even sure where to post this question in here or the African cichlid section. Any ideas you have suitable for a 10G would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Yes.

New world: Appistogramma, Rams

Old world: Shell dwellers from lake Tanganyika

 

[fishgeek]

it would be possible and would probably require lots of water changes for most of the new world dwarves
you could have a nice bunch of dithers(small tetra's hatchet fish) something that stays neareer the surfac to give the cichlids some confidence and it would look neat

apisto trifasciata is one of the smaller apsito's

maybe not the best for a beginnner as far as care though

andrew

 

[Moe]

Just went to LFS - they had Appistogramma and something called a checkerboard cichlid they also have hatchet fish, they look cool. I'm so confused. Learning about cichlids is like learning another language. When you say frequent water changes do you mean more than once a week?

 

[Moe]

My lfs also has cockatoo or crested dwarf cichlids. Could I put 2 cockatoo, 2 checkerboard and 2 Appistogramma in a 10Gal or would this be too much cichlids? How about switching the cockatoo for 2 hatchetfish? Does that sound better? It sounds good to me the hatchetfish would be top level, the checkerboards middle and the appistogramma for the lower. OK I think that is what I'm gonna do unless someone has a better idea???

 

[emjay653]

Cockatoo cichlids IME is another name for Apistogrammi Cacatuoides. I had a pair of mine in with another pair of Apistos. and they knocked lumps out of each other. This is just my experience of them tho, others may have different opinions

Mj

 

[thecichlidaddict]

You can do only one pair of them in that tank. Choose one species and leave it at that. Then add a few of the hatchet fish and keep an eye on things.

Learning about cichlids seems more complicated at first then it really is - and they are worth the effort, they have great character. Good luck!

 

[Auratus]

Have a good lid on your tank because hatchet fish like to fly out when they get scared. And if you get apistogramma, they get mean when breeding and might scare the hatchet fish out of the tank!

 

[Cian McLiam]

If you go for hatchets, be sure to cycle the tank really well beforehand, they are very sensitive and are also very prone to Ich. My LFS imports some every 3 months and they ALWAYS get Ich in his tanks. When you add this to the fact that neither they or the apistos do well with medication and you could end up dissapointed.
The Checkerboards (Dicrossus Filamentosa) are a superb little fish, really one of my favourites. They are usually small and not very colourful in the shops, once they get older they are truly gorgeous and have quirky darting movements, moving forwards in little jerks as if they are being 'followed'!
You could easily breed a pair of small dwarf cichlids in a tank that size, the expierience is truly fascinating and takes fishkeeping to a higher level, a pair of mature kribs(african, I know!) or Apisto Cacatuoides (Cockatoos) are easy to moderately easy to breed and may tolerate some dither fishes such as tetras provided they dont get too close to the fry.

Good Luck!!

Ken

 

[Moe]

Ken thanks for your reply. I think I may go with the checkerboards and hatchetfish. I have an extra sponge filter in my canister filter just waiting for a home. It has been in there at least 2mo. I plan on putting it in the 10G and doing a fishless cycle. It should take no time.