Cichlids For A Small Tank?

[Dan Whtie]

Hi. I'm new here as I had a question about finding an easy, small cichlid for a 5 gallon tank. As a kid I had cichlids that did very well in a 10 gallon tank. I don't remember what kind they were, but they nested in the sand under some slate. When the fry hatched, the parents would suck them up and spit them back into the nest. Of course probably all cichilds do that. They multiplied pretty quickly, too.

Anyway, I'd like to find these same ones as they seemed to be a small variety and were interesting to watch in their nesting behavior, but if anybody can recommend a readily available cichlid that would be happy in a small tank, I'd appreciate it. Water conditions are on the hard side, alkaline and temps at least 80F. The Eclipse 5 gallon tank seems to keep the water warm due to the motor submerged below the water level.

Thanks for any suggestions,
dwhite

 

[caboose_122]

there are no cichlids that will go into a 5 gallon (is it US or UK gallons?) if it was uk gallons you could maybe keep a pair of shell dwelling cichlids (but if it is US gallons you couldn't keep any of them), these are the only shell dwellers that you could keep in a 10 gallon:

Neolamprologus boulengeri (pair),

Neolamprologus calliurus (trio),

Neolamprologus hecqui (trio), (correct me if im wrong this is what i was told)

Lamprologus callipterus (pair),

Lamprologus kungweensis (trio),

those are the only cichlids for a 10 gallon you could only have 1 type of fish in a 10 gallon. if it is a 10 gallon then i suggest getting shell dwellers, but 5 gallons is just not enough for any cichlids, but remember 3 shells per fish. but i cant keep saying this

no cichlids for a 5 US gallon tank

 

[Dan Whtie]

there are no cichlids that will go into a 5 gallon

OK, thanks for the reply. I realized the fish I was describing were convicts. I don't know how big they really get, but the ones I rememeber having were quite small, but were still of breeding size. I guess the cichlids need more room to swim around?

My betta died of old age and I was looking to change things up a little. I don't know what else could go in 5 gal US other than just guppies or small tetras.

dwhite

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

You could do an African Dwarf frog, or a planted shrimp tank.

 

[Dan Whtie]

You could do an African Dwarf frog, or a planted shrimp tank.

Hmm, I don't know. I was hoping for fish, but that is a thought.

Thanks!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

just a quick FYI, an adult male convict can easily reach 8" in size. females typically stay smaller at around 5". technically the minimum tank size for a breeding pair is a 20g long, but a standard 30g is generally recommended due to the high aggression level of the species.

--EDIT--

if you want a cichlid that can be kept in a 10g, check out the various Apistogramma species. most of these can be kept in pairs or trios in a 10g.

for something interesting in a 5g, check out the smaller gouramis. sparkling, croaking and honey gouramis can all be kept in 5g tanks so long as you don't have more than one male per tank. there are also certain smaller gobies that are suitable for a 5g, the most commonly available being the bumblebee goby. pygmy sunfish (a North American native species) are also small enough. i'm not certain, but it also may be possible to keep a trio of wild bettas in a 5g. you'll need to confirm all of these recommendations in the appropriate forum.

while this is not a hard and fast rule, in my experience, most of these "nano-fish" (species small enough to be kept in a 5g for life) are tricky to feed. some of them are just generally picky and will only accept frozen/live foods. others are difficult to feed due to the small size of their mouths. if you don't have easy access to frozen food, then you may be better off sticking to tetras or other fish that will accept flakes.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Dwarf Puffers may be something to look into. They are pretty picky but they look really cute. They aren't a Cichlid though.

 

[Dan Whtie]

Thanks again for all the responses. Dwarf puffers are cute. Maybe I'll check into those. I thought they might be brackish water fish, but I'm not sure.

dwhite

 

[demonmagus]

nope, dwarf puffers are 100% freshwater

 

[Rhiannon]

How about a blue ram?

Or do they need 10gal?

I have one in a 15gal

 

[Dan Whtie]

How about a blue ram?

Or do they need 10gal?

I have one in a 15gal

Blue Rams are kind of cool. I wonder about 5 gal, too. You know, they talk about roughly one inch of fish per gallon, but I guess there is also an issue of mobility. If a fast moving fish is put in a 5 gallon tank it might not be good. I don't know how big rams get but if they stay small then maybe 2 or 3 would be possible. Looks like I have some googling to do. Thanks for the suggestion!

dwhite

 

[kribensis12]

MULTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

the "inch per gallon" rule really only applies to fish shaped roughly like neon tetras. once you start getting into bulkier fish such as blue rams, you really can't use it with much accuracy. this is especially true for very small tanks like a 5g.

another reason that "inch per gallon" doesn't really apply to any cichlids is that cichlids are territorial. this is the biggest limiting factor in stocking any cichlid tank and is why you have to do your research first--all cichlids have different territory needs.

while a blue ram would grow too large for a 5g, certain other dwarf cichlids (shell dwellers, apistos) might be small enough. however, you could really only keep a single individual and its unlikely that the fish would tolerate the presence of any tankmates.

territorial aggression is also a problem with dwarf puffers. don't expect much sucess in keeping more than one per 5g.

 

[Rhiannon]

How about a blue ram?

Or do they need 10gal?

I have one in a 15gal

Blue Rams are kind of cool. I wonder about 5 gal, too. You know, they talk about roughly one inch of fish per gallon, but I guess there is also an issue of mobility. If a fast moving fish is put in a 5 gallon tank it might not be good. I don't know how big rams get but if they stay small then maybe 2 or 3 would be possible. Looks like I have some googling to do. Thanks for the suggestion!

dwhite

Blue rams are beautiful. My boy Punky is my favourite fish. And when they flare up their dorsal fin, wow they look gorgeous.

Here is mine

As people have suggested, 5gl might be to small for them, but if you ever upgrade to something larger, make sure a ram is part of your community.

 

[Dan Whtie]

We have a great local fish store that I went to last night. They have a large selection of cichlids, including multies in stock. However, I'm beginning to think it might be better to just get a bigger tank, and use the 5 gallon as a quarantine tank. I've had fish in large tanks in the past, and I helped my father set up a 55 gal at his house more recently. I'm just not sure I have the time to commit to maintenance right now. I guess I'll have to wait a bit before putting anything in the 5 gallon. Maybe some guppies just to keep it cycled.

Thanks.
dwhite