Cichlids

[CTS]

I now have a 10 gal. tank that is empty. i was wondering if i could put 1 or 2 cichlids in there. But im not sure if that will work. if some one could help me that would be great

 

[Jezah]

Yes, you can. I would recommend you really think about it first though. Cause you wont have room for very much else. You could possibly have a breeding pair of convicts....but nothing else. However, you could get some apistos and mix them with maybe a school of tetras and a couple otocats. Apistos are cichlids like Cockatoos, rams ECT.

 

[CTS]

You could possibly have a breeding pair of convicts....but nothing else.

thats perfect, thats all that i want is two. I seen them in the fish store and got hooked.

 

[Jezah]

K. Well, go to the store and pick out your fish. Make sure you get a male and a female, or 2 females. Get 2 males..and you may end up with some very dead fish. Females are easy to identify, they have a pinkish/reddish/goldish spot on their belly. Males dont. So get a male and female, or 2 girls and put them in the tank. They like sand as a substrate and I reccomend pool filter sand, also known as silica sand. If you want them to breed...which they will most likely anyways, place a cave of some sort in the tank. I use clay flowerpots. Besides that, everything else like with other fishes. Just dont put your hand in a tank with convicts when they are spawning/or have fry if you dont want to get bit! Good luck!

 

[Jezah]

This is a pic of a male and female convict. See the pink on the female?

 

[CTS]

thank you for the very researched information!!!

 

[Ben]

bad bad bad information!

i would only recomend cons breeding in a 10 gal if the owner is a 50 years experienced fish breeder! for a beginner i recomend nothingless then a 29gal

10gal is too small for any two cichlids

i suggest you read the pinned topics in the New World cichlid forums

DD

 

[Jezah]

Excuse me, I take that as an insult. He asked what cichlid could live in a 10g. I told him. He didnt ask what BEGINNER cichlids were good for a 10g. I told him to think about it, as it would be hard. Convicts CAN exist fine in a 10g, if they are the only fish. So kindly refrain from saying I gave "bad advice".

 

[Paul_MTS]

I will also add that it is bad info, sorry!!

But convicts are not the smallest of cichlids they quickly reach 4inch and carry on to grow to around 6inch.

also you WILL need a spare tank to transfer into. When I bred some convicts in a 20UK gallon (which is the very minumum for these fish). Once I had the fry the male turned onto the female who had to be removed for the mother to raise the fry on her own. Also makesure you somewhere you can take the fry, not everywhere will want them!!

The onlt cichlids i would suggest for your tank is a pair of blue rams, and then plant it up well with a bit of rock work.

My male is thankfully living happily in my 90g community with firemouths and blue acaras.

 

[Ben]

not bad advice, bad information

and oviously if they havent dealed with cichlids before the right thing to do is give them a beginer cichlid
convicts can exist ina 10 gal for about a week before they establish terrirtory and rip the guts out of the other one.

and i never said you gave bad advice, i said you gave bad information,

geez, take a chill pill dude
EDIT: Paul i have to disagree with you on the rams unfirtunatly,unles your experienced with them a 20galUS is the mimimum

DD

 

[jimw13uk]

Sorry but I would say that 10g for convicts isnt a good idea.
Go for a tang mini community or shellies but 10g isnt a lot of water to keep any cichlids in.
The link below gives you some info on 10g cichlids - the cichlid-forum is the best cichlid specific site around so please read the info and take note of it - its best for you and the fish in the long run

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_10g.php

 

[freddyk]

Convicts should not be in a 10 gallon, and I don't care if they can exist in one. If mere existence is all you're after, you're missing the point of aquaria.

Shelldwellers are an excellent choice for a 10 gallon. You can get away with a pair of rams or kribs in one.

That's about it. Regardless of species, 10 gallons is not a very good aquarium for any cichlid - they take over the tank and leave little, if any, room for any companions.

 

[Jezah]

Ok, wow. That is just plain bogus. I have seen often on here, that most of you tend to spout "bigger tanks, bigger tanks" no matter what the situation. A breeding pair can exist happily in a 10g, and face it, if a pair of Convicts are gonna kill each other...they will no matter what sized tank. I WORK at a pet store, and my info is based on lots of real-life experiences. Rams or other apistos would be a better choice for first cichlids...but convicts are usually much hardier. Convicts can function fine in a 10g, and though it may be slightly harder to keep the water parameters in check it is possible. Easy...no. Possible...yes. So if you want to have a pair of convicts in a 10g, go ahead. May not be easy but he didnt ask for that, and I assume most people are like me and like challenges.

 

[Jezah]

What are you talking about Freddyk? Rams wont take over a tank...where did you get THAT info...?

 

[jimw13uk]

Sorry but I disagree completely. We would all like big tanks but that has little to do with the question asked. He wanted to know if he could keep a pair of convicts in a 10g.
Quite simply the answer is yes if you dont really care about the fishes well being and the length of time you have them is of no importance - as a pair of convicts in a 10g will be miserable and will not survive for years as they should, and as they would if they were in a larger tank.

Please CTS if you want to know if this is possible go and post the same question on edited- that is the best cichlid forum on the net and see what answers you get.