Dwarf Cichlids

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hudz

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just bought 2 golden rams last week there only about 2cm so very small what others could i get to go with these i have a few other fish aswel thats why i want dwarf ones ive had a look and i want some bright coloured ones anyone recommend any??? theres that many thats all
 
Need a bit more info before any suggestions. What are your other fish in numbers and species and also what size tank and filtration?
 
The tough thing is the Golden/Blue Rams can be very hard to keep the problem is you never know the source of the fish and so you never know how to keep them. The closer to wild they are they are better kept in low ph and high temperatures where as the further from wild ie on a big mass farm they are best kept in neutral water and in mid temps. Being the Gold Rams though you have a good chance of them being further than wild than closer. Are they a more yellow gold or a more orange colour?
 
Wills
 
there yellow/orange? quite bright tbh my tanks a 3 1/2 foot 180-200L not 100% sure
 
2 angels
1 red tail shark
1 bristlenose
2 corydoras
a catfish i cant remember name of ill put a pic up
6 neon tetra
3 glowlight tetra
5 blackskirt tetra
3 red phantom tetra
2 gold rams
5 penguin tetra
1 yoyo loach
2 female fighters
 
thats whats in so far they all see peacefull enough apart from the 2 angels keep fighting but theyve done that for about a year and a half and havent killed themself thought they were male and female but im unsure becasue of no eggs etc
 
Post some pics and I might be able to work out what gender the Angels are - its not a dead cert but sometimes males have a rounder forehead than females. Ill have a go at your Catfish as well :)
 
I think if the tank is 3 and a half foot - is it bowed at the front? It will probably be something like a Juwel 180 which is about 45 gallons.
 
I think some of your current stocking needs a bit of work as you have some schooling fish in low numbers that could do with boosting and if you did that you could end up overstocking a little - I always think that tanks with greater numbers of less species work really well - mixing tetras is not always a great idea as they dont all school together each species has genetic differences both physical and internally and these differ from the kind of mild electric signal they emit, the exact type of hormone they emit etc and it all adds up to make a difference when the fish are kept together in a tank so it really helps. In the wild they are in schools of hundreds and in some cases thousands but its a general consensus in the hobby that in a group of a minimum of 6 it can replicate the effect of them being on the very edge of a larger school how ever the larger the numbers the better.
 
You also have quite a few larger fish for this tank the Angels, Bristlenose, Red Tailed Shark, Yoyo Loach and potentially the unidentified catfish could all reach 6 inches which added up gets to 36 inches and believe me I am always very doubtful that the inch per gallon rule is a rule, I generally think of it as a very vague guide and most of my tanks have often drifted above but you can see what I am saying...
 
(When writing out a stock list I like to do it with your feature fish first them break it down in levels going top to bottom it just makes it a bit easier to visualise the tank I think so you can work out activity in all areas of the tank)
 
So I think if it was my tank I would be doing something like this (I'll go onto additions in a sec)
 
 
2 x Angels
2 x Gold Rams
 
10 x Tetras - All one type - I would go for the Red Phantoms as the Glowlights and Neons could eventually get eaten by the Angels, Penguins can be nippy, dwell high up in a tank and as a result could nip the Angels and then I think the Black Widows and Phantoms are the contenders and the Red Phantoms are the smaller but with the deeper body are less likely to be eaten but contribute less to the bioload.
 
8 x Corydoras (Which kind? Make sure you get all the same kind for the reasons above)
 
1 x Red Tail Shark  or  1 x Bristle Nose
 
I would rehome the Yoyo Loach as they need to be in groups of at least 5 or 6, they are not strictly a schooling fish but they are a gregarious fish and you don't have the space for this kind of fish. I also left out the unidentified catfish as its a bit of an unknown but a tough one to judge as most unknown catfish end up being something that will grow a little large.
 
Then I think you have the choice of either keeping both the Shark and the Bristle Nose or you could add an other pair of Dwarf Cichlids like Laetacara Dorsiger or Laetacra Curviceps or a trio of Apistogrammas 1 male 2 females. A trio of Checkerboard Cichlids would be nice if you could get them or a pair of Nannacara Anomala are always nice.
 
 
I always hate saying that people should rehome fish or change a tank but long term I genuinely think the current list is never going to work particularly well. Hope this all helps.
 
Wills
 
What needs rehoming then would you say? And no its not bowed at the front it is a jewel though can't find it on google etc
 
Ok if you measure its length width and height we can work out the volume :) I think that thats the next step before we suggest anything else
 
Wills
 
Sounds like a Rio 180.
 

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