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Not trying to sound stupid. But why do other people or nearly everyone I've seen, have like 20,30, 40 or more in 1 tank??
Take tank size out of the equation for now.
Mine bred and that is where the tank ended up, everyone was happy.
 
Not trying to sound stupid. But why do other people or nearly everyone I've seen, have like 20,30, 40 or more in 1 tank??
Take tank size out of the equation for now.
You will probably have seen African Cichlid tanks with those kind of numbers, American Cichlids are totally different. Cichlids here is an umbrella term for a type of animal really.

Its just so different, someone explained it really well the other day and I'm sorry I've forgotten who! Its just really good and I dont want to take credit.

A lot of the Rift Lake African Cichlids carry their young in their mouth so the spawning site and territories move constantly and they get enough space because of it, they also live in a very cramped conditions in the wild so the overstocking techniques work because it spreads out the aggression. American or New World Cichlids make nests and actively defend a territory when spawning both through the egg stage and when raising the young. Even if you dont have pairs that instinct is still there and they all want to claim something for themselves.

@itiwhetu 's tanks are amazing but I've never known anyone else have that level of success doing the same thing. Most others end up with dead fish so its not something I can recommend because it feels like an exception rather than the rule. My advice comes from a place where I think its likely you are going to succeed longer term with the ambition of the fish living to their natural life span of 10-15 years. But this is not to take anything away from Itiwhetus fish or tanks because like I say they look incredible :)

Its pretty likely as your fish grow you are going to get a good idea of the fact you will need to reduce the numbers because your fish will get stressed or you will see fights or you'll see damage on the fins and bodies etc. There is an outside chance that it does work but you would probably be over stocked with 12 chunky 4-5 inch cichlids in a 30 gallon tank. Even on the low side you'd have 48 inches of chunky fish in a 30 gallon tank so likely to have some issues and elaborate maintenance routines.

Wills
 
You will probably have seen African Cichlid tanks with those kind of numbers, American Cichlids are totally different. Cichlids here is an umbrella term for a type of animal really.

Its just so different, someone explained it really well the other day and I'm sorry I've forgotten who! Its just really good and I dont want to take credit.

A lot of the Rift Lake African Cichlids carry their young in their mouth so the spawning site and territories move constantly and they get enough space because of it, they also live in a very cramped conditions in the wild so the overstocking techniques work because it spreads out the aggression. American or New World Cichlids make nests and actively defend a territory when spawning both through the egg stage and when raising the young. Even if you dont have pairs that instinct is still there and they all want to claim something for themselves.

@itiwhetu 's tanks are amazing but I've never known anyone else have that level of success doing the same thing. Most others end up with dead fish so its not something I can recommend because it feels like an exception rather than the rule. My advice comes from a place where I think its likely you are going to succeed longer term with the ambition of the fish living to their natural life span of 10-15 years. But this is not to take anything away from Itiwhetus fish or tanks because like I say they look incredible :)

Its pretty likely as your fish grow you are going to get a good idea of the fact you will need to reduce the numbers because your fish will get stressed or you will see fights or you'll see damage on the fins and bodies etc. There is an outside chance that it does work but you would probably be over stocked with 12 chunky 4-5 inch cichlids in a 30 gallon tank. Even on the low side you'd have 48 inches of chunky fish in a 30 gallon tank so likely to have some issues and elaborate maintenance routines.

Wills

African cichlids are great for overstocking and produce brilliant displays of colours in numbers. But as @Wills says, you have to be on the ball with absolutely everything and monitor levels closely because it very easily can turn sour from the sheer number of fish
 
African cichlids are great for overstocking and produce brilliant displays of colours in numbers. But as @Wills says, you have to be on the ball with absolutely everything and monitor levels closely because it very easily can turn sour from the sheer number of fish
...not forgetting that the Sydney water is totally wrong for African cichlids anyway, hence why they had to be returned.
 
I have kept Africans using only rainwater, the trick is in the base of the tank. I used a fine lime chip base medium and never had any problems.
 
Just let them grow up and see what happens. If they start fighting, move the prs out, you will be fine :)

It’s crazy how fast they actually are growing and changing colours.

I can also notice already they are starting to stick to their own kind.
A group of 6 blue and a group of 6 rainbow.

Also another thing will these breed with each other (1 blue 1 rainbow)

Also is this what they actually are? I got them from a small breeder who had a aquarium near me, but the bigger shop near me hasn’t seen or heard of them for years?
 
Their colours will show up more if you have a picture on the back of the tank (not sure if you do), dark substrate and floating plants. The gravel is a pain to change but floating plants and a dark backing will improve their colour. They also get better colour when they mature or start breeding.

There is a possibility they will hybridise but if they have a choice of breeding with their own kind or another species, they usually prefer their own kind.

They do look like blue-eye cichlids (Cichlasoma spilurum) and rainbow cichlids (Cichlasoma multispinosa).
 

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