Trying To Decide

[gcdj]

ok first off thank you to all who responded to my last thread .... i learned alot ... so i am going to set up a 55 gallon(US) long tank (not a tall tank) and i am now trying to decide which would be better for me to keep ... Cen American or African cichlids... i guess what i am asking what is the difference in caring for and raising both kinds ... i need to make a decisionso i know how to set up my tank and get it cycling

Thank you in advance
Rev

 

[pirate monkey]

Hi ya,

what a decision! I've been there before too!

I presume you're also talking to the OW guys? Have to ask - why just central americans, and not south americans too?

What I understand about africans is that they are generally quite aggressive, to get around this you overstock the tank to minimise aggression. This means you need lots of super duper filtration as cichlids are messy messy fish! I think the decor needs to generally be rocky (could be wrong) with lots of hidey holes for them. There is a large range of africans and many many colours and they do look great. I think Cichlid Crazy has kept them before maybe he can give you some more info?

With NWs, their aggression varies, some are peaceful, some are aggressive, and some are semi aggressive. If you want to keep different species together it is best to match their aggression levels, although there are some exceptions! A lot of the time it depends on the individual fish as well, some green terrors can be right mean b*******, while others are complete push overs.

They can't be stocked to the levels that africans can, as they are territorial, but what you lose in numbers you can gain in size and most of all personality. Speak to anyone who owns an Oscar, Severum or Green Terror for example - they are extremely interactive, beg for food and just great to watch. Also, you can still keep other non cichlids with them. I have a shoal of columbian tetra in with mine, oh and a sailfin.

Obviously I chose NW over OW so I'm biased

 

[bricko]

NW every time!!!

I've never kept OW cichlids though so likewise I am rather biased toward NW, personal preference I guess is the key here. NW do have much bigger personalities though IMHO

 

[Davo86]

ok first off thank you to all who responded to my last thread .... i learned alot ... so i am going to set up a 55 gallon(US) long tank (not a tall tank) and i am now trying to decide which would be better for me to keep ... Cen American or African cichlids... i guess what i am asking what is the difference in caring for and raising both kinds ... i need to make a decisionso i know how to set up my tank and get it cycling

Thank you in advance
Rev

Well you've posted in the New World section so maybe your subconscious is telling you something

but seriously it depends on whether you prefer character or colour,

If you prefer a colony of brightly coloured fish then OWs are for you,
However if like me you like fish that are easy on the eye yet have bags of character and will learn to interact with you, then NWs are for you

Decor can also play a big part in your choice; i.e. SA dwarfs with live plants and caves, CA cichlids with lots of branches and bogwood or mbuna with crushed coral and rockwork structures

In a 55G, you have plenty of options (except for Oscars and other similar sized cichlids)
You just need to decide which is right for you

 

[ALW]

Well you've posted in the New World section so maybe your subconscious is telling you something

but seriously it depends on whether you prefer character or colour,

If you prefer a colony of brightly coloured fish then OWs are for you,
However if like me you like fish that are easy on the eye yet have bags of character and will learn to interact with you, then NWs are for you

Decor can also play a big part in your choice; i.e. SA dwarfs with live plants and caves, CA cichlids with lots of branches and bogwood or mbuna with crushed coral and rockwork structures

In a 55G, you have plenty of options (except for Oscars and other similar sized cichlids)
You just need to decide which is right for you

Agreed!