Whats Teh Difference Between Cichlid?

[RaeRae1084]

Ok I love fish i have a 10gal community tank with a bunch of Tetras but i just got a new tank & my husband wants cichlids. Whats the difference between the African & new world cichlids & other kinds. Which ones stay the smallest (1" & under) Which ones can go together? Can I still have my plants with them? What temperature does the tank have to be at? What does the PH have to be at? Any other requirements?
Please help. Also He likes those fresh water puffers they are cute but I know they are aggresive I have had them before. Will they get along with cichlids or will it be a bad combo? Thanks to all & anyone who reads thi!

 

[lucky62]

Unfortunately ten gallons is much too small for just about any cichlid [even dwarfs ], not impossible [ for dwarfs ] , but not advisable either .

Oh sorry , how big is the new tank ?

puffers ? I guess you mean dwarf puffers , 1 maybe 2 could work in a 10 gallon tank , any other fish will be at risk of being killed..........in the end just one puffer could remain ...........

many fish will live well in a ph of 7.0 , and temps of 78 dgrees ............all mine do .........African lake cichlids should have a higher ph , and harder water , but again fish can adjust [within reason] , breeding could be a problem .

 

[RaeRae1084]

I'm sorry I should have been more clear. I have a 10gal running I have a new 20gal for cichlids (hopefully).
Thats my bad. I should have reread it more carefully. I thought the tank was an 18 gal but it took 20 gal when I filled it last night.
So now i am waiting to see which ones go well together b4 I go fish shopping Monday.
thanks!

 

[lucky62]

stick with dwarf cichlids ............Do a google search on Cockatoo apistos [or apistogramma species in general ], nannacara anomala , checker board cichlids.......keyhole cichlids , lateacara curviceps , kribs [ pelvicachromis pulcher[ west african cichlid]......

...better yet search "GOOGLE" for dwarf cichlids , find something that interests you , and come back and see if anyone has help to offer you , some can be a little more challenging to keep than others .............I have to go do weekly water changes now ........probably the best thing that can be done for fish .........next to feeding them

You probably shouldn't get more than one pair , or trio depending on the species you choose .


http/www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=dwarf+...le+Search&meta=

click on images too

 

[RaeRae1084]

Thanks Lucky for the site. i also saw Angel fish on some of those sites. Will they do well with Dwarf cichlids? i dont think I will be able to get one though since my husband wants a Freshwater Puffer? LOL he drives me nuts but we shall see when we get to the store. thanks for all the help I will let ya knwo which ones we can find & end up with. Thanks for the help!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

honestly, i would skip out on the puffers until you've got some more fishkeeping experience under your belt. there is really no freshwater puffer that is 100% trustworthy around any other fish and there are manymanymany freshwater puffers that are completely unsuitable for either of your tanks. fish stores are also notoriously bad at properly identifying puffers.

if you've actually got your heart dead set on a fw puffer, i suggest that you try a South American Puffer (Colomesus Asellus). these are relatively peaceful and aren't very picky about what they eat. (many puffers won't touch any sort of processed food). SAPs, however, almost invariably suffer from overgrown teeth and so you will have to trim its teeth at some point.

although the SAP is relatively peaceful, it is still not a community-safe fish. the basic guideline is "don't put it with a puffer if you don't want it eaten". and trust me, that 20g will look awfully empty with just the one little fishy swimming around in it.

i suggest that you stick with the dwarf cichlids.