ok, i have had a 10 gallon aquarium set up, with snails, and a lot of plants, and, was wanting to get some cichlids.


1. what type of cichlid could i put in a 10 gallon, with, 20 gallon filtration.

2. is there a special type of 'gravel' i need to put in it (i saw that they had some special type for aferican cichlids in my LFS.)?

3.i have heard that you can't keep live plants with cichlids, is that true?

4. should i get a special type of food to feed them, if so, what?

5. i am completly new to cichlids, so, if i need to do any thing special to keep them alive and thriving, please tell me! :lol:

thanks,

Tyler

I am by no means qualified to give you in depth answers but people suggested dwarf cichlids and shell dwellers when I asked. :laugh:

lol, alright, thnak you, does any one else have specified informaion of thet type of cichlid?

One of the Apistogramma (eg aggazi, borelli) would suit a 10G. A pair of Laetacara, maybe dorsigera or curviceps is another option. None of these will damage plants so no problem there either. No special requirements for the gravel, just standard stuff would do but I would go with small grained stuff or sand just because the fish are quite small. Shellies are rift lake cichlids so aren't new world but they are an option too. For those a crushed coral substrate would be best to help keep the PH of the water up to suite them better. Not sure how they are with plants but they should be ok.

Nannacara, checkerboards, rams, there are plenty of dwarfs to be kept in smaller tanks.

Dwarf cichlids will usually not harm plants, IME, and all cichlids do well in a well maintained and clean environment with plenty of caves and hiding areas.

As for feeding dwarfs, they seem to like frozen foods, but can probably be adjusted to flake :)

lol, wish i would of looked here before i went to the LFS, because i found some blue rams :D but, i can't find and dwarf cichlids in any of the LFSs, it is strange. would they be labled as something else?



its crazy.....if i can't find them at the last two stores in town, do you guys know of a good reliable website that sells good quality fish??

Thanks,

Tyler

Check out aquabid (aquabid.com). There are usually fairly priced dwarfs on that website, but you have to check out the seller's feedbqack first :)

If you happen to live near a Big Al's Aquarium ... they usually have a huge selection of cichlids and if they dont have it in, and its a popular fish they know they could sell... they might try to order a batch in and would most likely let you know when they com ein..

at least thats what we did for customers when I worked there...

i havent seen a big al's any where in AZ and i have been looking :D thanks for the information, i should be getting some money in about 3 weeks, so i can order some. :D