I need help deciding?

Question

Right now i have 10 gallon tank with small african cichlids, 1electric yellow,1 kenyi,1 auratus,and a small pleco.I plan to get a much larger 56 gallon or larger aquarium. i cant decide whether to stay with semi-hard to take care of African cichlids or go with normal comunity fresh water fish. Could you please give me the pros and cons of both. thak you so much for answering the question!!

Please give me examples of fish

Answer 1

Frankly, I have never considered an African cichlids community like your to be any more difficult to maintain than a peaceful community. It's all in the planning. Give your Africans plenty of hiding places and plenty of rocks to form their own boundaries and they will do quite well together.

One point you might really consider though it your tap water. If you have hard, high pH water then the African tank will be all the easier to maintain as the water matches the fish. If your water is softer and more acidic, then go for fish that match that water.

MM

Answer 2

Well, I think go what your inside is trying to tell you. I think you could try having a long tank with an imaginary divider. Then, half of the tank should have plants and an open space. The other half should have rocks and stones for the african cichlids. I think the plantes sized should house schools of fish about the same size as your african cichlids to prevent the little fish from being eaten by the african cichlids. I hope you decide what your instinct tells you, not your brain.

Answer 3

As you can see Africans can be easy or hard to keep. Done properly, with research, they are hardy fish and as active as you can get. They aren't all compatible and should be stocked with for-thought, and the tank should be decorated to suit - typically well rockscaped. For some of them their herbivorous diet needs to be considered. Only the toughest plants work and most keepers don't bother with them (as far as the fish are concerned they accomplish nothing, unlike with community fish). I'll warn you now that as your Kenyi grows he'll become a little terror of a fish and will give you trouble. Possibly the Auratus too. If you have an interest in keeping these guys check out www.cichlid-forum.com for plenty of good information.

Community fish require just as much care as the Africans, but as long as you stick to peaceful types aggression doesn't need to be dealt with. They should also be researched and stocked compatibly though, in the right numbers, and in a tank decorated to suit. There are many species sold as community fish that are very territorial and aggressive so research species first, regardless of their fish store label. If you like river type setups with plants and wood and such, this type of tank is your better option. In a 56 gallon you still have the option of cichlids - something mild and small like a pair of rams or keyhole cichlids can get along with all sorts of community fish and have all the character of most cichlids.

I've got both types and they both offer a different aspect of behaviour and habitat and it's hard to recommend one or the other. You'll just have to choose one and try it out.

Answer 4

I have a 55 gallon tank. From my experience don't go with the cichlids. All they did to my tank was make a big mess. They loved digging holes everyday and ruining plants. I had 8 african cichlids in my tank and I could not add any more because they had become so territorial they were killing the new ones I would add. Go with some nice community fish, especially school fish.