what kind of cichlids and how many?

Question

i have a 45 gallon tall tank, which cichlids would be best and how many?

how bout lake malawi?

Answer 1

Now you see why you should avoid the chains and go to a good local fish store for your fish. All cichlids are tropical fish and many of the otherwise good people who work at the chains are similarly uninformed. I will tell you from experience that it is true that your tank is too small for more than one angelfish in the long run as eventually even a mated pair (and you never know what you're getting) will eventually fight in less than a 65. One will prevail and the other will get sick and die if it isn't killed outright. Some people say that having a school of them will overcome that problem, but your tank isn't large enough for that. This is true for many cichlids, even the more peaceful American ones. The best thing would be to get a single specimen of several species: angelfish, ram, firemouth, severum are some Americans that would work well in your tank. It's trickier with the Africans, but one of each you get would also be recommended. With both, especially Africans, it's always a good idea to have hiding places, plants for the Americans, rocks for the Africans because they'll eat the plants. Here's a good site to help you decide:
http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cat=1911

Answer 2

Well I'm glad I don't shop at Petsmart or Petco and get that sort of advice. Fin is totally correct. Angelfish are in the cichlid family, and are very popular too. They do tend to have a rather nasty temperment though. In a 45 gallon tank, one big thing you're going to want for cichlids is a long tank. A high tank or even a wide tank doesn't quite help as much as a long tank would. It would give you more operating space to make arrangements. I don't think you'd want to go more of a Hap cichlid as you might want to consider Malawi like you said.

Mbuna are mostly cave dwelling cichlids, and there are a fair number of them that do not grow very large. You can also consider Kribensis, Apistos, Ram's and maybe even some Sevrums. Not all of those togeather, but some sort of combination. I think you could also keep a small family of the more peaceful type Africans as another option. The Electric Yellow is a very popular choice that do not grow very large. The real issue you get though is that they are very hard to sex when younger. Sex becomes an issue when they get older. Males will fight with other males in a tank that size. Not that 45 gallons is small, but cichlids are territorial and I am not sure you could support maybe more then two males of any one species.

That really is the only catch if you want to keep africans. Most of those species that will work, you want to keep in ratios of 1 male to every 3 or 4 females. As you research species, learn how to identify gender as early as possible.

Answer 3

To the yoyo that says angel fish aren't cichlids,maybe you should do a little more research. Maybe like find out what a cichlid is and then why angel fish definitely are. Also the Angel fish suggestion is a good one, I'd avoid African Rift Lake Cichlids(the ones usually sold as Assorted Cichlids) ,they require fairly large territories to be non-violent.
Other Cichlids to give some consideration would be the Dwarf Cichlids either from the Amazon Basin or the Congo Basin (these would include Jewel Fish,Rock Kribensis,and Fire Mouths). There are literally thousands of species of Cichlids to choose from,but a little care and research will go a long way to creating a workable mix.

Answer 4

That's a small tank for most cichlids. I'd suggest 3 or 4 small angel fish in a planted tank. Eventually, the fish need will need to be moved into a larger tank, but angels grow slowly enough that you could get away with this for a couple of years.

Definitely do not attempt oscars, discus, convicts, jack dempseys or other popular cichlids as they require more space than this tank will provide.

Answer 5

First of all angel fish are chiclids, but are the only non-agressive ones besides discuss.i'm sure thats not what your looking for. if this is your first tank you'll learn alot of expensive lessons. first they fight alot..very cool to watch, but it causes wounds and disease. if a fish becomes overly diseased it becomes a food source. i found that Jack dempsys are one of the more agressive ones. they go well with convicts the best. fire mouths are REALLY cool when they get mad the portion under the gills turn bright red. as you can tell i prefer the south american chiclids over the african ones. the africans are more colorful but they all look the same to me just different colors. get them all about the same size, and keep it between 10 and 14 fish for a 45 gallon. good luck oh and don't forget you will have to get a large pleco to help keep the tank clean if you get it too small the other fish can take it out eventhough they have "tank armor"

Answer 6

As stated angels are cichlids. You may also want to consider ruby clowns, aka bolivian rams. They are fun to watch and fairly peaceful. Electric yellows are also nice, but you have to watch them as they get older. Kribs are ok, but if you are going for a breeding pair they can become very territorial. I would suggest going to a local dealer or even a petco or petsmart and see what they have available and then do some research on it.

Answer 7

First of all,
Angelfish are not cichlids. :3 They are tropical fish.

However, You can do a few smaller cichlids to be honest.
Some that only get to be 6 inches or so. Like.. Blood Red Parrot cichlids. They're really pretty too. ^^ I wouldnt suggest any more than 2 though.

One inch of fish per gallon of water is usually the rule of thumb, but cichlids like a lot of room and can be territorial and/or food aggressive, so I recommend no more than two. ^^