# Cichlid advice



## evilmonkey (Feb 6, 2009)

im looking to start a tank in the next few months 40-50gal im looking to put something like this in it

6 red zebra cichlids
6 cobalt blue zebra cichlids
6 other cichlids (not sure what kind i want or that would be good)
2 cuckoo catfish or 2 upside down catfish (not sure which would be better)

#1 would this mix work?
#2 is the size of the tank sufficiant?
#3 could i add other fish in down the road and what fish would go well with the cichlids since they can be fairly agressive iv heard?


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

also check out http://www.cichlid-forum.com


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

1. sure. cuckoo seem to do a bit better with cichlids than most other catfish. which upside down catfish are you talking about?

2. no.


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## evilmonkey (Feb 6, 2009)

the upside down cat fish i was thinking of is Synodontis nigriventris says there good for tanks over 30G there peaceful and they get to about 4" max


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## evilmonkey (Feb 6, 2009)

actually now that i realize the 1" of fish = 1G rule the mix i have of cichlids would be far to many


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

safer to go with at least 2G per 1"...and that's not a hard and fast rule either. Never hurts to have more space.


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

id go with the cuckoo. much more active and can defend themselves.
i have a syndontis eupterus and although it can protect its own little corner, it always hides in there. because of that i rarely see it, and it is one of the last to get food.

i think 2-3 of each would be plenty. when they get comfortable and start breeding....they never stop.

do a bit of research on each species that you plan to buy.
i believe most malawis and mbunas are herbivores. require more plant diet, spiruluna blah. too much protein from bloodworms/brineshrimp is common cause for malawi bloat/indigestion.

mbunas are known to be more aggressive than most. need to be kept in 3 or more, or by themselves (species-wise, not tank-wise)

haps i think are omnivorous, so they require a diet of both. female haps are much more dull than males. the dominant one will colour up the most out of the group.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

1'' of fish per gal is the biggest joke ever. This is really really outdated info. This does not apply to modern fish keeping at all. It really depends on flitration and water changes and the layout of the tank decor. 

This is gets right to the point
" Fish growth is not limited so much by the dimensions it is confined to as it is the buildup of waste products in the water it must reside in. A six-inch oscar has about the same mass (and thus waste output) as 216 one-inch oscars, so it's hardly a surprise that waste would accumulate quickly in a small aquarium."


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## evilmonkey (Feb 6, 2009)

so what amount of cichlids would be good for a 50-55G tank with say 1-2 catfish and leaving room to add a few smaller fish down the road?


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

evilmonkey said:


> so what amount of cichlids would be good for a 50-55G tank with say 1-2 catfish and leaving room to add a few smaller fish down the road?


It really depends on how you set up the tank. Filtration,decor, water changes, the type of fish and so on. This will help you figure out who or what can be put in there.

It really comes down to all those things and using your eyes to see if the fish will be comfortable. You dont want to jam 20 fish in the tank that will grow to 6'' each then you will end up with a crowded tank. You also dont want to mix fish that will chase or kill each other.

It really depends on all those things.


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