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New Cichlid tank.

4K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  willow 
#1 ·
I have as of right now 2 BABY ciclids in a 10 G tank, (dont worry i am upgrading to a 25 before long.) They seem very happy, I will get some pics up as soon as i get the chance. They are two Lemon Cichlids. One is normal colored and about 1 1/4 in. the other is Albino and close to 2 in. I cant believe that this petco doesnt sell many of them... They said that many people are turned off by Cichlids because of their
"semi-aggressive/aggressive" nature sticker on the tank... :cry:They have really neat personalitys so far... (1 day... lol)
 
#2 ·
Pictures, pictures, pictures!!!!
 
#3 ·
soon... i promise. maybe up by tomorrow afternoon, after i put my DIY cave in. I have to wait 24 hours for the silicone to dry. Oh, and I added 2 more. I forgot the names though. They are blue bodied with yellow fins. I think the name started with "Ac"
 
#4 ·
I have as of right now 2 BABY ciclids in a 10 G tank, (dont worry i am upgrading to a 25 before long.)
what kind of cichlids are they? if they are from Petco then im sure that they were "Asst. Africans"......a 25 is definately not gonna be big enough.........you need a tank that is at least 36" long, preferably 48" long for them...........

Robb
 
#5 ·
They're fine. I researched what they are. they are Lemon Cichlids and only get to be 4 1/2 inches long. I've also got 2 more now and those names started with, "Acal" or something like that
Here are some pics of the Lemon Cichlid and the Albino Lemon Cichlid.
The cave will be in there tomorrow.
 

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#7 ·
Thanks!! Here are the other 2. These pics arent the best. Its the best i could get. They dont like movement in front of the tank right now. I will also have a cave in that spot in the middle where theres nothing. I made a DIY cave for them. I have to wait 24 hours for the silicone to be safe enough to add to the water...
 

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#8 ·
They're nice looking. I wonder what type of cichlids they are? Not to worry, someone else will know. You'll post pics of your DIY cave, yes?

I wonder how quickly those four fish are going to outgrow that tank?? Hopefully not fast enough so you'll have plenty of time to get a much larger tank...hopefully much larger than a 25..... ;-). They're going to need lots of room!
 
#9 ·
They only get 4 1/2 inches... need 1 inch per gallon. with 4.
thats 18 inches. Thats an extra un-filled 7 Gallons i could use.
The blue ones are Pseudotropheus Acei. I'm on an all Cichlid site and somebody identified it for me. 25 G's should be more than enough.
I could squeeze in maybe a 30 G. But im gonna be 16 in a few days and hopefully getting a job at my LFS. (its privately owned.) Hopefully that will make me some more money so i could eventually get a 45-50 G or so in the way future. They're only in a 10 G right now. I will be putting them in a 25-30 in 1-2 months. The people at petsmart and Petco said it was fine.
 
#13 ·
My acei I got last and he was the smallest in the tank, compared to my other 5 africans, in about 2 months he was the second largest and he's getting bigger. You know a 10 gallon will start to stunt the acei's, they grow too quickly. And a 25 is still too small. Come on you all know better than putting those in a too small tank. You should skip the 25 altogether and go for a 50 that should be the smallest sized tank you should be looking at. I am not trying to be rude, but my 75 gallon looks small for them all. I couldn't imagine stuffing them into a 25, let alone for now a 10.
And when would you ever listen to people at Petsmart or Petco, they are all the same just like Wal-mart. Don't know a darn thing.... they are just selling.
I bought my 75 gallon for a little over 100. And if you get a job at the your LFS you should be able to afford a 50g.

They only get 4 1/2 inches... need 1 inch per gallon. with 4.
thats 18 inches. Thats an extra un-filled 7 Gallons i could use.
The blue ones are Pseudotropheus Acei. I'm on an all Cichlid site and somebody identified it for me. 25 G's should be more than enough.
I could squeeze in maybe a 30 G. But im gonna be 16 in a few days and hopefully getting a job at my LFS. (its privately owned.) Hopefully that will make me some more money so i could eventually get a 45-50 G or so in the way future. They're only in a 10 G right now. I will be putting them in a 25-30 in 1-2 months. The people at petsmart and Petco said it was fine.
 
#11 ·
the one inch per gallon rule doesnt really apply with cichlids........they aggressiveness in more important than their sizes......and I wouldnt really listen to the people that work in Petco, etc........go to a real LFS and ask some questions..........you could also check out some cichlid forums.....
try www.cichlid-forum.com to start..........

Robb
 
#12 ·
Unfortunately, that situation is very likely to end in disaster. The zebras (that's what the first two look like) get to about 5" or so but are very mean fish. The Acei's get bigger - 7" - and are also quite mean. You will need a much bigger tank in the future with *plenty* of hiding spots (i.e. huge heaps of rocks for your fish to hide in) and you might need to adjust your sex ratios to prevent fish from being beaten up and killed. These fish also need a spirulina based flake or pellet as their staple diet, as they eat mainly algae in the wild.
 
#15 ·
Well, Until i actually have problems with these guys im gonna go with a 25 G setup, they are really happy and i do have the algae based food. They are gonna end up in the 25 G for right now. and if i get lucky any time soon i will end up with a 55 G in a few months. theres no way around the 25 G crisis right now. I'm 16 and just dont have the money. I will have the 25 in like 4 days. And im gonna check around on craigs list for some extra tanks in my area. And also, My parents are worried my 55 G would go through my bedroom floor but they are just overexaggerating right? And no dissrespect here. This is my fault for jumping into this too early, and i might loose 1-2 fish because of it... but we live we learn. isnt that what lifes about?
 
#16 ·
And also, My parents are worried my 55 G would go through my bedroom floor but they are just overexaggerating right?
a full 55g would weight about 600lbs........can three to four people stand in one spot together on the second floor?
 
#21 ·
well good news! I have an amazing setup right now in my 29g. I have 6 Yellow Labs. Thy are all doing amazing with no agression whatsoever, other than the one male who has a nest I think... I have plenty of caves and hiding spots. I'll try to get some pics up soon!
 
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