Best Small Cichlids

[Jexnell]

Cons pound for pound are one of the best cichlids in the game. Very hardy, easy to breed, don't need big tanks. With enough room can house with many different non cichlids. Come in different colors/sizes to meet a verity of needs/wants.


My old male Honduran Red Point



This pair kept the obviously bigger fish in a 1/4 of a 55gal till I got the divider....

 

[Gourami Swami]

I'm quite fond of my Panamanius panamensis. I've got one male left from a group I grew out a few years ago. He's gotten big, and reminds me of a small vieja in looks and personality

 

[Hybridfish7]

Electric Blue Acara,Acara,Bolivian Ram, Apistogramma.

Jen Williams had some 8 inch pure EBA at a big fish deal a couple years back... wouldn't count on them staying small
but yeah if you're stick to under 6 inches and south american, then I'd go with bolivian or german blue rams, especially with the new variants coming out like dark knights and gold head electric blues
or good old apistogramma, i like cacatuoides and agassizii
or if you wanna get real fancy there's things like laetacara and ivanacara
If it was CA then there's thoricthys species like meeki and maculipinnis
my heart is with c.cutteri though, not very colorful but I did have one for 7 years, they grow on you
i do like a.nanoluteus, sajica, and siquia variants, especially a good quality honduran red point

 

[Fishnerd360]

Jen Williams had some 8 inch pure EBA at a big fish deal a couple years back... wouldn't count on them staying small
but yeah if you're stick to under 6 inches and south american, then I'd go with bolivian or german blue rams, especially with the new variants coming out like dark knights and gold head electric blues
or good old apistogramma, i like cacatuoides and agassizii
or if you wanna get real fancy there's things like laetacara and ivanacara
If it was CA then there's thoricthys species like meeki and maculipinnis
my heart is with c.cutteri though, not very colorful but I did have one for 7 years, they grow on you
i do like a.nanoluteus, sajica, and siquia variants, especially a good quality honduran red point

My biggest EBA is just over 5 inches, I never known they could get that big.

 

[GermanDude]

+1 EBA, but I do also like Kribs and Laetacara.

 

[DonnyB]

Convict. Despite how common it is it’s just an awesome fish. I love my female group of 5.

 

[BichirKing]

curviceps are my new smaller favs. I got a 125g with them.

 

[RealCrix220]

Apistogramma and rams are fairly small and active. They come in beautiful colors and don't need large tanks as well.

I agree here I have both at the moment and they are brilliant.
Here’s a few photos

 

[Cichlids-r-beasts]

Convicts, Rams, Salvini, Electric Blue Acaras

 

[RealCrix220]

I am looking in to getting a pair of Laetacara dorsigera, these little dudes look very cool and add a little bit off different colour then the normal red blue and yellows. The pair I have seen were very deep purple.