I have a small 20 gallon tank and I'm so confused I read a lot on here of these huge tanks but read in other places to have 1 cichlid per 2 square inches of tank. Which is best I currently have 4 cichlids: 1 earth eater, 2 zebra striped black and grays(peacock I think) and 1 silver and gray striped one with yellow tip fins and blueish head...along with a Chinese Algea Eater. Am I making a mistake or should I go with more? This is my first tank my dimensions are 24 in wide x 16 in deep x 12 in out. Please let me know if I'm making a mistake I Love my Cichlids...
Cichlid Help
- Thread starter fireman36701
- Start date
You need to get a bigger tank, or get rid of the fish you have now. Do you want Africans (peacocks) or New World (Eartheater)?
Well these are the fish I have and I had hoped for a better answer then this blunt one an explanation would be nice because it sounds as if I am being trolled...a 20 gallon is all I can have for now it seems big enough for the few I have and the fish have been fine to this point...I am disappointed to have received such a vague answer that I'm most likely leaving this forum...Goodbye
Sometimes the truth is not what you want to hear. If you want to keep African cichlids in a 20 gallon tank, look into some of the Tanganyikan dwarf cichlids (lamprologus shell dwellers, julidochromis).
Well the 2 peacocks were purchased being told they were Groumeys. I haven't had fish before and I got them for a 5 gallon aquarium after they killed off the other fish in my tank I decided to keep them and research what they were because they didn't look quite right. This is also how I attained the last 2 cichlids I went to the store and bought the others that they said were problem fish because they were throwing them out because they were killing everything...I feel as if I rescued them and can't just get rid of them once they get a bit more size I would be will to trade or sale them.
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I think he means gourami, not peacocks. do they look something like this: http://www.hartz.com/Fish/Fish_Finder/FishCategory.aspx?catId=1&fishId=T38&npp=0
I don't know about the eartheater, but the gourami will be fine in a 20 gal. They can be mean fish though. your chinese algae eater has to go as they grow fast, and as they hit 4-5 inches or so will kill other fish by ripping scales off and constantly harassing them.
I don't know about the eartheater, but the gourami will be fine in a 20 gal. They can be mean fish though. your chinese algae eater has to go as they grow fast, and as they hit 4-5 inches or so will kill other fish by ripping scales off and constantly harassing them.