Do people do cichlid ponds? Is it possible? I've seen Koi ponds all over the place, but what? if it even does take to get a cichlid pond started?
Cichlid ponds
- Thread starter Mad wolf
- Start date
I know people in FL who use ponds all year but it stays a lot warmer down there. Also, I know of at least one member on here who uses a pond in the summer months for his fish. Apparently he gets excellent growth out of his fish by doing so.
One of my 300g ponds I use for cichlids ... But in my basement...I have a mixture in there
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I have a cichlid pond, it is up spring thru fall here in Wisconsin.
My best success has been with Uruguayan cichlids because they can take the dramatic temp changes common here.
Gymnogeophagus, Australoheros, and Uruguayan Crenicichla have worked best.
I tried some Central Americans without the same success, all it takes is a few cool nights in June, and fish are floating.
Although cichlids are colorful from the side, from above they tend too disappear, and I can sometimes go days without seeing them.
I have also found raccoons to be very adept at eating them if the sides of the pond are not steep enough, and the pond too shallow. I found those pre-form ponds sold at hardware chain stores to be perfect lunch counters for hungry raccoons
The pond below hold about 1000 gals and has my Gymnogeophagus this summer.
My best success has been with Uruguayan cichlids because they can take the dramatic temp changes common here.
Gymnogeophagus, Australoheros, and Uruguayan Crenicichla have worked best.
I tried some Central Americans without the same success, all it takes is a few cool nights in June, and fish are floating.
Although cichlids are colorful from the side, from above they tend too disappear, and I can sometimes go days without seeing them.
I have also found raccoons to be very adept at eating them if the sides of the pond are not steep enough, and the pond too shallow. I found those pre-form ponds sold at hardware chain stores to be perfect lunch counters for hungry raccoons
The pond below hold about 1000 gals and has my Gymnogeophagus this summer.
One thing about cichlid ponds, or any wild type fish pond, for that matter.
Most wild type fish are masters of camouflage, so expecting to "see" them much is a "not" what you should plan on.
Of course they are reasons for having a cichlid pond other than seeing them.
Here is an example, I have 2 ponds
the first pic is my cichlid pond.
I can see 1 cichlid in the pic, but it is home to about 10 more.
Below is my goldfish/koi pond, it is home to 4 goldfish, and 1 koi.
Most wild type fish are masters of camouflage, so expecting to "see" them much is a "not" what you should plan on.
Of course they are reasons for having a cichlid pond other than seeing them.
Here is an example, I have 2 ponds
the first pic is my cichlid pond.
I can see 1 cichlid in the pic, but it is home to about 10 more.
Below is my goldfish/koi pond, it is home to 4 goldfish, and 1 koi.
I'm in Winnipeg and have a 1200G pond and this year, have devoted it to cichlids and sunfish. About the third week in May, I put out a trio of Andinoacara rivulatus (1M, 2F- they do very well outside), 6 Paraneetroplus breidohri, 2 exCichlasoma beani, 3 Paraneetroplus sp. Coatzacoalcos, 2 Aequidens portalegrensis, and 2 large (12") male Paraneetroplus melanurus. Also 10 Spotted Sunfish (lepomis punctatus) and a pair of Kansas Longear (Lepomis megalotis megalotis). The water temperature has been a little on the low side (68-75F) but the fish seem to have acclimated pretty well so far. Here's a couple of pics from last year. the pond season usually ends around the end of September (we've had "killing frosts" by then), although one year, I shut down the pond on November 1st, when the water temperature that day was 35 F. I had mostly Gymnogeophagus, Australoheros and Longears in there that year, along with a 14" pleco. All survived and were colored up beyond belief. I need to move MUCH further south. BTW, the last pic is of ~100 young Cichlasoma dimerus (Uruguay) that I put in a 100G stock trough. They grew out nicely.
I have a few patio ponds on my balcony. One is a becket preformed but being on the second floor I don't need to worry about racoons so much.
I put out some cutteri fry and aequidens metae fry to grow out in one. The largest pond has a mix of CA and SA cichlids with angels, bolivian rams, and cryptoheros nanoluteus as well as some livebearers for dithers.
I put out some cutteri fry and aequidens metae fry to grow out in one. The largest pond has a mix of CA and SA cichlids with angels, bolivian rams, and cryptoheros nanoluteus as well as some livebearers for dithers.