Height or width for SA cichlids?

[Oz fish guy]

Length is obviously crucial but what is more important after lenght.. do i want a 2ft high tank or a 2ft wide tank? And dont say both aha

 

[tlindsey]

Length is obviously crucial but what is more important after lenght.. do i want a 2ft high tank or a 2ft wide tank? And dont say both aha

2ft width

 

[Backfromthedead]

i think both are important. i think you always need a minimum width as a requirement for a specific fish, but height is very underrated and offers a lot of versatility for your tank. to end this thread early though, everyone on this board is gonna go with width.

 

[duanes]

Since there are probably over 500 species of South American Cichlids that range in size from a couple inches to about 3 ft long, that is a fairly vague question.
If you want species of Cichla, or Caquetaia 2 ft wide isn't enough.
For many 2 ft will be adequate, but height may not be critical .

 

[Gourami Swami]

In general width is better, as it provides more actual territory. height is nice but most cichlids won't case if a tank is 18" or 24" tall, wheras the 6" width will provide more space.

 

[MrsE88]

I’d say length and width are the most important. Hight not so much.
I don’t see mine using very much hight in the tank, but would really benefit from more footprint.

 

[Oz fish guy]

Roger that

 

[jhook]

Width. I have a tall tank and most of mine hang out near the bottom or around the driftwood structure that I move around.