Minimum grow out tank size

[Covetous]

wow beautiful. It seems like that tank is around 8x2?

I'm not actually sure. I tagged him in it in hopes he'd chime in. Like I said I think an 8x4x2 would work. I was just saying if I personally was putting the money out I'd get an 8x4x3.

One day in the not so distant future I want to build a 8x4x4 plywood tank. Ah, but for that I need a house. I don't think my apartment would appreciate that. Lol

 

[DarylMac]

Andy Woods has amazing fish and awesome videos. Another guy with great fish and awesome videos is Guapotemel on YouTube. Check him out. I think he is one of the original Dovii keepers, at least in America.

I can't add much more than that as I have never had the pleasure to keep these fish, but you can find pretty good info here or on YouTube.

 

[cichlidfish]

I only use grow out tanks so that fish I am adding won't get eaten by existing tank mates.
IMO it's always best to get the tank intended for life. In the end, you save money too, because you are only buying one tank instead of two.
My biggest tank is a 150g, because I'm limited by space. So I keep cichlids under 10" TL. I want larger species, but won't even to attempt to grow anything out until I buy a bigger house and start w/ something much bigger. That plan is a year or two out. Plus moving big heavy tanks around is a PITA.
People should never consider minimum tanks. More space is always better.

 

[DarylMac]

People should never consider minimum tanks. More space is always better.

I agree, but I'm not sure how often people are thinking to themselves "what's the smallest tank I can buy, and what's the largest fish I can stick in it?"

I'm certain those folks are out there, but more often than not I believe a person has a tank of a certain size already, and they find a fish they'd like to keep - so they come here asking if X fish can fit into Y tank.

Using myself as an example: I'm at a cross roads. I want to do something different with my main display tank. I have an entire 75g set-up (stand, lights, filters, heaters, lids, pressurized CO2 system, PH monitor/controller) just collecting dust in the garage... I have a Chocolate cichlid that I'd really like to keep... I have to decide: Should I keep this Chocolate cichlid in this 48" x 18" tank for the rest of its life? Should I sell him/her? Or should I modify my plans for the display tank so that he/she can remain there, where there is more space? Obviously I can do any one these things - but just because I can do something doesn't mean I should. I'm really struggling with this decision.

But when it comes to tanks I think bigger is always better as well. I also think if you're interested in cichlids enough that you've joined a web forum to learn about them you're probably serious enough about the hobby that buying the biggest tank you can afford and accommodate within your space is not going to end up being a bad investment.

 

[Bandit87]

Thats amazing.
Thank you so much for your answer and taking your time to expand on your answer.
I feel better knowing I still have some months to go before I HAVE to upgrade.
I will be moving soon, so the size of the tank is really easy to upgrade, hence the asking of the question.
So ideally you think a 8x4x2 would be good for the adult solo Dovii male?

Personally if your going all in, might as well get big enough for a pair.