my first Cichlid

[SleepyCanadian]

its a dolphin cichlid about 2inches, i have him in a 20g with a pleco and a gold fish the same size

the guy at the fish store said they are really slow in the growing category.. i was wondering how slow.. like when will he get to big for the 20g, and should i get another one instead of the goldfish?

 

[Mokujin22]

Cyrtocara moori get big... males 9"+.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1061

If it's a 20L, you may be good for a few months. If it's a 20H, then sooner. Longer than that will result in stunted growth.

A single adult could probably be kept in a 55. If you wanted to do more than one, I'd go with 3 (1M/2F) and keep them in a 75 (long term). You could keep them with a group of peacocks or a group of smaller, less aggressive mbuna.

While they are considered more docile haps, two males in a tank will result in the larger picking on the smaller one. You probably won't see this happen for a while though. If you are sure you can dedicate a 75 to them some day, I'd get a couple more now and let them grow up together.

Good luck. They're great fish.

 

[SleepyCanadian]

Stunted growth... how does that affect the fishes health? oh ya its a 20g high

i want to get a bigger tank like a 75-100g but thats a few years away lol

 

[jclyde13]

Stunted growth... how does that affect the fishes health? oh ya its a 20g high

i want to get a bigger tank like a 75-100g but thats a few years away lol

The immune system is damaged so it's much more likely to become diseased and die of what are usually easily treated issues, like ich. In a few years, your fish should be around 10". If you will not be able to upgrade to at least a 30-40 gallon soon (within the next month or two), then I would definitely return it.