What is the best solo cichlid for an 20 gallon tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
For one, mbuna are not solitary fish. They breed in harems, unlike convicts which breed in pairs. This usually mean 1 male:4 females or with aggressive species 1 male:7 females.
Second, mbuna are very active and mbuna means rock fish. They dart in and out of rock piles.
Third, without other tankmates to show dominance over or to mate with, the fish won't be very happy or active. That is sort of like having a dog that sleeps all day. Sure, you have a pet, but what's the point?
 
CheddaCheese said:
I sorta want a wet pet, are rams interactive? Also I saw angelfish, and gourami(I know these aren't cichlids), are these interactive? What about the africans and convicts? Are those incompatible with cories.
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Angelfish ARE Cichlids but get too big and tall for a 20g, The same with gouramis unless you get the dwarf species.
 
I 2nd the vote for a pair of kribensis. Easy to sex and breed and colors will get intense when they start breeding. I bred a pair in a 10 gallon on the desk of my college dorm room. Then I got another 10 to raise the fry while hatching brine shrimp in a liter bottle on my window sill! Best unexpected benefit was girls in the dorm asking if they could see my baby fish :naughty:
 
Convict are interesting, relatively small, come in a few color morphs, and will breed like rabbits! So they are a great choice for a species only tank. For scavangers you will have to go with Pictus Cats, Raphaels or something tougher than Corys. You could also do Kribensis, which are more peaceful than convicts and more colorful. I saw a nice tank (maybe a 55) that had Koi Angelfish, Kribensis and several red-tailed sharks. Seems like an odd mix but everyone seemed happy, the Kribs were breeding and the sharks chased themselves around and did not shred the Angel's fins.

Another nice fish you might consider for a 20 is Neolamprologus brichardi, from Lake Tanganyika. They are small, breed readily and look a bit like the marine fish Anthias, though nowhere near as colorful. You could get some marine rubble rock or other limestone (they are rock dwellers and require hard water) and have a nice little colony. Pretty typical African Cichlid conditions. For cats you could get some of the smaller Synodontis species that occur in Tanganyika also, S. multipunctatis is a knockout, but pricey. I think there is a variety of N. brichardi called "Daffodil" that has some nice yellow highlights.
 
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