What Predator would do well in a 20 gallon long
- Thread starter Characin Man
- Start date
I keep calvus. They are extremely slow growers. I recommend plenty of cover, plants and rocks as they are timid fish. Mine were rarely seen until I got dithers then they became more comfortable. I started with 6 and am down to 4. They are aggressive with each other and I have had to rehome as they have grown. I am hoping that my remaining pair up and then I will just keep the pair. They did not play nice with the julis or the leulupi that I had them with.
20 is fine when small as they do not move much. I think it may be small once adults.
20 is fine when small as they do not move much. I think it may be small once adults.
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I agree with calvus.
And just a thought, water is not "bad" because it has a high pH,
Lake Malawi with a similar high pH, has over 700 species of cichlids..
The African rift lake where calvus comes from has a similarly high pH.
Where I live in Panama, lake Gatun pH sometimes reaches a pH of 9, and most of Central America and Mexican waters have pHs in the high 8s.
Lake Michigan in Wisconsin averages a pH of 8.6.
A high pH may be "bad" for certain South American or Asian species that come from mineral poor areas, but there are plenty of hard water loving fish out there from all over the world.
And just a thought, water is not "bad" because it has a high pH,
Lake Malawi with a similar high pH, has over 700 species of cichlids..
The African rift lake where calvus comes from has a similarly high pH.
Where I live in Panama, lake Gatun pH sometimes reaches a pH of 9, and most of Central America and Mexican waters have pHs in the high 8s.
Lake Michigan in Wisconsin averages a pH of 8.6.
A high pH may be "bad" for certain South American or Asian species that come from mineral poor areas, but there are plenty of hard water loving fish out there from all over the world.
It's not impossible to do but with his level of experience it would be easier to not have to deal with softening of the water and all the chemistry involved.
I realize on the surface this may seem like semantics, but the term "predator" is often misunderstood.
A 2" cardinal tetra, is no less a predator than a piranha, they just predate on smaller items.
So for your size tank, only one or a group of very small predators would be proper.
Guppies are as much predators as most cichlids.
Most cichlids, are not really predators, they are omnivores, meaning they are opportunistic feeders that get often more than 50% of their diet by eating plants (including algae). And there are a number of cichlids that are predominantly vegetarian.
Or ...... by predator do you mean piscivore, (fish eater). Piscavores are even fewer in number when it comes to cichlids, many omnivores will eat a fish if they get a chance, but many cichlids in nature are inept at chasing down fish, the exceptions are Cichla, Parachromis, and Petenia and a few others from the new world, but all these get too big for your tank, so until you get something over 100 gallons stick to fish that don't get any bigger than 2" or 3".
A 2" cardinal tetra, is no less a predator than a piranha, they just predate on smaller items.
So for your size tank, only one or a group of very small predators would be proper.
Guppies are as much predators as most cichlids.
Most cichlids, are not really predators, they are omnivores, meaning they are opportunistic feeders that get often more than 50% of their diet by eating plants (including algae). And there are a number of cichlids that are predominantly vegetarian.
Or ...... by predator do you mean piscivore, (fish eater). Piscavores are even fewer in number when it comes to cichlids, many omnivores will eat a fish if they get a chance, but many cichlids in nature are inept at chasing down fish, the exceptions are Cichla, Parachromis, and Petenia and a few others from the new world, but all these get too big for your tank, so until you get something over 100 gallons stick to fish that don't get any bigger than 2" or 3".
I would second the Altolamprologus compressiceps sumbu dwarf. Get 6 and some 2in ish size snail shells for them to hide in as well as some cock features. You can also do other shell dwellers with them. Check out shelldwellers.com it is not as well attended as it used to be but good info.
