Starting another fish tank

[Auggie]

So, I'm going to be acquiring a 30 gallon aquarium next week and want to put some cichlids in it. Most freshwater fish are boring, but cichlids are active and territorial and have interesting variegated colors. I've talked to a few pet store owners - both at the national chain stores and local small specialty fish shops - and I've received mixed feedback on putting cichlids in a 30g tank. Some think it's too small, others say they'll do just fine.

When I was in college a few years ago, I had a 20g long tank, and had 5 cichlids in there. They survived with no problems and remained healthy and active.

I feel like if I stack up some rocks and make a half-dozen hideout spots, the fish should do just fine.

Does anybody here have any experience with cichlids in 30g tanks?

 

[Captante]

Depends ... smaller Africans should do ok, although there WILL be violence ... its inevitable that fish will be getting their eyes chewed out & if you can accept this you'll be ok. If occasional carnage bothers you, then you should look to other types of fish as pets.

Try to stick with the same type & size of cichlid & understand that it'll take awhile to find a mix of fish that will work out if you decide to go ahead ... also resist the urge to buy any expensive types, because they'll always be the first to go.

Edit: I have a 45 gallon cichlid tank & things still get ugly once in awhile ... most of my fish seem to have reached a state of "MAD" at this point though *(mutually assured destruction) & leave each other alone... I tried following the rules at first & ended up just going by the law of the jungle... the strong survive & the weak get eaten!

 

[Drizzy]

I had a 25 gallon tank with 4 cichlids in it - they were all the same species and there was 1 male with 3 females... if you mix 2 males or mix species they will fight and the stronger one will kill the weaker one. I saw it first hand. If you stick to the "rules" they should be fine.

 

[Drizzy]

BTW it was really fun because I had a great breading pair and the female would get pregnant every 6 weeks or so and then I'd force her to give up her fry (they are mouth breeders) after a few weeks and raise them in a separate tank. Those are fun little guys.

 

[Auggie]

Carnage is good.

 

[Antisocial Virge]

Originally posted by: Auggie
Carnage is good.

Yea sounds like fun till you see it happen. It all depends on what type of cichlids you get also. You could get the smaller shell dweller ones (Lake Tanganyika I think) and it might be better than the Lake Malawi ones. I have a bunch but they are in a 90 gallon tank. Pretty territorial but not much ripping to shreds. Go away on vacation and leave the tank to someone else though, then I come home to some very damaged fish. MOve the rocks around every few weeks and it keeps the violence to a minimum.