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Hello! I have a 29 gallon tank in which I’ve keep several Gouramies and an algae eater. I’ve had my fish for close to 3 years and some of them have died. Understanding how the “circle of life” works, I know that they will all eventually pass away (). When the time comes, I would like to have cichlids in my tank. Now, I know very little about them. First, I would like to know what are my options when looking at stocking my tank – so that I can then research my options and make selections. Second, I would like to take care of fish that have both lots of color and character. Do you know of any fish that will keep me glued to the aquarium? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

i like my firemouth and kribs.

you could do 1 firemouth, and a pair of kribs along with a few others.

the kribs will breed if you have a pair, which will give the firemouth some treats sometimes.

In a 29, your options are limited Cichlid wise. That is, of course, if you're planning to maintain the current setup more or less 'as is' water chemistry and decor wise. If you want to tear the whole thing apart and rebuild from scratch, I suspect quite a few people here will be yelling the word "SHELLIES!" in your ears very loudly, as a 29 gallon would make for a great shell dweller colony.

If you're looking for something that will live in a planted aquarium with 'South American' type water, then there are two possibilities I'd recommend to a newcomer, one a genuine South American, one an African that happens to live in waters that are 'South American' chemistry wise because it's a West African riverine species. The reasons for my choices being as follows:

[1] Both are peaceful fishes - in fact, about as close to a 'pacifist' Cichlid species as you will ever find;

[2] Both are reasonably hardy and adaptable to a wide range of aquarium water chemistry parameters;

[3] Both are wonderfully colourful (though in different ways) and are beautiful in breeding dress;

[4] Both species maintain their equanimity when breeding and don't go on killing sprees;

[5] Both species are dependable parents that will provide beautiful examples of Cichlid parental care when breeding, with many virtues and almost no vices;

[6] Both species stay nice and small (around 3 inches maximum);

[7] Both species will live in planted aquaria without trying to destroy the plants, or rearrange the other furnishings unduly.

First, the genuine South American - Laetacara curviceps, the Flag Cichlid. A monogamous substrate spawner that deserves to be much more widely sold than many of the more commonly available (and far less suitable for beginners) Cichlids in circulation.

Second, the West African - Anomalochromis thomasi, a special favourite of mine that I had as a teenager, and which again, is VASTLY underrated as a beginner's Cichlid.

Either of these two will settle down to domestic bliss in a 29 gallon setup. They'll introduce you to many of the intricacies of Cichlid social life (particularly the intricacies of Cichlid parenthood) without the pyroclastic rages of fishes such as Dempseys and Melanochromis chipokae Mbuna, and will serve as a stepping stone to somewhat more demanding fishes such as certain Apistogramma Dwarf Cichlids that are sky high desirable but best left to those with some experience.

You could, if you can find them, try out one of the two Nannacara species that are also underrated as beginner's Cichlids, but with a caveat: when breeding, Nannacara anomala in particular exhibits some domestic violence. And, it's the female that beats up the male if he doesn't take the hint and leave the nesting to her ... Nannacara taenia can exhibit this trait also, but to a lesser extent. Again, both of these fishes are, outside the breeding cycle, peaceful and capable of being integrated into a community setup with much greater ease than many other Cichlids, with the exception of course of the two wonderful pacifists I began this post with.

Recently, I've seen Laetacara dorsigera in circulation. I don't know much about this fish, but if it proves to be as peaceful as its cousin, then this too is a fish worth checking out, as it's a very pretty fish. There are other Laetacara species to hunt down too, but they're likely to be MUCH rarer than L. curvivceps - one that springs to mind as a somewhat understated fish colour scheme wise but which has a certain demure charm, is Laetacara thayeri.

Cleithracara maronii, the Keyhole Cichlid, is another 'pacifist' species, but is a tad large for a 29 at 4 inches. However, if you decide just to keep a pair of Keyholes in there, this is another option.

If you're willing to try something that is more demanding in terms of aquarium maintenance, but which will also be highly rewarding if you're successful, try Dicrossus filamentosus, the Checkerboard Cichlid. A shy fish that is usually considered to be a species aquarium inmate, and one that will exhibit somewhat more of the 'personality' (i.e., strong territoriality and therefore some aggression) associated with Cichlids as a Family. However, it's still a LONG way in this regard from being one of the 'bad boys', certainly a long way from being a, shall we say, "interesting" as the likes of Salvinis and Green Terrors!

There you go - some fishes that are different from the "run of the mill" for you to track down.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thank you Calilasseia for such an in depth response; I do have an additional question: How many Anomolachromis thomasi can I have in a 29 gallon aquarium? Is it still an inch of fish per gallon or water? Sorry, all I have had are Gouramies…

Well, the good news about Anomalochromis thomasi, if you find it, is that you could put four in that setup without too much trouble and not have to worry unduly about a mated pair beating the others up. Because unlike most other Cichlids, they don't do that. in fact, if you wanted to be really sure of getting a mated pair, you could obtain 6 of them, let Nature take its course, and even when the mated pair starts spawning, chances are (and believe me, this is VERY unusual for Cichlids!) the mated pair will not only tolerate the other fishes, but could even raise a brood of young with the other adults in there. not done THAT often, but it's been known with this species, which is yet another reason why I'm keen to acquire it myself!

Actually, to give you some idea what this fish is like, try this snippet from Dr Paul Loiselle:

In a contest to determine the most inept piscivore in the Family Cichlidae, A. thomasi would finish in a dead heat with such paragons of predatory incompetence as Aequidens curviceps, Crenicara filamentosa, and Tanganicodus irsacae. based on my own observations, this species would starve to death in a tank of guppies! In nature, the dwarf jewel fish feeds on insect larvae, small aquatic crustaceans and stranded terrestrial insects.

The article from which that quote above was taken, which covers a wealth of details regarding the fish (such as the hoo-ha over its taxonomic placement) can be found here.

Take note of the fact that while the fish is a West African riverine Cichlid, and lives in the wild in what is technically a blackwater habitat of the kind more usually thought of as being South American (and home to such fishes as Cardinal Tetras to boot!) it's an adaptable species that will spawn in moderately hard water, and water that is slightly alkaline, so long as extremes are avoided. However, I suspect that if you are able to provide it with softer and more acidic water, chances are it will be happier, depending upon such details as the water in which it was originally bred (aquarium bred specimens, when available, are even more adaptable than the wild caught ones).

Given that Dr Loiselle cites inescts as being a component of the wild diet, if you can give your specimens wingless fruit flies to eat, it's possible that may prove to be a superb means of conditioning them to spawn.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Darn! I live in a zone that has hard, alkaline water. Do you know of a way to soften water without having to pump it full of chemicals? Could you please also recommend a type of cichlid that would do okay in a 29-gallon tank with hard, alkaline water?

If your water is hard, you might have better luck with Bolivian rams (Microgeophagus altispinosa) or Pelvicachromis pulcher (Kribensis). The bolivian rams especially do well in harder water with higher pH.

Then again, how high is your pH and how hard is your water? If it's really hard and high pH, some form of African Rift Lake cichlids may be a better choice. Tanganyikans like N. brichardi (princess or fairly cichlid), small julies (dickfeldi, ornatus) and any shell dweller would do well in your tank.

Eric

Depending upon how hard and alkaline your water is, your could still maintain Anomalochromis thomasi without too much trouble, so long as your parameters aren't extreme. If your water is, on the other hand, hard and alkaline enough for Tangnyikan fishes, I'd run with shell dwellers (I mentioned this in my first post funnily enough).

This page will (if you scroll down) tell you all about Rift Lake water - including the wonders of Tanganyikan chemistry.

You''ll also find this page useful if you're contemplating Rift Lake fishes, particularly Shellies.

If your tap water is around pH 8.4, and boasts a hardness of 20 degrees dH or more, then Shellies are probably a good bet. In a 29 they'd have LOTS of space (because they're tiny Cichlids!) and you'd have all the fun of watching them engage in a wide range of behaviours including spawning and raising fry. In fact, chances are you'd end up with rather a LOT of fry if you managed the project well


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Depending upon how hard and alkaline your water is...

Let's see... I pulled this info off my local water utilities website:
PARAMETER AVERAGE
Phenol Alkalinity as CaCO3 2
Total Alkalinity as CaCO3 86
Total Hardness as CaCO3 168
pH 8.47

I told you it I had hard, alkaline water...

Does anybody have any new recommendations based on these parameters?

-Angel

With those parameters, Tanganyikan fishes are pretty high on the list.

Shell Dwellers - Neolamprologus species - should he VERY high on your shopping list now. Fortunately there are several species to choose from, and in a 29, they'll have a fair amount of space to strut their stuff.

However, if you run with shell dwellers, make sure that they have a surplus of shells to choose from, so that they're not bickering over 'real estate'. It's not ovverdoing things to carpet the entire bottom of the aquarium with empty shells for the fishes to pick and choose from.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002