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I am looking for some small Africans that I can put in a 20 Gallon. I am hoping for a group of 4 maybe, but I will take whatever suggestions people have. These will be my first ever African Cichlids. I have kept angels and an Oscar before, which is about the height of my experience. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.
-Nick

I have blue rams...about 2 inches long, which are beautiful and really neat to watch.

I've got a fever... and the only prescription... is more cowbell!

Blue Rams aren't Africans.


There are two basic ways to go with a 20 gal - Riverine africans, which can often be kept in a fairly normal community, or Rift Lakers (limited to Lake Tanganyika).

If you naturally have neutral to soft water, the riverine cichlids would be a great choice. The most popular smallish riverines are the Krib group, Pelvicachromis pulcher and its cousins. Kribs are popular for good reason: they're beautiful, hardy, and breed easily. And, although some people find they're too agressive, many Kribs can be kept in a tank with fast middle- or top-dwelling non-cichlids like danios or platies.
Another good riverine choice would be S. casuarius, the "Buffalohead cichlid," an adorable little fish that's a little less common but about as hardy and easy to breed as the Krib.

If you naturally have hard, alkaline water, you might look into certain Tanganyikan fish. For a tank of sand and shells, the many species of shelldweller are beautiful, fun fish, most of which are easy to breed and spilling over with personality. If you like the rocky look, a tank of rocks and a species of small rockdweller like the lovely Lemon Cichlid N. leleupi or one of the smaller Julidochromis would be a great choice.

-Molly
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