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Hi,

I'm hoping to start a new aquarium soon, and I've had a variable amount of success with freshwater aquaria in the past--I had two angelfish who mysteriously died in 1998 (I was young and irresponsible); three diamond tetras in 2002, one of which contracted a mystery disease and passed it on to the other two; and currently I have a male betta who is at least a year old and doing wonderfully well (he gets all excited when it's feeding time, which is adorable).

My issue right now is that I am greatly enamored of chiclids (particularly laetacara curviceps), but I'm really paranoid that I'm going to kill them, or put them in an aquarium with incompatible fish (the betta will stay in his own tank, by the way). I've done some research, and it seems like a good setup will be:

2 laetacara curviceps
3 harlequin rasboras
2 blue danios
a couple ramshorn snails
and a lot of plants,

but I'm not sure what size aquarium this would necessitate--aquariumsecrets.com says that 10 gallons would be enough, but this seems way too small to me.

I would have posted this on the chiclids board, but I thought it was way too basic. Thoughts? I love fish, and I don't want to kill any more of them through my ignorance!

Thank you!

Nerissa

first of all how big is the tank they will be going into??

usually rasboras and danios need to be in schools of at least 6. the theory is the more the merrier.

and you should make sure that you get two females of the cichlid because, males will be territorial against each other (usually in cichlids) and also because if mating were to take place the tank mates would/could suffer.

also what are the perameters of your tanks water and your tap water. and what is in your tank currently (ie substrate nd type of substrate, type of filtration, aeration/airstones incorporated, and plants).

i feel the same way about killing via ignorance nerissa. everyone does it. it is part of learning to become a good aquarist!

-brandon

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Hi Nerissa,

Welcome to FP, nice to see another SA ciclid fan !
It is great that you are willing to research the needs of your fish prior to getting them in your tank. You have come to the right place

Laetacara curviceps, otherwise known as the Flag Cichlid, I've never had them and I love dwarf cichlids so I did a search on the net, stunning fish. (I want a pair of them now darn you) So I looked them up further in 2 cichlid books I have handy.

2 will be quite fine in a 10 gal tank. They can be kept and bred in medium hardness water without reservation (unlike many of their apisto friends). I'd still consider putting a little peat under the gravel bed to pull down the ph a tad and add a bit of that blackwater environment 'just because'. In old water they are particularly susceptible to disease, water changes and a liquid nitrate test kit would important. I'd try not to exceed 20ppm. In a fully planted tank with a balance of fast growing nitrate absorbing plants (elodia densa, it's cousin Brazilian elodia, hornwort, najas grass are good examples) you might be able to space your water changes out more, but don't assume, test for nitratres weekly.

You show concern for the well being of your fish so I think you can provide a good environment for them, plus hopefully you will stick around and learn more here and post any questions/problems etc.

A single apple snail (brig) instead of a couple ramshorns would be good, ramshorns will multiply and 1 large snail easier to deal with then hundred of small ones in a small tank. If you don't mind that though, there's no problem. Mine helped keep my tank clean I have brown ramshorns and mts in my 40g, hoping to phase out the browns then introduce the red ramshorns from my 10g. I just think they look nice and easier to see and pick out if needed.

I'd also (don't take me as an expert) say that rasboras and danios would be too fast and jerky swimmers to put the cichlids at ease in close quarters. Something like neon or cardinal tetras or guppys/endlers ? (the cichlids would enjoy hunting the fry too)

People are keeping/breeding these in a 10g and it's very doable, but you could also try to exceed then meet their requirements. The larger the tank, the more stable the environment. A 15g tank, 20g 'Long' planted tank, fine darkish gravel a cave or 2, clay pot and flat stones would be extremely nice for these fish. I hope you share your progress with them and your plant tank ! I'm determined to get some of these now and hoping can add them with german blue rams in my 40g. Seems I'm changing my mind what I want every day but they're all SA cichlids lol.

I don't usually type quite this much, but you got me excited about this particular feesh

Aequidens Dorsiger - Red Breasted Dwarf Cichlid would be another you want to do a net search on I think. Another interesting cichlid

And yup cichlid forum would be a great place for this if a moderator stumbles on it

The Amazon Nut...

Thank you both for your replies!

Brandon, I haven't bought the tank, the substrate, or the filtration system yet. I'm hoping to get a twenty-gallon tank, fine gravel, and an Aquaclear power filter, but I'm trying to assess the needs of the fish before I buy anything. I'm still researching. Thank you for letting me know to get two female chiclids! I was going to try to get a male and a female--I didn't even think that they might get aggressive when breeding.

DaMossMan, thank you for all the info! I had actually thought about the Red Breasted Dwarf Chiclids, but decided the Flags were cuter--the problem I'm having now is FINDING them, but I haven't purchased or cycled the tank yet so I have plenty of time to find them. Thanks for the heads up on the snails, too. I hear that long-finned danios are slower swimmers--I can't really verify that yet, but if it's true, do you think they might be okay with the chiclids? I'm kind of set on the danios as (again) I've heard they're a good cycling fish, but I'll definitely reconsider the rasboras.

Thank you both for such a warm welcome!

hi nerissa i am glad to hear you are researching your fish prior to buying, even some of the most experienced aquarists impulsivly buy fish at the LFS and come home with nothing to do with them!

also the profile on those cichlid on here (FISHPROFILES) says they can become aggressive during breeding. i am not sure if that is reliable, but if you were planning on breeding you would want a larger tank than a ten gallon. glad to hear you are jumping it up to a twenty as well. they are far more stable and much more fun than a dinky ten gallon. just a heads up add the plants and such prior tio the fish and let them settle at least a week before the fish are addd that way the bateria have time to slowly adjust and so your fish are happier upon addition. i would refrain form long finned anything as with most fish that arent perfectly designed for community will or might find them tantalizing and want to nip at them. i would say get a couple mollies or platties as to give the cichlids a little food if they have babies and also to keep the peace. they arent bland in color either and can be found to fit any color scheme. all the best of luck!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

You're welcome Nerissa,

I hope you find those fish, I suspect I'll have a hard time finding them too. Danios and rasboras should be ok, it's kinda personal preference really.

In the meantime planning and setting up your tank will buy you more time to seach for your fish

The Amazon Nut...