Cichlid Newbie - opinion of what species to start with

Mephistopheles wrote in


> uths, rainbow cichlids (Herotilapia multispinosa), N.
> brichardi are substrate breeding cichlids that should do well in your
> water conditions, are usually easy to breed, and do not get too big.
> Yellow labs might be a good choice for mouthbrooders -- but you would
> want to get one male and several females, not just a pair of these.
> There are many other cho

Thank you both for your quick responses.

Firemouth, Convicts and Rainbows were the ones I had looked considered.
They grow fairly large though 20cm for Convicts (I read.) Would they not
grow too big for a 20gal aquarium? Would an upgrade (in a few years or
whenever) have to be a consideration?

Another question, how many eggs are they likely to lay and how many
spawn?

--
Regards

JTC ^,,^
 >> Stay informed about: Cichlid Newbie - opinion of what species to start with 

"jazzthecat ^,,^" wrote in message

> Mephistopheles wrote in
>
>
> > uths, rainbow cichlids (Herotilapia multispinosa), N.
> > brichardi are substrate breeding cichlids that should do well in your
> > water conditions, are usually easy to breed, and do not get too big.
> > Yellow labs might be a good choice for mouthbrooders -- but you would
> > want to get one male and several females, not just a pair of these.
> > There are many other cho
>
> Thank you both for your quick responses.
>
> Firemouth, Convicts and Rainbows were the ones I had looked considered.
> They grow fairly large though 20cm for Convicts (I read.) Would they not
> grow too big for a 20gal aquarium? Would an upgrade (in a few years or
> whenever) have to be a consideration?
>
> Another question, how many eggs are they likely to lay and how many
> spawn?
>
> --
> Regards
>
> JTC ^,,^

You can add to the list dwarf Julidochromis species, possibly a trio of
Altolamprologus, any of the Tanganyikan shelldwellers, a pair of Gobies,
possibly a pair of Pelvicachromis kribensis (although pH is a bit high). Kribs
have been known to breed in water with a pH of 7.5, but you end up with more
males than females. But on the bright side, the fry are typically bigger and
more numerous.
30"L X 12"W X 13"H is a 20 gallon long. If your measurements are as you
say, your tank is closer to 30 gallons as Meph said. This does increase your
options. Perhaps a trio of some of the smaller, more peaceful fish from Lake
Malawi. Small Aulonocara species or Copadichromis species. Research is key.
Amateur
www.amateurcichlids.com
 >> Stay informed about: Cichlid Newbie - opinion of what species to start with 

> You can add to the list dwarf Julidochromis species, possibly a trio
> of Altolamprologus, any of the Tanganyikan shelldwellers, a pair of
> Gobies, possibly a pair of Pelvicachromis kribensis (although pH is a
> bit high). Kribs have been known to breed in water with a pH of 7.5,
> but you end up with more males than females. But on the bright side,
> the fry are typically bigger and more numerous.
> 30"L X 12"W X 13"H is a 20 gallon long. If your measurements are
> as you
> say, your tank is closer to 30 gallons as Meph said. This does
> increase your options. Perhaps a trio of some of the smaller, more
> peaceful fish from Lake Malawi. Small Aulonocara species or
> Copadichromis species. Research is key. Amateur
> www.amateurcichlids.com
>
>

Thanks

Well it is more towards 30 but 20 gal is the actual capacity, accounting
for gravel and rocks.

My trip today to my local aquarist was disappointing. I expected to have
a couple of species of cichlids, but didn't have any. It was Aquatic and
Garden centre, and judging by the over-crowded displays I wasn't exactly
keen. Though from my experience I think that's common practice. I'm new
to the area so I suppose I have plenty of hunting for a good aquarist.
Maybe I will contact a local breeder / fanciest rather than a shody old
shop. My local area is Banbury/Oxford/Milton Keynes in the UK. Anybody
got any leads for me. Much appreciated. TIA

--
Regards

JTC ^,,^
 >> Stay informed about: Cichlid Newbie - opinion of what species to start with 

In article , jazzthecat ^,,^ wrote:
> Maybe I will contact a local breeder / fanciest rather than a shody old
> shop. My local area is Banbury/Oxford/Milton Keynes in the UK. Anybody
> got any leads for me. Much appreciated. TIA

I've been touring round various fish shops recently trying to decide
what I want to do, and have been impressed by the various Maidenhead
Aquatics shops I have been to. Website at www.fishkeeper.co.uk.
They don't go quite as far north as you, so it is a bit of a trip.
Each shop seems to specialise in different things, so it is worth
visiting a few, or maybe phoning them up to find out what they stock.
For ex. the Iver shop had a large selection of corals, while the
Guildford shop had lots of puffers and quite a few Cichlids.

-Paul Murray
 >> Stay informed about: Cichlid Newbie - opinion of what species to start with 

"jazzthecat ^,,^" wrote in


> Mephistopheles wrote in
>
>
>> uths, rainbow cichlids (Herotilapia multispinosa), N.
>> brichardi are substrate breeding cichlids that should do well in your
>> water conditions, are usually easy to breed, and do not get too big.
>> Yellow labs might be a good choice for mouthbrooders -- but you would
>> want to get one male and several females, not just a pair of these.
>> There are many other cho
>
> Thank you both for your quick responses.
>
> Firemouth, Convicts and Rainbows were the ones I had looked
> considered. They grow fairly large though 20cm for Convicts (I read.)
> Would they not grow too big for a 20gal aquarium? Would an upgrade (in
> a few years or whenever) have to be a consideration?

My books, e.g. the Baensch atlas, lists the maximum size of firemouths
and convicts at 15 centimeters (six inches), and rainbows slightly
smaller. I have never seen a 20 centimeter convict. My general rule is
that the tank should be at least twice as wide, front to back, as the
fish is long. Your 30 gallon aquarium meets this guideline, even at the
maximum size for these fish. Generally, you will be lucky to grow fish
to the maximum size. And once they reach that size, death from old age
may not be far in the future. So I personally would not worry about it.
However, if you want to give your fish even more room you can try some
of the smaller species, such as kribensis or shell dwellers.

>
> Another question, how many eggs are they likely to lay and how many
> spawn?
>
Depends on the size of the fish as well as the species. I have seen one
inch convicts breed; of course, at that size there are few eggs
(approximately 30 as I recall). Rainbows have a reputation for being
especially prolific -- large ones laying 600 to 1000 eggs. Firemouths,
100 to 500 eggs. Good books should have more information.

Meph
 >> Stay informed about: Cichlid Newbie - opinion of what species to start with