1. Welcome to Aquarium Space! We are a friendly online community for aquarium owners all over the world who love their tanks including their fish, reefs, corals, invertebrates and their aquatic livestock. If you haven't joined yet, we invite you to register and join our community!

beginner needs help!!

Discussion in 'Cichlids' started by hersheykses, Jul 19, 2010.

  1. hersheykses

    hersheykses Thread Starter New Member

    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    hello i purchased a 36 gallon bow front how many cichlids would be enough i want to start with small size fish send me some ideas please what species should i start with or is it ok to mix them?
     
    hersheykses, Jul 19, 2010
    #1
  2. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

    Messages:
    5,728
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    What are the tank dimensions ? Generally you will want a longer tank when keeping Africans.
     
    Anthony, Jul 19, 2010
    #2
  3. HBIC

    HBIC Need help??? That's what we're here for :)

    Messages:
    1,000
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Do some research on which cichlids you would like. Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria or some of the New World Cichlids from Central and South America. Since this tank, I am assuming, is mainly for your son he would probably like the brightly colored Lake Malawi cichlids known as Mbuna. You must be careful though as these are aggressive fish, perhaps something along the lines of the yellow lab, they are not overly aggressive and stay small enough you could have a few in your tank.
    <a class="postlink" href="http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/electricyellow.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/c ... yellow.php</a>
     
    HBIC, Jul 19, 2010
    #3
  4. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

    Messages:
    5,172
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    38
    you can use the aqadvisor.com at the bottom of the page to help once you know what you wanna keep.
    It's not fully accurate with discus as far as sizing and what / how many other species can be kept with it, but it gives you a good idea in general.
     
    MOD_Dawn, Jul 20, 2010
    #4
  5. hersheykses

    hersheykses Thread Starter New Member

    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    thanks for all your advice and as for the dimensions of the tank not exactly sure but it looks tall and spacious :) i think we are going to go with the lake malawi they are pretty. thanks again
     
    hersheykses, Jul 20, 2010
    #5
  6. HBIC

    HBIC Need help??? That's what we're here for :)

    Messages:
    1,000
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Please remember with the Lake Malawi Mbuna that many get large (ish) and need quite a bit of space, like I previously stated I would go with the Yellow Labs in your tank size due to size.
     
    HBIC, Jul 20, 2010
    #6
  7. redtop72

    redtop72 New Member

    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I recomend the least agressive malawi's you can get, some are very agressive and can cost you $$$ in the long run. Remember when purchasing small fish you cant sex them, one female in an all male tank can cause many deaths with all cichlid specieas, weed out the females and have lots of hiding places and you should be O.K. Good luck.
     
    redtop72, Aug 31, 2010
    #7