# African cichlids size



## dogg76 (Jan 31, 2004)

as far as i know, they can grow from 4"to 6", i have 4 in my 29g, the biggest one is probably 2". if you have a sand substrate with plants i wouldnt suggest keeping them. they like to dig in the sand(or at least mine do). they are also aggressive fish, so you are limited in what fish you can keep with them....they also need some rocks to hide in....sorry for rambling..


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## secretagent (Mar 13, 2004)

No.. Its fine I was hoping someone could give me a detail description!! And what you mean by agressive is that they dont like other fish besides African cichlids right? all I am confused about is that and if they kick up sand why keep a planted tank?! Thanks for the quick responce! Also I have a sand substrate!


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## dogg76 (Jan 31, 2004)

my 29g isnt planted, i just have rocks in it and a little hornwort. like i said before, they are aggressive towards other fish except other africans.....i think you can keep a certain catfish with them, i think its called a syndonitis catfish....i probably mispelled that, sorry. in a 20g i wouldnt have more than three....but thats just my opinion. if you do a search on the web for african cichlids you could probably find some more information. i know there is a forum..let me check and ill give you the address.


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## dogg76 (Jan 31, 2004)

heres the site address.. http://www.african.uklinux.net/phpBB/index.php

you should find everything you need to know about africans here...Good Luck!


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## secretagent (Mar 13, 2004)

Thanks


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

All African cichlids are not created equal. Are you looking for softwater West Africans or hardwater Rift Lake cichlids?


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## Verminaard (Dec 4, 2003)

You could always consider small shell dwelling africans as well. Some are as small as 2-3in(Neolamprologous multifasciatus). Julidichromis species also are fairly small but can be somewhat aggressive at times...Your best bet is to research every possibility before you come to a final decision. Its not very fun to buy little cute fish and then see them reach maturity and kill each other...............................


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## secretagent (Mar 13, 2004)

But will this work with 3 in a 20g? That is average sized cichlids


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

It all depends on the species... To be honest I can't think of any species of Cichlid that would work in a tank that small accept the South American Dwarfs (Rams, Apisto's), West African Dwarfs (Kribs, 1 pair only), or a small group of Shell Dwellers


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## nimmie (Jan 22, 2004)

dogg76 said:


> my 29g isnt planted, i just have rocks in it and a little hornwort. like i said before, they are aggressive towards other fish except other africans.....i think you can keep a certain catfish with them, i think its called a syndonitis catfish....i probably mispelled that, sorry. in a 20g i wouldnt have more than three....but thats just my opinion. if you do a search on the web for african cichlids you could probably find some more information. i know there is a forum..let me check and ill give you the address.


You mean Synodontis? I think those are the "squeakers"...decorated squeakers, featherfin squeakers, cuckoo squeakers and even-spotted squeakers!! (I LOVE these guys' names :lol: ) Try the gallery over at Aquahobby.com, they've those four species with lots of info...


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## NFish (Nov 5, 2002)

Messyroadkil, you are probably talking about the African cichlids you see in store labeled as "assorted African cichlids." These are generally mbuna ("rock fish"). They come from Lake Malawi in east Africa. They are Rift lake cichlids. You could certainly do some in a 20 gallon, but you must plan carefully. Your tank should have a lot of rock work (no driftwood) with LOTS of hiding places. The substrate should be sand (doesn't have to be, but preferable). If you want to keep live plants, you could try swords, floating plants, anubius and Java Fern. DON'T USE CO2! The pH should be atleast 7.5 if possible. Then you need to choose the species of African cichlids carefully. I'm assuming you want several different species, not all the same. Some choices are:

Labidichromis caeruleus - electric yellow/yellow lab (yellow with black fins)
Idotropheus sprengerae - rusty cichlid (brownish)
Pseudotropheus socolofi - socolofi (purple/blue with black fins, also albino form)
Pseudotropheus acei - acei (blueish with yellowish fins)
Pseudotropheus zebra - zebra cichlid (MANY color forms, including orange, blue, spotted); may be too aggressive, buy small
Psedotropheus salousi - salousi (females yellow/orange, males blue/black stripes)

Stay away from 
melanochromis species (especially auratus and johanni)
Psedotropheus kenyi (very pretty fish with vertical bars on yellow or blue body)
Psedotropheus demonsoni
all haps and peacocks such as:
aulonocara sp.
haplichromis sp. including:
electric blue cichled (Sciaenochromis/Haplichromis ahli)

Hope that helps


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## secretagent (Mar 13, 2004)

THAT beyond helps and yes I bought a yellow one with black on its fins, a blue one, and one with the zebra look! Well will these work well together? So far they dont seem to be bothering eachother!


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## Verminaard (Dec 4, 2003)

Messyroadkil said:


> ! Well will these work well together? So far they dont seem to be bothering eachother!


Generally speaking, cichlids typically dont exhibit their aggressive behavior until proper territories have been established. As long as you have plently of rockwork and hiding spots they should be ok. In the future It would be best to research each particular genus before purchasing and fish. This could help avoid a potentially fatal situation (for the fish I mean). Check on the web there is a "african cichlid recipe" site that will tell you what can and cannot get along peacefully. Good luck.


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## secretagent (Mar 13, 2004)

Thanks I know but... Well Ok, Ill research :>


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