YeW Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Hi Guys / Gals - Here's my attempt to cover the best "first" cichlids - please vote above and reply (if you choose other). I've chosen one or two cichlids from each of the regions in which cichlids are found. By "first" I mean the best cichlid for someone with no experience with fish or cichlids. Keep in mind all aspects of the fish, aggression, ease of breeding etc. I plan to put a modified version of this document into the NSWCS magazine - so would appreciate your detailed feedback if you chose 'other'. Cheers - Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I think Convicts are the best first cichlid. Because.. 1. They are readily avaliable. 2. They are good for breeding because they breed like rabbits. 3. They are not expensive. 4. They dont need a very big tank to keep in. 5. They adapt to the water conditions easily. 6. They give the newbie fishkeeper insight of whats a aggresive fish 7. If the newbie breeder has a hard time getting other fish to breed, well convicts will do the job. 8. just because they are a bit aggro, doesent mean there not a good first fish, i reckon newbies gotta learn the hard way.Bashing of the female doesent always happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted January 28, 2005 Author Share Posted January 28, 2005 Hi Daniel - If intentionally left convicts off this list as I think they make bad first cichlids as they are aggressive and the fry are hard to get rid of - most especially for beginners. I agree they are certainly one of the easiest of cichlids to breed and very adaptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Morelia Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Not another one of these debates Why don't you put Convicts in the poll, just to see what people think ? Seems very biased to me to leave them out when they are regarded as a good beginner by quite a few. If they are as bad as you seem to think, they won't get many votes, will they ? It's all very relative to what you want to keep in the future anyway Andy DM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Hi Dave, I was going to vote for the Cutter's, however my female gets a periodical bollocking from the male and I guess a "newbie" would be distressed by this (or unable to take appropriate action). Therefore, from the list I chose the yellows. merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted January 29, 2005 Author Share Posted January 29, 2005 Andy - I didnt put them in cause it's my poll LOL! But you'll notice I have an "other" (please specify) - so far I've counted one for the convict - Are you backing them also? I'm not trying to exclude any fish - and I tried to include a central american in the list... though perhaps rainbow cichlids (H. multispinosa) may have been a better choice! It isnt a debate - I am trying to get some info together for an article for the NSWCS magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViS Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Definitley saulosi. Even though it's on the list I'll explain - Easy to breed - Easy to sex - Hardy - Easy to sell fry - Look great in a species only tank - Inexpensive - Can be kept in a trio or large colony - Can be kept in a 3ft tank or bigger - They look nearly as good as msobo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted January 29, 2005 Author Share Posted January 29, 2005 and I think that's more than a good reason not to vote for them Andrea . I've never kept them - but included them as a convict-like fish, that's a little easier to offload fry-wise. I'd also been lead to believe they were a bit more peaceful than convicts.... that's why they are there . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Hi Dave, After completing the other questionare that you have posted, I think that I should have answered "other" and placed G. acei there merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Of that list i think the Kribs would be the best...but personally i learn't alot from my lombardoi. They taught me how to handle aggresion in a tank, they were easy to sex, they are enjoyable to watch, they are inexpencive. The down side was they were not easy to sell and its damn hard to find females. But yes alot of begginers would be put off by the aggro factor which didn't bother me at all, which is why i think they were a good first cichlid for me, which doesn't neccesarily mean they are a good begining cichlid for others. Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.d.m Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 i agree with andy and with one additional reason, that is that beginners always overcrowd their tanks and mbuna thrive in these conditions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianos Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 I vote the Bolivian Ram (which I believe is now in Microgeophagus). They are not at all aggressive in a problematic manner. By this I mean they are aggressive towards each other but not in a manner that does any harm. I consider this aggression to add some character to these fish. It is also not particularly continuous unless the tank is too small, in which case they will hide from each other instead. They are very adaptable to a wide range of water chemistry. I have seen them thrive in acid to alkaline tanks. (Neither my tanks, which are in relatively neutral pH). They will breed quite easily but they are slow growing and need to be in a tank without bottom feeders, which in my experience, will clean up the eggs that are laid in a pit. They are available but not overly common so you can sell fry (although not for much money). They are excellent community fish. In my experience you can have these fish with anything else. Even some of the more aggressive cichlids, such as African Melanochromis auratus or American Cichlasoma octofasciatum seem to never give them trouble. I have found they seem to get on quite well with the larger Americans that don’t even defend their territory when the rams enter it. Other nice things for beginners about them: They stay small and are much better suited to smallish tanks than many other cichlids. You can keep two healthy M. altispinosa in a 40L tank if you start with small fish and have a good schedule. They do not hide. They are ‘front glass’ fish. Like many cichlids they seem interested in what is happening in the room outside their tank. They seem to be impervious to diseases like white spot. I have had bad infections with white spot even effect catfish but the altispinosa seemed to be unaffected. bad points: They can come with camalanus worms. This needs to be treated quickly and once treated fully I have never seen it come back. p.s. the H. multispinosa would be an excellent first choice as well but the altispinosa is a better choice as, assuming beginners will (wrongly) be getting a smaller tank, the rainbows can get a bit bigger, they grow much quicker and they can get quite aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannat Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 i vote aulonocara.its interesting to see them as they gain colour.they breed readily as well and arent real aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyme Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 I voted for Yellows because a brightly coloured easy to breed, easily sold, and a fish that seems to be attractive to everyone is a great place to start. I think a fish that requires tap water or tap water with something added is so much easier for a beginner. When I've sold fish to begginers you tell them add water and so many table spoons of white powder and off they go, no prblems. If you start to explain chelating, RO and the down sides of removing stuff from Sydney tap water you see all the body language associated with "its just too hard". Other than agression in later life so many of the Melanochromis sp. are great for beginners too. Great colour, hardy, good size for medium tanks, easy to breed but as I say, the buggers get cranky when they get old. Just like me!! Craig. btw, I had never heard of "Cutters Cichlid" does it have another common name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamsherman Posted January 29, 2005 Share Posted January 29, 2005 Hi Daniel - If intentionally left convicts off this list as I think they make bad first cichlids as they are aggressive and the fry are hard to get rid of - most especially for beginners. I agree they are certainly one of the easiest of cichlids to breed and very adaptable. Ahhhhhh, YeW, are we looking at a beginners easiest to keep or beginners "easiest to sell" here??? LOL For me, i reckon ('scuze the gramma!! LOL) the Herotilapia multispinosa "rainbow cichlids" for the fact that they are convicts without the aggression. Whereas, convicts are 2nd in line as they are the easiest, although they are aggressive, only with other fish in the tank that arent convicts. Ive had numerous pairs now, and never have i seen aggression towards each other, but i have seen aggression towards other species. So i recommend that cons be housed in a species (convicts) only tank. Just my little tidbit to add to the convo. Cheers, Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 G'day Personally I believe that saulossi are the best first fish. But I voted for Electric yellows because they are easier to sell and are available at just about every fish store. So I suupose if I could have two votes they would each have gotten a vote but when pushed I had to vote for the yellows. But if the saulossi were in as high demand then they would easily be the best choice, HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREAQ Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 My vote goes to the Multis. sure theyre not all colourful etc, but I bought two about 8 months ago ang now have more than two dozen, they have great personality some agression and if your just starting out you dont have to go and buy a huge setup and spend hundreds of dollars. I spent less than ona hundred on all I needed including tank, fish, filter, extra shells, and heater and light a few weeks later cause the wife wanted one, the tank sits next to my computer and they entertian me no end watching them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katanaone Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 my vote was for no. 9: convicts ryan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OscarTerror Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 convicts for me easy to care for, prolific breeders and provides a great insight into learning to care for fry or be left alone and see some great parenting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTR73 Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 My first cichlids were indeed Convicts. They bred within a few months, had personality and were aggressive (let's face it - aggression appeals to the male psyche ) I think the fact they had these attributes rekindled my enthusiam in the aquarium hobby and I am now nuts about fishkeeping with a 4FT in the loungeroom, and a 3FT breeder & 2FT nursery downstairs (much to my wife's bewilderment ). The previous 5 years before that I "on again/off again" kept swordtails in a grotty 2ft tank. Convicts were the doorway to the wonderful world of cichlid aquaria! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Hi All - Just re: the convicts, I should stress again (and yes, I'll definately include them in the final numbers BTW) - that I believe that part of what a good beginners cichlid is, includes being able to offload the fry. Its not about making money necessarily - when I started out I started with a pair of convicts, and would agree that their ease of breeding is a definate winner in terms of getting to person interested, they were very hard to even give away!. They are aggressive, another negative in my opinion. Its good to see that kribs and saulosi got so many votes - I am a little suprised that yellows out polled saulosi (interesting!)... because they are harder to sex and (IMHO anyway) dont make as fine a display fish (as males/females are the same colouration) as saulosi. if you havent voted yet please do so asap! Thanks to all who've commented and participated, - even those eye rolling cynics re: convicts LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OscarTerror Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 convicts make great feeders but I don't know if i'll get shot around here for saying so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted February 4, 2005 Author Share Posted February 4, 2005 Gap's closing on those electric yellows . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wetfish Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Its got to be yellows !!! The yellows grab everyones attension with their colour, they breed easy and are easy to sell !! What more could you want from a first cichlid ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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