moez Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Hey guys, I am new to cichlids and I am looking for advise on which American cichlids I can keep in a 3 ft tank, and I will only keep a pair of these. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 hi Moez welcome to ACE are there any particular species that interest you ? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moez Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 im interested in either jack dempsey, jaguar, texas. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooder Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I have no experience and have done no research on these species, but my general knowledge is they get a bit big for a 3 foot. i may be wrong. How about south american dwarfes? apistogramma species are awesome but they can be a challenge to less experienced hobbyists, as some species can be sensitive and require more care than some. a few though are great for begginers. Search em on google. here are a few good species: Apistogramma cacautoides, apistogramma trifasciata, apisto agassizi, aisto borelli ect ect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moez Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 thx cooder. but im not looking for sensitive cichlids, im after very rough americans. because of an old experience with african cichlid. much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joller Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 JDs, texas and jags are all too big for a 3 footer, let alone a pair. you'd be dwarf or medium sized cichlids would be more suitable, maybe convicts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moez Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 thx joller. because im after a pair of jaguars 20 cm. and they have bred before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topogigio Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 A pair of firemouths plus even say a another pair of smaller cichlid like Cryptoheros sajica, septemfaciatus, spilirus.... Nicaraguensis, Neets & Rainbow cichlids are also good candidates... Jack Dempsey 50/50 but because you are new to these fish you may definetely miss the tell tell signs of trouble brewing... carpintes and jags are definetely a no no in a tank that size, there simply isn't enough space for the female to hide when a male turns on her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moez Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 hi topogigio are these fish quite sensitive. because i had african cichlids and they were to much of responsibility, thx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooder Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Africans arnt that bad and i think if you go off your bad experience with africans ( being more of a responibilty) then you wont have much success with cichlids all round, because there are not many species that you can just plop in a tank and be done with it. ALL cichlids need care taken with their water, some more than others. africans (depending on certain types of course, but just your generic malawian) arnt that hard, all you need is the tank size, regular water changes to maintain your good water and good food. This isnt a personal attack, just if you cant/dont have the time to maintain africans, then maybe cichlids arnt your cup of tea at this stage? But i suppose that certain americans that have less requirements would be a good start, let us know what species you go for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauldog Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Something/Someone else's life in your hands = responsibility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firthy13 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 agreed! mate mabye you should start with a pair of convicts. they are fun to watch, very easy to care for and will breed for you without doing anything but feed once a day and do a water change once a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moez Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 thx guys. i will be starting with a pair of jack dempsey at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topogigio Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Moez, all the fish i listed are not sensitive, in fact they are quite hardy, but like everybody said, they do require minimum maintenance/upkeep... i think you can quite easily get away with a fortnightly (even monthly for say convicts, rainbows & neets) but just like fresh air is a godsend to humans, so is fresh water to fish... Your tank i'm assuming is a standard 3 footer, so a quick gravel vac into a 10-15 liter bucket is all that is required really for only 2 fish (10 minutes max) and then if you plan to have some plants like vallisneria, wisteria, frogbit or duckweed, they too will soak up some of the dissolved wastes, and remember dont feed them too much, once a day is more than enough, maybe even give them a small piece of cucumber or pumpkin cut into quadrants (like you would a mango) and let them forage on that for a couple of days.... what filtration are you planning on using? and more importantly how big is the tank? width & height? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducksta Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Why ask the question if you had already determined to go ahead and do what you wanted anyway? You can start with whatever you want but you can be fairly certain you will be ending up with a single jack, miserable and too big for his confines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Keyhole cichlids would be my choice in a 3 foot tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauldog Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Why ask the question if you had already determined to go ahead and do what you wanted anyway? You can start with whatever you want but you can be fairly certain you will be ending up with a single jack, miserable and too big for his confines. He's going to end up with two dead fish because he doesn't want to bother with them except for selling some fry for pocket money by the sounds of things. Just my read on the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooder Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Feels bad when your well meant advice, that was for there own good gets ignored some people put up threads to get some people to say what they want to hear, and dont listen to the majority that say not to. aaah well, tell us how they go, be warned, one thing i do know about large american cichlids... pairs do need space to get away from eachother, sometimes they just might want to kill something. a good method if you have a pair that the male is a bit rough: make a divider with a hole big enough for the female to fit through, but not the male, that will give the female a way to escape but keeps the interaction between the pair, put the spawning site on the females side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmarcom Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 hey moez, JD's will definately be too big for a 3ft er, you should consider starting off with what Topo said Fire/m, ellioti, even salvini's would be ideal i think anyway, iam currently keeping some Sth american's in a 3ft no probs. just make sure u keep up maintence ok , and dont overfeed, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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