Can you keep one cichlid

Whenever you add a new fish to the tank it will see it as an intruder and will be aggressive towards the new fish. This is also the case when you would remove a cichlid from a group and place it in its own aquarium, as it will start to see the new aquarium as its territory. This is also the reason why it is best to raise a group of cichlids together in an aquarium whenever you want to keep a beautiful group of cichlids together in the future. When they grow up together they will learn to share the aquarium and spend their days having small fights about dominance and territory.

This is also what makes keeping cichlids as rewarding because it is a lot of fun to watch them and never gets boring.

First of all it is important to not keep cichlids from different parts of the world together in the same aquarium. This has to do with their immune systems, which makes it possible for one group of cichlids to make other groups ill. For the rest these cichlids have a lot in common, but it is crucial to research the specific type of cichlid that you have and see what tankmates they like.

Oscars seem to be the exception to the rule and do fine alone. They are one of the most popular beginner cichlids and sometimes are compared to a soccer ball with fins. What better way to find the answer than to see what other people experienced.

There were some people that had to keep their cichlids alone in an aquarium due to circumstances. Topping off evaporated water is simply diluting the waste and hormones in the tank, not removing them. That depends on a few factors, such as how crowded the tank is, the size of the tank, etc. Instead of one or two big fry and one hundred small ones! Generally, houses built after the 's will support a gallon tank.

Anything larger will probably require some additional support from below. If you live on a slab, your house was obviously built for fish. If your buying a jumbo tank from us, ask us about an in home inspection before you order. We can add any additional support needed, at very little cost.

We get this question about twice a day! No, don't quit your job. Fish cross breed all the time. They are not "rare". They won't look good as adults, in fact, they usually are quite muddy looking. Even so, they have similar aquarium requirement save for the tank size, meaning they will co-exist with cichlids as much as the Murray river rainbow will. Of the several tetras that can live with cichlids, the red-eyed species is probably the only one in the family that can co-exist even with the somewhat aggressive cichlids types.

This fish creates an equally impressive display as any in the fish tank as any cichlid and has a tolerance for a wide range of water conditions. Their large size makes them less susceptible to intimidation by aggressive cichlids and also an ideal choice for big aquariums. The giant danio with its stunning silvery to golden splotches and cobalt blue atop makes a beautiful display in home aquariums and are probably the only danio that can be kept with cichlids. When kept together, the danio, which somewhat aggressive is used as a dither fish to make cichlids comfortable and bring out their natural behavior.

As much, they will live with both peaceful and aggressive cichlids including the infamous Central American and African species. Giant danios are comfortable in almost any tank environment and are active enough to dish out aggression right back if they work as a pack, something that is quite crucial for any fish kept with cichlids.

A couple of bottom-feeding species are probably the only fish that are suited for cichlid tanks because they occupy different water areas and are too big to devour when once they are fully grown. They also make good tank mates because they perform a variety of functions such as cleaning the aquarium and keeping it algae free.

That said, please note that keeping cichlids, particularly those of African origin, with any other fish is at best a hit and miss affair.

As such, a ton of hiding spots are recommended, plus have a spare tank just in case aggression levels in the tank get too high that you need to move one of your fish. Synodontis multipunctatus also called cuckoo squeaker catfish is a popular addition to cichlid tanks because not only are they from the same region as African cichlids, you will actually see them more than other catfish that tend to hide all day.

They come from lake Tanganyika and are somewhat famous in the wild because of their parasites brooding behavior. However, they are not known to exhibit this behavior in home aquariums.

Because they come from the Rift lakes region, they can be successfully maintained with Malawi, Tanganyika, and even Lake Victoria cichlids. The catfish can handle aggression from cichlids although, for the most part, they choose to ignore each other.

But remember to keep your catfish in a trio at the very least, and avoid other catfishes because the cuckoo can be bullies. This catfish is closely related to the cuckoo squeaker. They both are synodontis cuckoo species, and both come from Lake Tanganyika with the petricola being the smaller of the two.

As you would expect, petricolas will get along with cichlids as well as the multis catfish will. They are relatively smaller compared to other members of their family maxing out at five inches hence a better option for smaller cichlid tanks. Clown loaches will live with cichlids, but you will be really pushing the boundaries with this pairing. The loaches will survive but will not thrive. For that reason, I recommend adding clown loaches with your cichlids only if you want them to serve a pretty specific purpose such as eat pest snails , which your cichlids will kill anyway.

If you still choose to go for this pairing, make sure you balance your water parameters in such a way the tank is comfortable for the cichlids and loaches.

As you may already know, loaches prefer soft acidic water, whereas cichlids like things on the harder, alkaline side, especially those from Africa.

As such keep your aquarium ph between 6. Bristlenose plecos will live with dwarf cichlids and South American cichlids like angelfish and discus, but African and Central American cichlids are far too aggressive for these bottom dwellers.

If kept with the more belligerent types, they do not thrive even though they might survive if they make it past the juvenile stage. Considering they are native to South America, they most likely will be comfortable in aquariums with water parameters that cichlids from the same region prefer.

Also, provide your tank with adequate oxygen, and if possible, add a calm current in there; plenty of hiding spots will be appreciated by your bushynose plecos, with caves and rocks formation ideal even for the cichlids. If you are located in the USA more so Florida and are looking to buy tropical freshwater mentioned in this or any other post and more , check out Consolidated Fish Farms Inc.

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