Cichlids in a 29 gallon
how many african cichlids OR south american cichlids can i have in a 29 gallon tank, and would sand and live plants be good or bad. what would be a good number of fish.
Answers:Well, that really depends on species - you simply can't decide stocking numbers until then. A 29 gallon is an unsuitable home for almost all African cichlids because of their high aggression and activity levels.
If you go with Lab Caeruleus (electric yellow) you can do a group of 5-6 (gender matters little with these guys). This is the only species from Malawi you should be putting in this tank. Unless you can find Lab Textilis - those little and peaceful guys would be perfect for it.
If you go with dwarf species like Rams or Apistogramma then you can go with one pair, perhaps squeeze in two.
If you go with a smallish new world species (maximum growth about 6") like firemouth or convict you can do one pair.
If you go with shell dwellers from lake tanganyika you can go with 3 pairs or harem or colony of 5-10, depending on which species.
Sand is always good since it allows the cichlids to easily dig, a natural behaviour to many of them. For plants, it depends on what kinds of plants and what kinds of cichlids. Dwarf new worlds work well in planted tanks, while for most others you need a good, tough plant like Amazon Sword or Anubias that can withstand some abuse.
Well since its a small tank i would say maybe 5 firemouth cichlids but i would advise you to move them to a bigger tank when they begin to grow..you could probably have 4 african cichlids its better if you get them the same kind that way they can get along and less fighting
You could have a pair of fire mouthshttp://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/sp... or convictshttp://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/sp... (American)or a group with 1 male and 3-4 females. of yellow labs(African)http://www.malawimayhem.com/profile_show... which are one of the less aggressive Malawi cichlids.