GouramiGirl1221

I've caught the MTS bug, and I'm pretty positive now that I'm going to make the new 29 gal a cichlid tank. Can you mix african and american cichlids? I've got some ideas, but I've very new to the cichlids, so I have no idea of they're going to get along. I've still got some more stocking room too, so any more suggestions would be appreciated.

Here's what I've come up with so far:

1 Buffalo Head
2-3 Yellow Labs
1 Cockatoo Apisto

EDIT: Would Severum(s), Keyhole(s), Leleupi(s), or Albino Pecock(s) work?

Thanks in advance for the help!

MissMTS

Sorry, you can't mix africans with american cichlids. You need to pick one or the other. There are not very many cichlids that are appropriate for a 29 gallon. You will probably only have room for one cichlid species because they need to establish their territories. Some cichlids can share tanks with other community fish. Here are some good cichlids for a 29 Gallon Tank:

African:
Kribs
Yellow Labs
Shell Dwellers
Julies
Leleupi
Brichardi

American:
Angelfish
Rams
Apostogramma (I love the cockatoos)
Keyholes
Convicts
Gymnogeophagus

Angels can be kept with rams or apistos.

MissMTS

Here is a link to a website that I found very helpful:

http://www.cichlidforum.com/articles...rence_list.php

Check out the cookie cutter options for the 20 and 29 gallon tanks.

GouramiGirl1221

Well, with that said, I've got a bunch of questions then

Would 3 angels be too much for a 29 gal? I know it's ideal to either keep 1 or 3, and I know 3 falls in the 1" per gallon rule, but with their fins and such would that not leave them enough room?

You're only supposed to keep 1 apisto in a tank, correct? Won't they get relatively aggressive with their own species?

Are the different species of ram okay together?

Would rummynose tetras be too small to keep with angels? I know they like to eat little fishes...

Thanks for saving me some dead fish!

MissMTS

3 angels is actually NOT generally recommended. If you end up with a mated pair, they will pick on the 3rd one. 2 Angels generally get along fine. If you end up with a mated pair, they will chase eachother a bit around breeding time, but nothing serious. You can keep more than one apisto in your tank, but you can only keep one male (same applies with rams). With cockatoos for instance, go with one male and 2 females. I would not keep 2 difrerent species of rams together in such a small tank. Rummynose tetras should be fine with angels. Tetras that get to be 2 inches or more are usually fine with angels. I have mine with gold tetras and black neons and they have never tried to eat them (they are the same size as rummynose tetras).

A good stocking scheme for your tank would be:
2 Angels: 12 inches
2 Rams/Apistos: 6 inches
6 Rummy Nose Tetras: 12 inches
30 Total Inches (1 inch overstocked isn't a big deal IMO)

Let me know if you have any other questions

GouramiGirl1221

Thanks so much for your help! I cant wait to start cycling!

MissMTS

No Problem Good luck with the tank, and be sure to post pics when you get it set up. You might want to think about seeding it with filter media from another tank so that you can cycle it faster

GouramiGirl1221

I've got two filter bags in my 55 gal...would it hurt that tank any to take one of them out and replace it with a new one so that I can put the other one in the 29 gal perminately? Would that throw a mini-cycle?

Shaina

That should work fine - between the other filter and the substrate and everything in the 55 it should be okay, but extra water parameter checks for a week or two would be a good idea.

Alternatively, is there room to add the third filter now, and just move over one of the old ones when you're ready (not sure what kind of filter you are using). If the new one could run for 1-2 weeks, that would basically eliminate any chances of a minicycle.

Allie

Yup Kate is right. I wouldn't put any Malawi, not even labs in anything shorter than a 3ft tank, just b/c they like length. But I have know some who has kept a colony of demasoni in a 29g. They stay like 3.5 inches at the most, but you need at least 8, 10 more the better. They like rocks as the cobue afra I have do.
I wouldn't ever mix the two, gosh we even tried mixing Tanganyika cichlids with Malawi...frontosa and calvus. They were not happy with the aggression of the Malawi. Our largest male front was killed by a msobo, who also killed an acei.
Here's an article:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article..._beginners.php

Escobar

Hi, as far as I am aware you shouldn't be mixing malawi's with anything other than them, esp. frontosa's as malawi's are very territorial, very quick moving and will eat any food very very quickly. The frontosa's wouldn't even get a look in. They are also alot more placid creatures than the malawi's and very easily startled.

GouramiGirl1221

Yea, I've pitched the idea. I'm getting a buffalo head with some tetras