Nicolas Rodriguez

OK guys, heres whats going on, my tank went through **** recently and i lost most of my fish, thank god my three angels survived.

What i want to do is set up a SA Cichlid tank, which can include the three angels, i was told to look into rams, but what i really want is to have alot of color in the tank.

Can anyone give me some stocking ideas?

(Heres a picture of the tank)

Shaina

If you are able to keep your parameters very consistent and your water is reasonable appropriate, you could try Apistograma species.

Pictures via thekrib.com


and many others

However, it's hard for me to imagine any small SA cichlids with more color then the dwarf ram, be they German Blue or Bolivian.

Some of the smaller Geophagus species might work as well.

Nicolas Rodriguez

Those are both cool looking fish, and i agree about the Dwarf Rams, they are beautiful. What about a yellow lab? They only grow to like what 5 in?

mathas

Yellow labs are an african cichlid, and as such, have fairly different needs than angelfish.

Sticking to SA cichlids like your original post indicated would probably be your safest bet, and for small, colorful options, rams and apistos are likely to be the best choice. Check here for more info and photos if you need.

Nicolas Rodriguez

Oh alright, i didn't know that they were a different type, hmm i have a lot to read up on before i buy any...

Angela_96

Yellow labs are african cichlids from lake malawi. When adding cichlids you need to stick to the same lakes.

Nicolas Rodriguez

Ok so if i have angels what lake am i looking at?

mathas

Steveangela1's advice about sticking to the same lake is for African cichlids.

Angels are South American cichlids, so you would do best to stick with other South and Central American cichlids, such as those in the link I provided earlier.

Nicolas Rodriguez

Alright, ill start researching

Angela_96

Actually w/ all cichilds sticking with the same lakes are best.

Angela_96

Heres a website that is great for stocking/finding cichilds you can keep. You can search for the cookie cutter and it will also give you diff possible ways to stock your tank.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/

Shaina

Erm, except not all cichlids are from lakes...

The important thing is compatible temperaments and water requirements without the possibility of hybridization between similar but separate species. However, the OP asked specifically about SA cichlids.