Can I just have 1 cichlids?

Planning to house an African cichlid in my soon to be established 40 gallon tank (still testing parameters). With the cichlid I plan to have a school of Corydoras (emerald green). Currently my tank is setup as a heavily planted tank with 3 inch gravel and sand substrate. So in conclusion my question is can I just have one African cichlid or do I need to get a pair? Also I’m not looking into anything fancy I get most of my fish from PetSmart, don’t hate me because of that lol specially with this pandemic going on.

 

Before you buy, do your own research! Many African cichlids will devastate a planted tank, because they like to dig in the substrate. Many require rucks and caves, and will not be happy without them. Cichlids from the Americas have totally different needs, and water requirements than their African cousins. I'm not saying it can't be done, but know your fish, it's needs, and it's behavior, before buying.

 

So even though they’re bred locally those fish shouldn’t be in a planted tank? How would I know which fish I got if I buy it from petsmart/Petco? When I go look at them I just see the names say African cichlids. If I can’t have them in my planted tank I won’t buy one.

Before you buy, do your own research! Many African cichlids will devastate a planted tank, because they like to dig in the substrate. Many require rucks and caves, and will not be happy without them. Cichlids from the Americas have totally different needs, and water requirements than their African cousins. I'm not saying it can't be done, but know your fish, it's needs, and it's behavior, before buying.

 

Most of the cichlids you're going to find Petsmart or Petco are going to be Mbunas. Take a few photos of each fish you like, then using these links, or any other link, try to ID the fish in your photos. Once you have the ID, you can do a search for the care sheet for that fish. If you are really having problems with the ID of a fish, post the photos here, and someone will try to ID them for you .

Buy Lake Malawi Mbuna Cichlids from Live Fish Direct

Edit: Jack Dempsy, Convict, Green Terror, and Texas Cichlid are examples of Cichlids from the Americas.

 

awesome! I’m definitely going to take pictures of the ones I would like but from what you said I probably won’t get any but I’ll definitely post to see what kind they are. They are also small so I’m thinking they’re still juveniles. But if I do buy them should I buy a few to keep the aggression down?

So even though they’re bred locally those fish shouldn’t be in a planted tank? How would I know which fish I got if I buy it from petsmart/Petco? When I go look at them I just see the names say African cichlids. If I can’t have them in my planted tank I won’t buy one.