Dwarf Cichlids House Keeping

[oohjohn]

So I was wondering if i could keep dwarf cichlids with a baby Jack Dempsey
Also how many dwarf cichlids could i fit in a 40 gallon long tank?
What dwarfs would work well with rams?

I'd like a good amount of species but also have them in pairs. Would they be good in pairs?

 

[slimbolen99]

The only reason you could keep apistos with jack dempseys is if you want the jack dempsey to eat your investment. Don't do it!

As far as the other questions, I keep a pair of apistos in a 24" tank, but with no other cichlids. I would recommend not mixing apistso with other cichlids in smaller tanks, such as your 40.

 

[animalmgc]

well the one 40 I have right now will only house a male and 2 female triple red Caucs (courtesy of ApistoDave) And I will be setting up another 40 that will house a trio of Fire Red Aggis(courtesy of ApistoDave)nothing else has worked for me so I have come to the conclusion of tanking them seperate and hopefully with ALOT of spawning going on.I do have a 60 set up with a Triple red male and another homelss fish (female Cauc) with about 10 rummy nose 4 ABN 3 Otos and a couple shrimp.Would love to make some pocket money to pay for my addictions planted tanks and Dwarf Cichlids

 

[oohjohn]

so what type of dwarf cichlids would you put in with GBR?
i like the dwarfs with a lot of color like the triple red Caucs but theyre really expensive like 60$
So as a beginner with Dwarfs what would you suggest are beautiful inexpensive dwarf cichlids? (if possible link some images) =]


PS would i be able to fit about 5-7 dwarfs in a 40 gallon?

Thanks for your time

 

[ed seeley]

so what type of dwarf cichlids would you put in with GBR?
i like the dwarfs with a lot of color like the triple red Caucs but theyre really expensive like 60$
So as a beginner with Dwarfs what would you suggest are beautiful inexpensive dwarf cichlids? (if possible link some images) =]


PS would i be able to fit about 5-7 dwarfs in a 40 gallon?

Thanks for your time

In a 40 gallon tank you can really only keep 1 species of dwarf cichlids. If you try and cram too many in they will fight and not breed or be very happy. It'd be like asking you and your family to share a box room with another couple.

If you already have the rams then you need to stick with them. If not Cacs are a good choice for someone new to dwarfs.

If you want more fish and colour in there then stick to shoaling fish that will live in the upper parts of your tank.

 

[briztoon]

G'day oohjohn,

$60 sounds like a lot, even for a very, very good pair of triple red cacatuoides. Unfortunately most quality apistos and other dwarf cichlids can be relatively expensive for thier size.

I have succesfully kept a pair of Laetacara curviceps with a trio Apistogramma agassizii in a 36"x18"x18" 50 gallon tank. Otherwise I have not had any luck keeping different species of dwarf cichlid pairs together in 36 inch or 30 inch long tanks.

They may be dwarf cichlids, but they are still cichlids, and will fight for dominance or territory. Becuase they are dwarf cichlids, we have a tendancy to believe they will be happy in small tanks. A pair may be happy in a small tank, but they are unlikely to want to share this space with any other dwarf cichlids.

Good beginner dwarf cichlids are Laetacara curviceps, Laetacara dorsigera, Mikrogeophagus altispinosa, Apistogramma cacatuoides and Apistogramma borellii.

 

[oohjohn]

Ok well ive decided to go with just a pair of Mikrogeophagus Ramirez
But now my problem is how can i create the perfect water conditions for em?
My water right now has high ph around 7.2 which imo is to high...I dont get why.. I have a big peice of natural driftwood which should be lowering the ph but it seems to not have lowered it a lot.
My second problem is having too hard water. It seems to be very hard.
So how am I able to lower the hardness to around a soft level or moderate.
And lastly my alkalinity is also high... So how can i lower the alkalinity down as well?
I would really love natural ways of doing so bcuz from what i read the store boughts only do it for a short period and i dont want to rely on them and throw my whole tank out of balance.
I have not started this tank but I have a african cichlid tank and tested that water as a control.

Thanks John

 

[Apistomaster]

You will find that Mikrogeophaus ramerizi are now well adapted to a wide range of hardness and pH compared to wild caught specimens through decades of commercial breeding so if your water is fit to Drink and you have been able to keep the popular species of Tetras then your Rams will also do well. Rams have very large spawns. 400 eggs per spawn is not unusual. Most of the time Rams eat their eggs. They can be perfectly good brooders but most of the time they aren't so you need to set them up in such a way they will tend to spawn on a partially buried smooth rook placed in fine sand. They like to dig and expose a partly exposed stone as their eggs' substrate. After they spawn you can remove the rock with eggs to a separate hatching tank. Their eggs hatch best in very soft water but due to their large spawns it doesn't matter much if only 50% of their eggs hatch; that is still a lot of Rams to grow out. I have had no trouble breeding and raising them in my tap water which has a pH of 7.4 and 6KH, 7GH and a TDS reading of 340 ppm. Post the results of your water tests.
I think they will be acceptable so you aren't likely to need to do anything. However, if you already have an RO filter then there is no reason for not using it to keep and breed Rams in softer water. If your water is kept very soft the pH will always become lower than 7.0 unless you have some calcareous rocks or substrate in the tank. Soft water matters more than pH when it comes to achieving a higher hatch rate but again, how many Rams are you prepared to raise at any given time?