Ideal Dwarf Cichlids for 135G 30" tall 60"x18"

[Ape-Fish]

Hi guys! I'm new here. I'm thinking of changing out my severums for a colony or community of SA Dwarfs. :biggrin: What would be the ideal collection for a well terraced and caved tall tank with 60"x18" footprint? I will include some labrynth and platforms near the top if they would find them useful.

Ok thanks guys, and i await your comments - happy new year!

Oh ya, i have a large wet-dry filter system so filtering should be fine at any bio-load.

 

[ed seeley]

Have you kept many SA dwarfs before? I'm just thinking that if not you might be best keeping some of the easier and more commonly available species. Personally I think it'd be cool to have a large colony of one species with a large group of 10-15 Apistogrammas, such as cactuoides, and let the males and females naturally sort out their territories and harems. Just get more females than males. You'll see loads of natural behaviour as they carve out their spaces then.

Basically though you could have any dwarf cichlid in a tank that size! Even have three or four different ones but that can cause problems with the different behaviours of the different species.

 

[Ape-Fish]

Hi! Ed. Thanks for the advice. I am new to dwarfs but familiar with severums. I have four 6" severums that have eaten the last of the dithers i'm willing to put in the tank, and now they are bored and a bit cramped.

The Apistogramma cactuoides sounds like fun. What makes some of the other ones harder to manage? Are they worth the trouble?

 

[ed seeley]

Hi! Ed. Thanks for the advice. I am new to dwarfs but familiar with severums. I have four 6" severums that have eaten the last of the dithers i'm willing to put in the tank, and now they are bored and a bit cramped.

The Apistogramma cactuoides sounds like fun. What makes some of the other ones harder to manage? Are they worth the trouble?

The A.cactuoides you see in fish shops are almost certainly captive bred and therefore more used to captivity hence a bit easier to acquire and keep. They also form pairs or harems and aren't too aggressive. Some other apistos form pairs, some are more aggressive and some are either wild or close to wild and need more specific water conditions. To be honest with a tank your size and with some previous cichlid experience you could keep any of the most of the commonly available species as long as you did your research and found out what, if any special, conditions they prefer. Just find one you like the look of!