# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Dwarf cichlids



## imported_aspen (Feb 20, 2003)

cichlid behaviour is very interesting and adding some dwarf cichlids to your planted tank can give you lots of interesting behaviour to watch. but, here's a few things to keep in mind when contemplating getting some of these guys:

most dwarfs are sensitive to water they are kept in, ie, if you have harder water from the tap, you might want to go more for some of the harder water species, like africans (ex. kribensis) if youre water is soft or want to make it so with the addition of r/o water, some of the many amazon dwarfs may be more suitable.

dwarf cichlids are CICHLIDS. they are by nature territorial and agressive. anyone who keeps cichlids that have reached spawning age has experienced their agressive nature. tank size should be appropriate, and you should do some research as to whether the species you are looking at is too agressive to be kept with your present fish. a spawning pair can easily kill or harass to death all of their tankmates if the tankmates are not able to handle this behaviour or don't have enough space to get away or places to hide.

learn whether the species you are thinking of purchasing is a pair spawner (like rams) or harem spawners like most apisto species. do not buy a second female ram f/i to go into your 15 gal tank, or she will probably be harassed to death or jump out. a single pair of rams should be kept in tanks smaller than 55 gal, imo.

i have decided to keep only 1 male dwarf per tank. while it is easy to raise a bunch of males and females in the same tank, once the 'alpha male' has shown himself to be looking for a mate, all other males should be moved out. squabbles turn into a really bad time for sub-dominant males and death is often the result.

if spawning and raising the babies is in your plans, the tank should be laid out properly. the tankmates should offer enough resistance to keep the dwarfs from bothering each other, but not fast enough to eat the eggs or babies.

some dwarfs get very agressive against their mates after spawning, like nannacara anomala. it is often necessary to pull the males, as the breeding females can easily kill the male, even in a tank as large as 30 gal.

some tank sizes and tankmates for different species are:

a pair of rams in a 15 gal with 6 glowlight tetras and some oto's.

a group of a. borelli (1 M, 2-4 F) in a 15- 30 gal with some mild tetras like neons or glowlights.

a trio of a. cacatuoides with some hardier tetras, like congos or beckford's pencilfish in a 35 gal with some algae eaters.

any of the above species would be a great place to start keeping dwarf cichlid species. some bad places to start out would be (ime) a. viejita, or nannacara anomala, due to their nasty nature.

notice i have not suggested any cories. they are natural egg eaters, and therefore i don't suggest keeping these in tanks where breeding dwarfs is in the plans. while tetras are also egg and fry eaters, if you match the tetras to the dwarfs, then the dwarfs will be able to defend against them. this will also take away from the natural agression within the pairs or harems.

most people who get into dwarfs become very enamoured with these little fish. they have lots of character, are very interactive with the keeper and can often be taught to hand feed. if the proper steps are taken to provide them a nice place to raise a family, they are certainly a great type of fish to keep.

rick

[This message was edited by 2la on Wed September 10 2003 at 12:40 PM.]


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## imported_aspen (Feb 20, 2003)

cichlid behaviour is very interesting and adding some dwarf cichlids to your planted tank can give you lots of interesting behaviour to watch. but, here's a few things to keep in mind when contemplating getting some of these guys:

most dwarfs are sensitive to water they are kept in, ie, if you have harder water from the tap, you might want to go more for some of the harder water species, like africans (ex. kribensis) if youre water is soft or want to make it so with the addition of r/o water, some of the many amazon dwarfs may be more suitable.

dwarf cichlids are CICHLIDS. they are by nature territorial and agressive. anyone who keeps cichlids that have reached spawning age has experienced their agressive nature. tank size should be appropriate, and you should do some research as to whether the species you are looking at is too agressive to be kept with your present fish. a spawning pair can easily kill or harass to death all of their tankmates if the tankmates are not able to handle this behaviour or don't have enough space to get away or places to hide.

learn whether the species you are thinking of purchasing is a pair spawner (like rams) or harem spawners like most apisto species. do not buy a second female ram f/i to go into your 15 gal tank, or she will probably be harassed to death or jump out. a single pair of rams should be kept in tanks smaller than 55 gal, imo.

i have decided to keep only 1 male dwarf per tank. while it is easy to raise a bunch of males and females in the same tank, once the 'alpha male' has shown himself to be looking for a mate, all other males should be moved out. squabbles turn into a really bad time for sub-dominant males and death is often the result.

if spawning and raising the babies is in your plans, the tank should be laid out properly. the tankmates should offer enough resistance to keep the dwarfs from bothering each other, but not fast enough to eat the eggs or babies.

some dwarfs get very agressive against their mates after spawning, like nannacara anomala. it is often necessary to pull the males, as the breeding females can easily kill the male, even in a tank as large as 30 gal.

some tank sizes and tankmates for different species are:

a pair of rams in a 15 gal with 6 glowlight tetras and some oto's.

a group of a. borelli (1 M, 2-4 F) in a 15- 30 gal with some mild tetras like neons or glowlights.

a trio of a. cacatuoides with some hardier tetras, like congos or beckford's pencilfish in a 35 gal with some algae eaters.

any of the above species would be a great place to start keeping dwarf cichlid species. some bad places to start out would be (ime) a. viejita, or nannacara anomala, due to their nasty nature.

notice i have not suggested any cories. they are natural egg eaters, and therefore i don't suggest keeping these in tanks where breeding dwarfs is in the plans. while tetras are also egg and fry eaters, if you match the tetras to the dwarfs, then the dwarfs will be able to defend against them. this will also take away from the natural agression within the pairs or harems.

most people who get into dwarfs become very enamoured with these little fish. they have lots of character, are very interactive with the keeper and can often be taught to hand feed. if the proper steps are taken to provide them a nice place to raise a family, they are certainly a great type of fish to keep.

rick

[This message was edited by 2la on Wed September 10 2003 at 12:40 PM.]


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2003)

Great info aspen. 

Apistogramma sp. are very addictive. With their unbelivable colors and cichlid-alike behavior, they can win heart of any aquarist. 

Thanks


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

No question about THAT. It took me about two hours to fall in love with mine. Thanks for the great info, Rick!

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

That long?! Man, you're a hard heart, Vicki.


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

ROFL! Well, I had company that day--it was two hours before I got to go back up and check on them. I put four little grey fish with a hint of yellow in my tank, and when I got back to the tank later, the dominant male was in full color and staring at me through the glass, bold as could be, and I was totally swept away. So, technically--I guess it really only took about ten seconds!

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

What about MTS in a tank where you might hope to breed? Have you found that they eat eggs also?


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by anonapersona:
> What about MTS in a tank where you might hope to breed? Have you found that they eat eggs also?


MTS are despised and considered a menace by folks who breed fish. Their carnivorous habits are most focused on eating eggs. With killies, they will strip a spawning mop clean, every night, and disappear back into the substrate for the day. Likewise, cichlids will guard eggs during the day but lose them at night.


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## imported_aspen (Feb 20, 2003)

there enough fish to do the job of snails, that they are not needed. some over-populate a tank in no time. not to mention, they provide a good intermediate host for some parasites which can then be transferred to fish. in my book, snails= pestilence.

rick


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## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

I put 3 young kribs in a 10 gallon with lots of MTS and it seems like the snail population has gone way down in less than a week. Even thought I am feeding the kribensis, is it possible that they are cleaning out the potential egg eaters? They are the only fish in the tank, so I can't blame anything else.

-Scott
tank specs and bad pictures


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

Yes, absolutely. Most dwarf cichlids will eat snails with enthusiasm, and kribs will get after larger snails than dwarfs like rams can manage.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## imported_molahs4 (Feb 3, 2003)

I am pretty sure that 1 of the kribs is a female, but the other 2 aren't old enough to be sexed. Will there be any problem having the 3 of them in a 10 gallon? They have left the otto alone, but I haven't added any other fish. I am hoping to add a few more schooling fish, possibly honey gourami's. How do you think Kribs will do with tankmates?

-Scott
tank specs and bad pictures


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

In a tank that size, poorly. And if you get a mated pair out of the three, say goodbye to the third. I would strongly suggest a tank at least twice as large.


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

Yes, I agree entirely--I assumed the kribs were just there temporarily. A 10 gallon is not large enough for even a compatible, mated krib pair. I've gotten by with a pair alone in a 20 high, but they happened to get along very well. A 20 long is really the smallest tank I would recommend for kribs, especially if you're planning on tankmates; a spawning pair is pretty formidable. Even in my 120 gallon, when the kribs have fry, every other fish in the tank will be on the other side, occupying about 1/3 of the tank volume--the pair won't tolerate anything else. Even with no other fish in a 10 gallon, there's not enough swimming room or hiding places for a mature pair. My largest male krib is four inches plus in body size, and over an inch deep.

P.S. I should also add that UNTIL such time as they pair, kribs are fine in a community setting and generally won't bother anyone. Once they're sexually mature and have paired, however, all bets are off.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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