cichlid for a 10G

[Alex_discus]

Hi, I am setting up a small 10 G tank and I will be mostly making it a planted aquarium.

I wanted to know if there is any kind of cichlid that can live in a 10G tank. See I dont mind putting only 2 little cichlids in there but I want to know if they will be ok in a small size gallon tank. If there is a species or more than one species I would apreciate if everyone can just throw at me names of cichlids which can be in my tank and also how many.

Now I am trying to find the most colourful ones out there. Since it wont have much fish inside I want the 1-2 that I will have to be bright and colourful.

Thanks for help ! thumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

You are going to be very hardpressed to find a 10G compatible cichlid, actually shell dwllers are about your best bet and honestly the only cichlid I would put into a 10G tank. Doing a planted tank with them is tricky but definatly not impossible.

[Lab_Rat]

What is your experience level? Like Jenn said, most cichlids are not a good choice for a 10g. Multies are about the only option, and you can do a planted tank with them, but you'll need to make sure you give them enough shells. They are not colorful but have a lot of personality and cool behavior.

[SmokeyCFH]

If they're going to stay in a 10G I'd suggest dwarf cichlids, but they're pretty aggressive. I have two demasoni dwarf cichlids in a 20G, polit or a sort of afra could be good, but like I said pretty aggressive.

[coolingeffect]

I would stay away from cichlids in a 10. Even dwarves will run into territory problems in a tank that small. I havent much experience with shell dwellers so ill leave that to the people who know a thing or two. I will however say again that i would not under any reasonable circumstances keep any cichlid (except maybe shellies) in a 10.

[Sasquatch]

In a planted tank, a couple of Badis badis could be interesting. They stay very small. If you can find a male/female couple, they should be ok in a 10g.

[Lab_Rat]

If they're going to stay in a 10G I'd suggest dwarf cichlids, but they're pretty aggressive. I have two demasoni dwarf cichlids in a 20G, polit or a sort of afra could be good, but like I said pretty aggressive.

You are either very lucky or just biding time until you have a lone demasoni in a tank that small. The conspecific aggression with them is high. I would never advise only keeping 2 and I would not recommend a tank smaller than 4'.

[Alex_discus]

Ok well just by the feedback I dont want to put some cichlids in a 10G.
I see there are too much againts and I want a happy fish.

So in other speicies... which are very colourful, look great and live well in a 10g planted. P.S NO GUPPIES. I am not a fan of guppies my sister has a tank full and theyre like rabbits. It's unbelievable how many babbies there are swimming.

I want something like a yellow lab... small but yet rich bright and dark colour.

[30gallongal]

depending on where you're from, and like to hide a lot, but you can get like 10 of them, and they'll swim amongst your plants. google them, they go by both names but my LFS called them the rasbora name.

[Lab_Rat]

Microrasboras are really cool and colorful. They're tiny so you can have a good school of them in a 10g. Dwarf gouramis are colorful also.

[30gallongal]

:hmm3grin2orange:

[Gisela]

I have a pair of Honey Gouramis in my 10 g. They are pretty happy in there.

[Alex_discus]

hmmm, Ive looked at them. They do indeed have nice colours. But I want more of a independant fish. Not a school kind of fish, maybe something like a angel fish. Something like that. I had some cardinal tetras in the past and wasnt too fanatic about them.

[Lab_Rat]

Angel fish get way too big for a 10g. 10g is small, you'll need to stay with small fish.

[Lady Hobbs]

Small tank = Small fish or one Betta. There's no getting away from it. Sorry

[SmokeyCFH]

My demasoni love it in the 20G tall i have, it's one male and one female, they breed constantly and I never have any problems...you may want to look into brichardi's they're cool little fish and I have a friend who keeps them in a tank smaller than a 10 with no problems at all, he even got them to breed once so there doesn't seem to much of a problem with them in close quarters.

[Lab_Rat]

My demasoni love it in the 20G tall i have, it's one male and one female, they breed constantly and I never have any problems...you may want to look into brichardi's they're cool little fish and I have a friend who keeps them in a tank smaller than a 10 with no problems at all, he even got them to breed once so there doesn't seem to much of a problem with them in close quarters.

I'll say it again, you are VERY lucky they haven't killed each other yet. I'm sure they do not "love" being housed in such cramped quarters. Brichardi should not be kept in less than a 29g and get uber aggressive when breeding. A tank smaller than 10g is just plain cruel to keep brichardi in. They are not hard to get to breed, so that is not much of an accomplishment, you pretty much just add water and they breed.

The only African cichlid that could be appropriately housed in a 10g is Lamprologus multifasciatus, and even that is tight quarters for them.

[SmokeyCFH]

I started out with 30 demasoni, all but two got eaten by a large mouth bass, the male is around 1.5" and the female is about 1", I have river rock decor with a bong which is where the female likes to hang out. Maybe I am lucky or maybe they can be housed in a 20G, try it before ya knock it.

[Lab_Rat]

I started out with 30 demasoni, all but two got eaten by a large mouth bass, the male is around 1.5" and the female is about 1", I have river rock decor with a bong which is where the female likes to hang out. Maybe I am lucky or maybe they can be housed in a 20G, try it before ya knock it.
Let's see, every reliable source I've ever read says differently. I'm not going to advocate keeping fish improperly and risk death and destruction of these beautiful fish. They are known for their high conspecific aggression. It's well cited that you keep either one or a colony due to their conspecific aggression. But the fact you kept your colony with a large mouth bass and have a bong in the tank is very telling...

[SmokeyCFH]

the bong is actually a great place for them to hide and I dont really think the type of decor has anything to say about how i raise or keep my fish, the bass thing was obviously a bad idea but oh well. But honestly man, instead of sitting here and continuously telling me what I'm doing is wrong, why not accept the fact that it works? I've had these demasoni for well over a year in that tank and they look great, they swim constantly and are both in great shape...and lets not forget to mention that they do breed consistantly whether i want them to or not, I always pull out the female so she doesn't have to attempt to defend herself from the pursuit of the male, though i do appreciate your concern it's not necessary.

[Lab_Rat]

You know what, I just looked at the stocking you've listed for your tanks in your profile, and all I can say is OMG. I am done here, I'm not going to argue with someone who lists pot as a hobby and crams very incompatible fish into tanks way too small. No wonder you think demasoni are fine in a 20g and brichardi are cool in less than 10g.

[SmokeyCFH]

whatever you say pal, try getting off the internet and actually try owning some of these fish you're shoving your opinion down my throat about. I dont own any brichiardi's, too bad you can't pay attention while reading; I know nothing about brichiardi's and I dont plan to own any but I do know about the fish I do own...and i'm sure you'll have a smartass answer about me not knowing enough or much blah blah but it seems like all you came here to do was argue and bash. get a life dude, I can only tell people about my PERSONAL experiences with these fish and unless you own the fish that I do you really have no right to say what I'm doing is wrong its just your opinion and you know what they say..."opinions are like a**holes, everyone's got em and they all stink" so when it comes to me, just tell me about your personal experiences not some stuff you read online. When i started out my demasoni i had them in a 45G by themselves and that didn't work out well so I did what I had to do to ensure the survival of my fish, i'm so sorry that you don't agree with it but you aint gotta talk to me do ya, thank god. So i hope you have a fantastic day!

[coolingeffect]

Wow this got out of hand...... OP just go ahead and listen to labrat. I have been keeping fish for a long time and lab rat hasnt said anything questionable. As for the fish in a 10 a grourami doesnt have to be kept in a school i dont think. Nice knowing you smokey, i have a feeling youll not be around much longer.

[Lab_Rat]

I HAVE kept various mbuna in addition to brichardi. Demasoni are wicked aggressive. Brichardi are nasty when breeding. Neither fish should be kept in a small tank. I've bred these fish as well, so I'm relying on personal experience in addition to the wealth of knowledge available through both the internet and my local cichlid club.

30 demasoni plus a large mouth bass in a 45g...hmmm, wonder why that didn't work out. :shrug: What a mystery...

I am here to help people keep their fish properly and successfully. That's it. I care about fish and want to see them housed and cared for properly. It's obvious we have very different philosophies on how fish should be cared for. I'm not going to sit back when recommendations are made that are highly likely to result in failure for the op; that goes back to the wanting people to be successful thing.

[SmokeyCFH]

and i totally understand that and respect that but when I've had my dema's for well over a year in that tank and there is only 2 of them with no problems what so ever. I was just stating the success of my fish in that tank. and yeah i'm quite aware of why the bass didn't work out well, it was a mistake i learned quick from a year ago, hell i'm still bummed about it. My fish are happy and healthy and are taken care of very well, i care about my fish and fish in general just as you do and I want people to be sucessful, i just threw my two cents in as an option cause people do have a mind of their own and all.

[Lady Hobbs]

SmokeyCFH, you have someone trying to give you good advice and instead of actually listening, you are wanting to agrue the case because you are wanting to keep fish in too small a fish tank. Even to state you started with 30 and now are down to 2 should tell you something.

And you are passing poor information onto others here that are trying to learn, such as the OP.

If you do not want to listen to what knowledgeable people are talking about, do some research. Brichardi need at least a 36 gallon mininium, as well.

And now this thread is closed.