jewel cichlid, should i breed them or not?

**gtcichlid** · 08-26-2012, 02:54 AM

ive bred fish be4 and was very succesful. i have a 20 gal tank and i heard that the jewels only get to 5 inches so they should be perfect for my tank but what do u think should i breed them or not?

**Honey Badger 1** · 08-26-2012, 03:04 AM

5 inch fish do not belong in a 20 gallon either. For a 20g you need to look into tetra or some of the smaller fish like chili rasbora and celestial pearl danio.

**escamosa** · 08-26-2012, 11:23 AM

I wouldn't go with Jewels in a 20g either. If you want to have a go at breeding some kind of cichlid in the 20g, you'll have to look at all the dwarf species. Tanganyika, Apistogramma, Bolivian Rams, German Blue Rams, African Butterfly Cichlids. You really don't want to go any bigger than a 3" fish, and stick with the less aggressive species, such as the ones that I've mentioned.

**sheamurai** · 08-26-2012, 12:21 PM

Another thought is that jewels are very prolific once they get going. You'll need a plan to deal with lots of fry if they breed, but as said previously 20gal is not sufficient for a pair, let alone a tank full of fry. Once they have fry they will protect them, and if the territory is not large enough (like a 20gal) they will harass/kill any other fish that are in there with them.

If you are just going to use the 20gal as a breeding tank, and remove the parents once the fry are eating flake, that might work. You'll have to be on top of water maintenance, especially as the fry get larger. But as a permanent home, a 20gal just isn't big enough to hold a breeding pair.

personally, I wouldn't put a single jewel in a 20gal tank, either.

A quote from the AC articles:
Jewel cichlids are very hardy fish that can adept to most surroundings as long as there are caves and a few flats rocks present. They are not suitable for aquariums of less than 150 L / 40 gallon. A smaller aquarium can be used to house a single pair for breeding purposes. Jewel cichlids do best with pH 6.5-7.5 but will accept pH 6-8 and temperature 23-27C / 74-80F.

**gtcichlid** · 08-26-2012, 01:30 PM

escamosa, i might go with ur idea with the rams. thanks

**f1shg33kz** · 08-26-2012, 05:42 PM

If you're going to try breeding, go for a species that you can find homes for the offspring. I think Rams will be much easier to find homes for than Jewels.

**escamosa** · 08-26-2012, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by gtcichlid

escamosa, i might go with ur idea with the rams. thanks

You're welcome! Just be sure to try your best at getting the correct male to female ratio. 1 male to 3 females is the way to go!

**Aeonflame** · 08-26-2012, 11:10 PM

Agreed about the tank size. When breeding fish, it is always good to have a plan for the offspring. Unless you intend to feed them to other fish or have a confirmed buyer they can be difficult to rehome.

**Northerly** · 08-27-2012, 12:29 AM

Just throwing my input out there, I have successfully bred mbuna and peacock and i find that everyone i see selling jewel cichlids, are more often begging someone to take them off their hands. DC's are a great idea, Lake Tanganyika shellies are tiny and less common so you wouldn't have as hard of a time getting fish stores etc., to take them. Rams are also a very good option. Good luck:)