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best starter cichlid


zoezealand

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I'd probably go swordtail, pretty easy to breed and can be sold for a fair bit if you start with some good stock. guppies are selling pretty cheap at the moment, really easy but hard to find and breed really good looking ones worth a bit.

What sort of fish keeping experience do you have? That might help determine things, stick with what you know.

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i've had neon tetras, glowlights and comet goldfish, but i want to get something a little more adventureous (but still easy)

What about bettas? (i always see them in pet shops)

I might start on swordtails and guppies (can they be kept together?)

and if all goes well expand to some cichlids later.

ty

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  • 2 weeks later...

I highly recommend any of the three most popular dwarf cichlids - Rams, Cockatoos and agasizzi.

I have all three in my discus tank at 28 degrees and they're active, peaceful (a little territorial when breeding) and fun to have in the tank. The Blue Rams have spawned quite a few times and seem to be easy-as to breed once we've moved and I have a individual tank for them. I expect the same of the cockatoos (just got a small group of juvies) and prolly the agasizzis too... if I had a pair. People quite often have a long sit and watch the discus, then eventually notice the little community of cichlids at the bottom of the tank and easily get distracted by the amazing colours and personality of those little fishies.

A true joy and valuable addition to any peaceful community tank.

For what it's worth I advise staying away from Convicts. While they may be easy to breed, they're tough little buggers that think they're a foot long. They tend to tear up the tank by digging furiously and it's pretty difficult to sell the offspring when they breed... and they WILL breed. I'm guessing someone was trying to get rid of some Connies when they recommended them to ya :wink:

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cichlids are fairly easy to breed because the parents will look after them very well,the problem is that the male will become a very nasty fish to anything that comes close,

try chocolate cichlids as thay are not as nasty as others when breeding,

you must remember that most cichlids need a lot of room when breeding

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Looks like the RFJ's could be our common old Jewel cichlid,

Hemichromis bimaculatus & H. lifalili

The former is the common one, but the other, if you can get it, is a very worthwhile addition to the cichlid aquarium, having absolutely brilliant red colouration, unlike the bimacs that fade out after spawning.

The lifalilis just keep on shining.

BUT

These are not a peaceful fish as anyone who have kept either of them will tell you.

Not a good resale value either.

Alan

NZKA 104

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True Mystic, I didn't even think of Kribs. Good fish, breed well, excellent parents and full o' personality. I found that a 1:1 male/female ratio was important with them, as I've experienced (and heard) they can be pretty darn agro at times.

Just a note - the different cichlids have different requirements for breeding. Most breed at 26 degrees but Rams and Cockatoos just need a flat surface, while Kribs require a cave (upturned flower pots work just fine). Agassiziis... dunno, haven't bred them yet.

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LOL Monaro, you've never seen a Blue Ram defending eggs, have ya? It's a cracker when a little 2cm fish takes on a 15cm+ discus. They win, too. Then again, I wouldn't like to see them try it with something that has a mouth big enough to swallow them...

Zoe - congrats on the shift to Aussie. Sure gonna miss ya round here. Have fun and watch out for all those nasty venomous indigenous species!

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