Re: New to list...lotsa Q's...

[Thomas Soelter <Thomas.Soelter@ruhr-uni-bochum.de>]

Welcome to the list,

jessem wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I'm very new to this list, and have a few (maybe more than a few)
> questions about Dwarf Cichlids:

> I know nothing about Dwarf Cichlids, other than that they are very
> pretty, and I'm wondering if they any species would work well in a 10
> gallon aquarium that I'm planning on setting up. My limitations are that
> the tank is only ten gallons, and that I can only provide 15W of
> fluorescent lighting. Can I work dwarf cichlids into this setup?
>

a 10 g tank seems to be pretty small. The light is quite all right for that tank.

> If so, what are the requirements of dwarf cichlids? I understand they
> need peat filtering. Where do I find the peat for this? Do I use peat
> moss or peat? I've tried putting some boiled portions of Hagen Peat
> Plates I had lying around, into my Aquaclear Mini, and as they color of
> the water didn't change to the diluted tea color I expected, I'm
> assuming I did something wrong.
>

Peat helps but is not a must for non sensible species except you have very hard
and alkaline water (pH>7,5 - 8, in the already setup tank). I use granulated peat
in filter sacs (easier to change) from a pet store.

> Also, what be an adequate filter? I've used Aquaclear Minis in the past
> and liked them.
>

The filter is quite ok for a non overcrowded tank but regular cleaning is highly
recommended every 2 - 4 weeks. In such filters there is not enough volume to
place any peat in it. Weekly changes (25 %) of water is also recommended.

> How many of which sexes of which species (whew!) can I keep in the above
> mentioned setup? Also, what (if any) would make suitable tankmates?
>

I don't know anything about your water quality (hardness, pH) and whether you are
already experienced in keeping fish. So this seems to me the most difficult
question. Carefully one pair of Rams (i had a lot of bad luck with them) or
cacatoo dwarf might be all right for you. Kribs are already ok for you but the
tank mates seem to be very small for them.

> Finally, what do they eat?
>

Many dwarfs eat flakes but the diet should be varied by frozen daphnia, mosquito
larvae. Optimal is living food (daphnia, etc. if available) .

> I would greatly appreciate any and all info regarding Dwarf Cichlids. I
> only hope the amount of questions I ask aren't terribly overwhelming.
> Thanks in advance!
>
> --
> Jesse Mathies

Greetings from germany
Thomas