feeder crawfish

Question
QUESTION: i have a few different types of cichlids all around 1-2 inches in size living in a 10 gallon  quite happily. recently i tried adding a small crayfish for more decoration and fun. upon entering the tank he was immediately mauled by my peacock cichlid and then consumed by everyone who could get a piece of him. i was wondering if it is safe for them to be eating the crayfish as they seemed to like it? also is it alright for them to be in such a small tank since i've got no room for a bigger tank?

ANSWER: Hi Shawn,
  Crayfish are fine for them.  The crayfish however could pinch one of your fish and do some damage before they eat the crayfish.  

  A 10 gallon tank is not very much space for cichlids.  Be absolutely sure that you are changing 25% of the water once a week every week or you will have problems.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: awesome thanks i was also wondering if i need a heater i live in hawaii where it's usually 85 during the day and around 75 at night. i was also looking into trying to breed either peacocks or electric yellows as i love those guys. i know you recommend convicts but i'm not very fond of them. are there any major differences in breeding the peacocks or yellows from the convict. i haven't yet done much research on the breeding of either as i have just started to consider this but i have read your basic guide on convicts and it sounds very interesting. i do love watching my cichlids interact with each other and breeding would be a new level of enjoyment for me.

ANSWER: Hi Shawn,
  Peacocks and electric yellows are all female mouthbrooders.  So, the basic setup is that you need a single male and about 4 females.  He sets up a display area and the females come to him to spawn.  Once a female spawns, she typically goes away with a mouthful of eggs and tries to be as inconspicuous as possible until she is ready to release the fry.  It is important that there be lots of places for her to hide so that he won't keep harassing her.  That is also why it is good to have many more females than males: it keeps the male busy.  

 For many of the East African mouthbrooders, once the female releases the kids (about 3 weeks after spawning), there is no more parental care -- the kids are on their own.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hmm mouthbrooding doesn't sound like a good way to watch the parenting skills of a cichlid. watching the parenting skills is what i'm mainly interested in. are there any of the more colorful cichlids that have "colorful" parenting attributes that you could recommend trying? i do live in hawaii though so i don't have very good access to many different types of fish. oh and one of my biggest concerns is do i really need a heater since my water temp seems to average about 80. thanks again for all your help you've been very informative and your other posts to people have helped in a lot of sticky situations in my tank.

Answer
Hi Shawn,
  The problem isn't the average temperature, the problem is the few times it gets cold.  I strongly recommend that you get a heater.  If your tank is warm on its own most of the time, the heater will not be on, so you won't have to pay for any electricity for it.  However, should you experience a cold snap, the heater will kick in and save your fish.

 Many of the fish that show really cool parental behavior are from Central and South America.  There are lots of species.  Some are very colorful, e.g., Cichlasoma nicaraguense, also called Cichlasoma nicaraguense.  However, many of these fish start out rather plainly colored and only show their real colors when they get larger so you have to be a little patient -- it is worth the wait.  

 BUT, most importantly, you can't keep any of these fish safely in a 10 gallon tank and that includes breeding peacocks or electric yellows.

 If you are sticking with the 10 gallon tank, then I strongly recommend you go with dwarf cichlids like  kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher) from West Africa or the butterfly cichlid (Anomalochromis thomasi) also from West Africa.  The other option would be cichlids of the genus Apistogramma from South America.   

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>