50 gallon set up

Question
QUESTION: I was considering setting up my 50 gallon tank with some small chiclids. I have been considering ram chiclids and kribensis. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on which might me more appropriate for a tank with amazon sword plants, jungle vals, and anubias nana growing. I do have tiger barbs in the tank right now as well as 3 kuhli loaches and 3 otocinclus. So yeah I do plan on getting more barbs of assorted types to fill in the empty parts, but what is your opinion on a smaller chiclid that might be good for this type of set up?

ANSWER: Hi Ashley,

Both the Rams and Kribensis could be kept in a peaceful community setting, as both are relatively non-aggressive. They should not bother your plants too much, and the Tiger Barbs would not be a problem, as long as you had a group of 6+ in the tank.

I would include some rock structures/caves as part of your tank setup, because the Cichlids may be shy, and will want hiding places from other fish in case of any problems.

I'd also recommend the Keyhole Cichlid. It is extremely peaceful, and can be quite shy without the presence of more active fish (like your Barbs). It would make a great addition to your tank.

Remember to add only a couple of fish per week, to allow the beneficial bacteria to catch up on the cycling process.

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!




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

QUESTION: Ok how about a suggestion on how many to keep in the tank? If I were to pick Kribensis would I get 2, 3 or more? Same for Ram chiclids or keyhole chiclids? Could I mix them together?

Answer
Hi Ashley,

It depends on how many Barbs and other fish you have in there. Since the Cichlids mentioned are relatively small, you could fit about 2 of each species in there, for a total of 6. You could add 3 each of two species, etc. If you were to do that, then don't add any more Barbs, as you were mentioning earlier.

Keyholes can be kept with Kribensis, and Kribensis can be kept with Rams, which in turn, can be kept with Keyholes.

(They're all compatible)

Good Luck!