Cichlid Compatibility

[switswoo83]

I have 2 silver sharks and 4 tiger barbs in a 30 gallon tank.

I really want some Cichlids though, I've heard that African Cichlids will be ok? Is this true?
If not do you know of any other Cichlids that would be compatible with the fish that I already have, I just want something to brighten up my tank!

Thanks

Gemma

[vjvl51]

This is a tough question to answer. You will have success with SOME African cichlids. African cichlids are a big family comprised of fish with different temperments.

Let's look at length first - First, the rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish for every gallon of water and this doesn't take into account the fish that require a larger territory or more swimming room. This means that you could, possibly have 30 inches of fish. You silver sharks can grow up to 13 inches in length and your tiger barbs can grow to 3 inches. This will give you a total of 38 inches of fish when your present fish are full grown. Some African cichlids won't grow over 4 inches in length - others grow over 12 inches and wouldn't be happy in your tank, even if they were the only fish in it.

Now let's look at territory requirements - Most cichlids require a certain amount of area as their home/territory. The size of this territory depends upon fish species, temperment and aquarium set-up. This becomes larger when there are no caves/plants/driftwood, etc to hide behind. It also, usually becomes larger when you put cichlids of the same species together. If you don't give each fish enough room for their territory, they will hide all the time and you will loose your viewing pleasure.

I suggest that you purchase a good book (I use Baensch's Aquarium Atlas Vol 1) and research each fish you are considering to add to your tank. There are some excellent sources on the internet to research different fish as well. I use this one among others http://www.peteducation.com/

Vickie