How many African cichlids can you put in a 25 gallon tank?

Answer 1

Africans are a rather aggressive fish. That said, with proper filtration, African cichlids can be "crowded." When kept in a crowded environment, aggressive and dominant fish tend to lose their victims in the crowd. Crowding is actually a condition that is found in the wild, as they are often found in densities as high as 10-18 fish per square meter. Think of this "controlled crowding" as a gift to the cichlid enthusiast. Just imagine, a tank packed with bright, colorful, and active fish. And you can certainly house three times the number per gallon than you could if you had a saltwater tank! For a 55 gallon system you can successfully house atleast 12-15 africans.

Answer 2

I would put about 7-10 (10 is the max) . Try to stay away from bigger cichlids and super aggressive ones such as jewels because they will chase them like crazy for territory. Make sure to give them lots of hidding places but give them space to swim

Answer 3

It's all a matter of inches of fish. 1 inch of fish needs at least 1 gallon of water,(preferably double this amount of water) a permanently running cycled filter and a 50% water change every week. Failure to meet these criteria will result in inevitable failure.

Answer 4

If you take into consideration that the tank will have an inch of gravel displacing some water and it will only be filled to within about an inch of the top, the tank will actually be holding around 42 gallons or so. All you need to do then is follow the basic rules. which follow. The basic rules are as follows. :- 1 inch of fish needs AT LEAST 1 gallon of water (3 gallons per inch is far better). :- Every tank needs a permanently running cycled filter. :- Every tank needs to have at least 50% of its water replaced every week. If the above rules are followed fish stand a good chance of survival provided the special food and water requirements of the individual species are observed too. I can guarantee that failure to observe the above basic rules will result in the fish having constant health problems.

Answer 5

Here is a simple rule of thumb:

Add no more than a 1 inch fish per two gallons for larger aquariums (10+ gallons). So you can put 25 small fish in a 50 gallon aquarium. This means that if you'll put 2 inch fish into it, you'll want no more than about 13 fish and so on.

Answer 6

Depends on the type of cichlids. Look up the type you want to get and see what it says. Some types will pair up, male and female, stake out a large chunk of tank and drive all others away... others can live more harmoniously but can still do lots of chasing. In the case of Malawis, for example, you'd either slightly overcrowd the tank to disperse aggression, or go with fewer fish and leave plenty of hiding places for them to escape. There are so many kinds of cichlids with different behaviors, that you really just have to investigate the kind you want. I had one pair of Tanganyikan julidochromis regani in a 25 gallon tank with no other fish. They wouldn't allow it. The other three fish were driven to the top where they hung out in miserable exsistence for three days until I rehomed them. My pair bred, I sold off the offspring, and got rid of them.

Answer 7

You should stock your tank heavily, but keep enough specimens to the point where, at least, every specimen has its own housing item to hide in(Stump hides, Rock Formations, etc.). Most say to ALWAYS overstock your tank because they live in heavily populated colonies. That doesn't make the action necessarily right, considering that when wild Mbunas find themselves at the bottom of the hierarchy, some of the other low ranking mbunas bully that fish to the point where it has to leave and find or start another colony. Tank Mbunas cant do this, so they often get bullied to death. Also, distance small housing items away from each other. Mbunas are greedy when it comes to real estate. Or buy large housing items that can house multiple fish at a time(Like slate formations). And keep in mind, most Mbunas grow between 5-8 inches.

Answer 8

Anywhere from 5 to 15, depending on your setup.

You should stock your tank heavily, but keep enough specimens to the point where, at least, every specimen has its own housing item to hide in(Stump hides, Rock Formations, etc.). Most say to ALWAYS overstock your tank because they live in heavily populated colonies. That doesn't make the action necessarily right, considering that when wild Mbunas find themselves at the bottom of the hierarchy, some of the other low ranking mbunas bully that fish to the point where it has to leave and find or start another colony. Tank Mbunas cant do this, so they often get bullied to death. Also, distance small housing items away from each other. Mbunas are greedy when it comes to Real Estate. Or buy large housing items that can house multiple fish at a time(Like slate formations). And keep in mind, most Mbunas grow between 5-8 inches.

Answer 9

The usual rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon, but keep in mind that some cichlids can grow as long as 5" on average, so remember to figure that in when getting them.

Answer 10

most species get from 4-6 in long so maybe 10-12