Hey :)

[RedDeviL]

Well I was surfing the net and I found this forum and it seems to be a good one for general cichlid chat. :) So it seems I will most likely be on this forum alot with questions hehe :)

ok well heres my questions

I have a 55 Gallon tank nicely set up with about 10 Cichlids I think I over did it on the Cichlids but I have heard mixed opinions from many ppl so im coming to you guys to see what u think :)

Anyways i have just figured out i have 2 Midas Cichlid one being a Red Devil and another Midas hes Brown and Gold colored :confused: anyways I heard they grow fast and im scared they will out grow and kill one of my other fish I have 2 Firemouths 1 Electric Blue 1 Convict 1 Kennyi and 2 Red Empress Cichlids and 2 Plecos but they are about 5 inches now hehe :)

Btw I feed them Cichlid Flakes and Pellets in general.. What else should i be feeding while they are this big?

Anyways I know soon I will have to move them to a diff tank cause I originally started off with a 5 inch Female Red Devil in a 40 gallon i have and she tore up any fish i put in their i bought a cichlid about 4 Inches bigger and the Red Devil was tearing it up :( anyways besides the point im going to pick up a 20 gallon a set it up for a while and transfer them for the mean time they seem to show no aggression at all and my Electric Blue and Kennyi seem to be bossing them around but no contact but with Midas u can never tell :) lol anyways I just started and its just general questions on cichlids... I have a 40 Gallon with a 5 inch Tiger Oscar and another 3 Inch Tiger Oscar and they are very happy swimming around and stuff and i have a Penguin 170 Power Filter Running it and the water is fine... I have a 200 watt heater running the 55 but i dont have a heater on the 40 do Oscars need a heater?? The Water in the 55 Gallon is at 80 Degress Farenheit.. anyways b4 this gets too long any comments or general tips would be great im only 16 so Budget is very tight.. So tips on making stuff for decor etc would be great there is a huge field down the street so i can go look around for stuff :)]
Btw the Midas are about 2 inches and the rest of my fish are from 2-3 inches besides one firemouth which is about 3 1/2 inches...

Thanks for taking the time to read this all help is welcome and if im doing something wrong plz tell :)

[SGypsyMermaid]

since most of your fish are south american, i would advise you to begin reading here:

http://cichlidforums.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=13

it would be a good idea to read the forum before asking any questions, since many of your questions will probably be answered in your reading. the kennyi is not compatible with the electric blue and the red empresses, and none of them are compatible with your south american cichlids.

[RedDeviL]

So I need to Seperate them?

Sorry im new to the Cichlid Game Oscars the only fish ive ever had lol sooo which exactly are my South Americans and which are my Africans do I need to set up another tank?

[WorldNation]

welcome to the forums.

ok,

your Red devil and Midas, are S. Americans, along with your Oscars.

the keniya, and electric blue are the Affricans.

your oscars and Red Devil, and Midas, will all need a larger tank.

if i'm not mistaken, i think a 120gallon should be fine for all of them.

the africans ya can eep in the 55 gal.

[matt1066]

Hi RedDevil,

I would research your fish stock and take appropriate action, as your mix is pretty off. Just surf the net, and read a lot of posts on water chemistry and fish compatability.

If you have any urgent questions, please post it on the forum.

And welcome!

Regards,

Matt Water chemistry and requirements

[Rex Karr]

I'm just going to add that the Red Devil and Midas (which are 2 different species) are actually Central American and prefer very hard water, and are extremely aggressive.

Do not attempt to keep either species in a tank smaller than 55g (very minimum). Tank mates will most likely not be possible in an aquarium less than 125g. I would suggest either setting up some larger tanks for these fish, or tanking them back and keeping either the smaller Americans (fire mouth) or the Africans.

I wish you good luck and welcome you to the Cichlid Forums,
Rex

[SGypsyMermaid]

:emb:i sholuda said that your cichlids were american .:oops:

[Chet]

Welcome to the forum. You will find this to be one of the most helpful and least judgemental forums around. You have he same problem every aquarist has when they first start out, lack of tank space. Everyone wants lots of big, colorful fish, but the fish most often don't want to cooperate. You just need to decide right now what fish you like the best. If you like your red devil's the best, then pick one of them, and take the other fish back to the store. One RD will do fine in a 55 gallon for a long time. If you like the african cichlids better, then keep them and take the red devils back. You can keep several africans in a 55, but I would recommend checking in with the african cichlid forums for more suggestions and details. You could also keep the firemouths and convicts, and setup a community of small American cichlids, in which case you need to return the africans and the devils.

It sounds like you have a 55 gallon, a 40 gallon, and a 20 gallon. If this is the case, you can have several different fish, or combinations of fish, but we need to know which way you are leaning, or what you would like to accomplish so we can help.

BTW, the 40 gallon will not be large enough for even a single full-grown oscar.

Here a a suggested scenario: Use the 55 for either a single Red Devil, or a single oscar. Use the 40 for a community of small to mid-sized africans. Use the 20 for a pair of convicts, or a pair of firemouths.

And yes, as a general rule, oscars would prefer a heater...

Hope this helps and sorry for the lengthy reply.

[surfdude660]

a 55 gallon is even small for a red devil, midas or oscar. Due to your lack of tank space, IMO, i would take back the oscars and red devil and midas. I would keep some africans in the 55 and a pair of convicts or fiemouths in the 40, they both breed like crazy, so you can use the 20 gallon as a fry tank!!! By the way, i do not balieve that your africans are compatible, i would post about them on the african cichlid forum, as i really do not know so much about them!!! :D :wink: