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38 Gallon Fish Tank- New to aquariums, need some general insite?

Alright, picking up a 38 gallon tank tomorrow and looking to make an all chiclid tank. When I asked these questions on a chiclid forum I received some very harsh responses.

There are thousands of different species of chiclids, I apologize for not knowing all of them and their scientific names. My question is I’m looking for some colorful chiclids that are 3 inches max full grown, can anyone reccomend any?

Along those same lines how many can I house comfortably? Meaning I’d rather be understocked on fish then over.

Also in terms of tank equipment, higher priced equipment doesn’t always mean better. Is there any solid brand out there that has a good track record? Being new to the hobby this is major disadvantage for me.

For equipment, try a fluval canister filter, or an aquaclear hang on. They both work great and are reasonably priced. For heaters and such, just don’t buy the cheapest brand out there and try to find one suitable for a 40 gallon tank. I find hagen products are usually very good and stand up to quality.

Now for cichlids, there are not many that stay under 3 inches, but for you I would suggest going for things like kribensis, blue acaras, golden/german blue/bolivian rams. they all have pretty nice coloring and can be housed together. You could probably get away with having a male and female of one type of ram, plus a couple kribs, and a couple of blue acaras. Another really pretty type of cichlid is the apistogramma family like dwarf cockatoos and such. You could throw a few of those in. Most of the new world cichlid species you should try to stick with one male to one female as they often pair off.

The only thing you need to really know about cichlids, is that they can be territorial, and need plenty of hiding places. In a 38 gallon I would try not to go over 10 fish if you are going for cichlids. I hope this helps!!!

The Nitrogen cycle by Seth’s Aquariums