# Cichlid for a 15 Gallon Tank



## deadhead324 (May 6, 2011)

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and pretty new to cichlids. I have just set up a 15 gallon tank that is currently cycling and would like to start with cichlids. So far, I have looked at apistos, bolivian rams, and gbrs (I would be interested in shellies, but I already have gravel down and I believe that they prefer sand) If I were to get a shellie, it would probably be Neolamprologus multifasciatus. However, the 1 thing I am worried about is breeding. I have no room or cash for another tank right now, so I don't really have room for fry. My question is what cichlid would you recommend and is there any cichlid I can keep as a "pet" fish (something similar to an oscar for example. I know that and oscar would be way too big for my tank though). Thanks!

And btw, my pH is about 8.0 in the tank


----------



## shellies215 (Jan 7, 2011)

I can't comment on the SA/CA's you mentioned because I know nothing about them, But I think you should give some more thought to multifasciatus, they are very entertaining, and you can leave the fry in with the parents. It would be over a year before you could have "too many" and they tend to stop breeding, or at least slow down when the number in the tank is getting high.


----------



## deadhead324 (May 6, 2011)

shellies215 said:


> I can't comment on the SA/CA's you mentioned because I know nothing about them, But I think you should give some more thought to multifasciatus, they are very entertaining, and you can leave the fry in with the parents. It would be over a year before you could have "too many" and they tend to stop breeding, or at least slow down when the number in the tank is getting high.


Would it be okay to have them with gravel or would I have to switch to sand? I would love to have them, I just don't know if I have the proper setup for them


----------



## deadhead324 (May 6, 2011)

I should also mention that the gravel isn't pea sized either. It is a medium sized gravel


----------



## natedgg (Apr 9, 2011)

Sounds like the multi is the way to go given your tank size. You might want to swap out the substrate given their instinct to dig and such. But if money is an issue, go for it without the swap. I bet they find a way to move that gravel :thumb:


----------



## shellies215 (Jan 7, 2011)

It's fun to watch multi's move sand, but there's no reason they can't live in a gravel tank. I've seen people keep them in tanks with no substrate at all, just tons of shells stacked on the bare glass.


----------



## deadhead324 (May 6, 2011)

Hmm, in that case, I will most likely be getting mulits  just a couple questions:

1. How much does sand normally cost and what's the best kind/place to get it?
2. Where would I get the shells from and what size shell should I get?
3. How many multis can I have in a 15 gallon tank?

Thanks! :thumb:


----------



## Nina_b (Jan 3, 2011)

> 1. How much does sand normally cost and what's the best kind/place to get it?


Not much, pool supply or general hardware store - pool filter sand.



> 2. Where would I get the shells from and what size shell should I get?


Escargot shells, from your local delicatessen.

As for 3, let someone speak up who knows


----------



## londonloco (Mar 31, 2011)

1 - Pool filter sand...10$ for a 50lb bag, you should use 15-20lbs of it. It is clean, literally takes 3 mins to wash 25lbs of it.

2 - I use whales eye shells.

3 - I would start with 5-7 of them, in months you'll have a full tank of fry.

They are so fun to watch, neat the way they colonize. Also, try to separate a corner of the tank with some small rocks, this way the "outcasts" have a place to live and start their own colony.


----------



## Anthraxx8500 (Feb 11, 2011)

michaels craft store also has some decent shells. (make sure none have been cut or altered to look better in your garden) i second the 5-7 reccomend, however ill add that you should try to get 1-2 that are significantly larger then the rest in the LFS and then pick up 4-5 of the smaller ones. (to try and get good female numbers early on) if you cannot locate pool filter sand, a nice silica sand from like home depot is a great alternative. i paid 7$ for 50 lbs. i use it in everything since its soo cheap. and with shellies u dont have to do as much sand maintenance (since they dig it all out themselves) just make sure to watch plenty of sand cleaning videos and such. add it slowly and if anything over clean it to avoid having a murky soup for 1 week or more. GL to ya, i think youll enjoy the realm of shelldwellers


----------

