# Wal-Mart Cichlids



## goldenglove347 (Jan 14, 2009)

I am new to fish tanks and im starting with a 10g tank and Wal-mart bought cichlids. I am in the process of setting up my tank. I'd like suggestions to my already determined path and choices. I have a tank, filter, heater, thermometer, plants, rocks, cover, and gravel. Feel free to change my opinions and awareness of what i have read. I know cichlids are hard fish, i dont want to start with mollies or neon's (sry im stubborn) so my questions are...

-The tank comes with water conditioner, does this de-chlorinate the water. If not what can i buy that does?

- ph should be around 8 and temp 75-80. How do i change the hardness/ph to desired degree

- I believe walmart has the smaller less aggressive cichlids. How many can I have in the tank? Pairs? Species?

- Can I have other fish species in the tank or creatures. Specifically dwarf shrimp/ albino frogs/ puffer fish

- How do i introduce new fish to a tank

- I know you should replace 25%of the tank water a week. How do i go about restoring preferred levels of the tank after this process

-anything else ?

thank you very much for ur time and response


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## brianmccord2001 (Apr 9, 2008)

Aha! Wal-Mart strikes again!

You are going to have trouble with a tank that small. 10G is maybe O.K. for a fry tank, and 55G and up preferred for adults. 10 gallons is just too small for cichlids. I got away with a 30 gallon long for about six months now with my dwarf Mbuna (C. Afra), but I can tell they just aren't happy. I have 2 males, and the rest females. Each one of the males has claimed a side of the tank, and the females just get bounced around between the 2 of them, getting beat up. Somehow, they are still breeding though.

Also, you may want to keep an eye on the fish you bought, Wal-Mart fish are notorious disease breeders, depending on their supplier.

I have seen the same cichlids at my local wal mart for well over 6 months (grody hybrids) and I just feel really bad for them. I almost want to buy them to give them a better home, but they are ugly as ****.

But don't get discouraged, you could turn your tank into a small shell-dweller tank. It is a very interactive tank and very fun to watch.

Welcome to the hobby.


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## CERICKSON85 (Jan 12, 2009)

I am practically a beginer as well as but i will try to help

i would suggest going to a pet store and asking someone who could help. They will usually point you in the right direction for water conditioners.

you should never put fish straight into water right out of the sink. i think i let my tank sit for a few days when i first filled/set it up. then to test i bought a dozen feeder fish... a few died but its a easy way to test and see if your water is ready. a year later i still have 2 of the feeder fish :thumb: lol

as far as having other tankmates. i would say that you would probably want a pleco to help clean the tank. not sure if your cichlids from walmart would attack other tank mates but when mixing fish its best that they are the same size

on the 25% exchange you will need to condition the water you are putting in. and it is best to use a vaccum (syphon) to clean out the bottom of the tank

for a 10 gal i would say start with a pair of cichlids

when introducing new fish to the tank change your settup. move things around, that way your territorial fish will be searching for new territory just like the new fish

other than that i am new to the hobbie as well and still learning... so i may be wrong??

i suppose i have questions of my own as well...

does anybody know what to do about algea growth in the tank, and maintanance?


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## teqvet (Mar 24, 2008)

goldenglove347 said:


> -The tank comes with water conditioner, does this de-chlorinate the water. If not what can i buy that does?


It depends. Which one is it, it should say on the back. I think *Prime* is the staple product most here would recommend.



> - ph should be around 8 and temp 75-80. How do i change the hardness/ph to desired degree


You don't. A stable pH is more important the a 'correct' pH. Tying with the pH to reach a certain level can play havoc on your tank life once established.



> - I believe walmart has the smaller less aggressive cichlids. How many can I have in the tank? Pairs? Species?


None. Your tank is far too small for even the smallest of the species as adults. A 10 gallon tank makes a good quarantine(QT) tank or grow out tank for fry(fish babehs!) Also, 10gallon tanks aren't really the best for the beginner fish keeper. There is less water in it so it's easier for water parameters to get out of whack and when they do it's usually large swings. If you can, find a good deal off craigslist for a 55gallon or so.. You can usually find them with a stand for 50-150$

Regarding walmart fish.. I would simply stay away from them period. They can make a difficult thing asa beginner even harder. Go to a local mom n pop type store if you can find one and you'll have better results and likely get cheaper fish to boot.



> - Can I have other fish species in the tank or creatures. Specifically dwarf shrimp/ albino frogs/ puffer fish


Cory cats, small tetras, would do well in a 10gallon.



> - I know you should replace 25%of the tank water a week. How do i go about restoring preferred levels of the tank after this process


The % depends.. some folks do 10%.. some 50% it depends on the fish you have, amount of them, and the amount of waste they produce. It's a self learned process usually to figure out what's ideal.



> -anything else ?


What state do you live in? I see the city is rochester but didn't want to assume the state. Feel free to PM me and I'll try to help ya find some better stores and check craigslist for some good deals.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

I'll second (third?) the advice that has been given so far. A 10 gallon tank and most cichlids, especially wal mart cichlids, is not a good combo. Most of those cichlids in the mixed tank at mall wart are hybrids of some way shape or form. Either way, they'll probably get 4-5" long at maturity, and be too aggressive to keep in a 10 gallon tank, unless you only keep one fish, and that's just mean.

You listed Geneseo as your location...in college? Good luck keeping friends from pouring beer in the tank, etc. Do you have room for something bigger?

You'll need to change either the tank size, or the proposed stocking. That's not a long term workable combo. It may go ok for a few weeks, but it's not something that's going to work out in the end.


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

I'm sure cerickson meant well with his advice, but a pleco has no business in a 10 gallon tank.

You also don't need water to "sit" to be usable; just use Prime as a water dechlorinator.

It also sounded like he suggested that once water "sits" for a few days, it's cycled. Which it more assuredly is not. If the OP doesn't understand how to cycle his tank, there are articles here or he can post a separate question on this. (And most will not recommend cycling with feeder fish, who bring disease, or really any fish, as it's hard on the fish.)

The suggestions to find a good local fish store (not Wal-mart) to get a better handle on how to proceed is very good advice.

Another thing to consider -- a 10 gallon tank is very small and will greatly limit what you can have (not just limiting for cichilds, but overall number of fish, too). It is also subject to greater swings in chemistry and offers you much less "forgiveness" of mistakes than a larger tank would. Even a 20 would be better and it will not cost much more. I believe you could do a trio of apistos in a 20 and they are very amusing and pretty . . .

Good luck!


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

As an addition to all the above. My Wal-mart sells really small cute Jack Dempsies and Oscars that will grow up to be tank bustin killers....


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## kodyboy (Dec 9, 2007)

agree with the above, 10 gallons is too small. If possible you should get a 55 and go from their. Craigslist often has very inexpensive used tanks available for sale.


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

A 10 gallon is far too small for any malawi cichlids. But you MIGHT get away with shell dwellers from Tang. Multis for an example.

Never buy fish from wal mart. I repeat, NEVER buy fish from wal mart. Well depending where they get their fish of course and how they take care of their fish. The wal mart's fish in my community are full of diseases. Talk about quality.

Try going to a local fish store or a local breeder.


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## gremlin (Oct 23, 2002)

I would never buy any fish from WALLY World. :lol: :lol: 
Whenever I go into a wall mart i swing by the fish section for a good :lol:


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## a7oneal (Dec 30, 2004)

There are a few cichlids that may work... shelldwellers like N. brevis and N. multifasciatus, for example.

If this is discouraging, and I know it probably is, know that there are actually quite a few fish species that would still work in a 10-g, but you need to stick to small species and with very light stocking. I would keep a pair of small gouramis, for example, such as dwarf gouramis (Colisa lalia). Catfish of the Genus Corydoras may work, as well, but remember, they like small groups.

There are small shrimp species that you could keep in there, in leiu of fish, if that's what you choose.

The most important thing for you, as a new aquarist, is to learn proper care and maintenance of your tanks before you work up to something more complicated. Keep it simple and learn as much as you can! Patience is the key.

Starting here with questions is a GREAT start! Keep it up! We're here to help, and we want to help. We've all been through this.


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## ry05coupe (Dec 30, 2008)

there is ONE benefit from having a ten gallon though, you dont exactly have to bust out the python for water changes :dancing:


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## eddy (Jan 16, 2009)

If you bought the 10 gallon new at wal-mart you could probably return it and get a used 55 gallon aquarium on craigslist for the same price. I would also check on craigslist for fish/fry to stock the tank or find a local breeder. That will be cheaper and I like the idea of the parents on site that way you know what you are getting.

Let the tank run with the filter on for 24 hours. You probably won't need any water treatment.
Buy a water test kit(this is important) as long as your water chemistry is close I would just leave it alone. Consistency is more important than perfection. Chlorine will evaporate in 24 hours unless your water has chloramine in it and it probably doesn't but I would make sure.

Get a five gallon bucket for dirty water and two 5 gallon culligan jugs for clean water. If it is a 55 gallon tank vacuum out 10 gallons every week poor the two culligan jugs in and refill them for next week. As long as your water is within a couple degrees 10 gallons of new water won't change the temp. of the remaining 40 gallons.

I would suggest convicts as a good starter cichlid. They are hardy and fun to watch and breed like rabbits and you can get them off craigslist for about 1$ per fish. They will forgive most beginner mistakes while some of the more expensive fish will not.

Avoid chain pet stores and wal-mart they are almost sure to hook you up with ick or some other disease. Some wal-marts are ok but most are terrible.

You should be able to find a 55 gallon tank,stand,hood,light,filter,heater,and maybe some decorations and gravel on craigslist for around 100$

If you buy gravel they have pea gravel at lowes/home depot 3$ for 50lbs. Don't get robbed by pet stores.

Test your Nitrates,Nitrites,Amonia every once in a while and do more/less water changes accordingly. Don't change the filters or vacuum the gravel for the first 2 months is you can keep from it and try to rotate changing filter media(don't change it all at once)

This should get you started and the rest you can learn through trial and error. Oh and DON'T OVER FEED!!!! specially for the 1st 8 weeks.


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## Maddog (Nov 7, 2008)

only way i ould get fish from walmart is if I quarintined them for a coupel weeks first. 
or have nothing in your tank to begin with, that way if you loose fish, it is only the walmrt ones.

I know everyone says not to, but it is possible to get osme pretty fish there.

just dont expect them to be pure breeds. But i don;t care, i just liek the prettycolors.


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Speaking only of my Wal-Mart, their fish display is a unit of several tanks that are all connected to the same filter unit in the base of the display. If one diseased batch comes in it isn't long before they are all contaminated... Ever notice how every once in a while it looks like they sold ALL their fish :?


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## musclebai (Jul 28, 2017)

i second the above comment...recently i picked up uo about 10 fishers from walmart and all dies withing 15 minutes before i was out of store.got a refund but had a hollwo feeling at the end.the person who handled it was handling them as if it were fish meant for eating


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