# Cichlids in a 40 gallon



## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Right now i have a 40 gallon turtle tank setup. Hopefully, i will soon be able to offload those turtles to someone who wants them more than i do. If that does happen, i will have a 40 gallon tank to mess with. I work in the fish department of a pet store and have been really capitvated by this 10" long $120 flowerhorn we have. I also have a 55 gallon planted tank and it would be nice to have a low maintenance tank with just one big fish in it. Anyway, what are the care requirements for the flowerhorn? Is 40 gallons too small if he is all alone? Are there any plants i could put in there at all?


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

40g is too small, and most CA cichlids (i would count the flowerhorn in on CA even though technically he isnt) tend to destroy plant anyway. Minimum for a flowerhorn is a 75g.

Is this a 40 breeder? the dimensions will determine what kind of fish you can keep.


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## MikeRTooley (Jan 13, 2007)

what do you guys think about a black convict in a 40 gal tank?


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Convict would be fine in a 20g, and do very well in a 40g. they only get 6" long, and not so big or thick.


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## MikeRTooley (Jan 13, 2007)

yea, so you could put like 2 convict in a 40 gallon tank right? a breeding pair would be real nice if you wanted something like that..


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

Well what comprably colored big fish could i put in my 40? It is a standard 40 gallon, not a breeder. I dont really want to take care of more than one fish in this tank. Could i get a juvenile flowerhorn and keep it for a while and then sell it? How long will it take a juvenile to outgrow the tank? At what size would that be?


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2007)

What about a single Firemouth? 40 gallons might be pushing it though.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

firemouth would be absoluttely fine in even a 20g. A flowerhorn that you bought at 2" would take 3-4 months to outgrow that tank. Dont get a flowerhorn, your just going to grow to love it and have to give it away. Is this normal 40g a 3ft tank or 4? i think only the breeders are 4ft's... and in that case, the biggest you should go is a convict or maybe even salvini.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2007)

I don't know much about CA cichlids, but I was going to suggest a Salvini before (just wondered how long the tank was)....good thing I'm on the right track.  I did check out a website on CA cichlids though, to get ideas, but it seems pretty much all but a couple of them get too large for a 40g.

Would you be interested in a pair of cichlids? Maybe a pair of Jewel Cichlids?

A 40g would make an excellent planted community tank... Or even a tank with some smaller Malawian or Tanganyikan cichlids...


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

It is a 4 foot tank. Can someone post a picture of a salvini? Are they really colorful? Also, i'm trying to make this as low maintenance as possible because i already have my 55 gallon planted tank to take care of.


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## MikeRTooley (Jan 13, 2007)

yea salvinis get nice and colorful if you like yellow that is....


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2007)

http://www.tangledupincichlids.com/images/salvini.male.jpg
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/Cichlasoma_salvini_1.jpg


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

There is also a more natural "green" color morph. 

http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/other/cichlasoma_salvini_coatzacoalcos.html

They are as agressive as a flowerhorn, and have tons of personality. I wouldnt put much in with it.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

What determines whether or not a tank is too small for a fish? 

Right now i have a foot long pleco i adopted from a customer at my store and he certainly looks too big for the tank and knocks everything all over the place. I want to get rid of him but no one wants a foot long pleco anywhere, ever. I might have to euthanize it. 

I also bought a baby flowerhorn for 10 bucks against all of your advice. I'll sell it once it gets 4". I doubt i will get too attached, my fish are decorations and expariments, not pets.


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## MikeRTooley (Jan 13, 2007)

flowerhorns are really cool fish..i would have bought one but ihavnt seen one anywhere around me to purchase...i saw 1 at a petstore that was 12 inches and they wanted 200 bucks for it..they are cool as hell tho


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## babyalbino (Oct 13, 2006)

xerxeswasachump said:


> What determines whether or not a tank is too small for a fish?
> 
> Right now i have a foot long pleco i adopted from a customer at my store and he certainly looks too big for the tank and knocks everything all over the place. I want to get rid of him but no one wants a foot long pleco anywhere, ever. I might have to euthanize it.
> 
> I also bought a baby flowerhorn for 10 bucks against all of your advice. I'll sell it once it gets 4". I doubt i will get too attached, my fish are decorations and expariments, not pets.


fish shouldnt be decorations or experiments! they are living creatures and should only be kept for food or pets. can i use you for an experiment or decoration ??


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## girth vader (Apr 24, 2006)

are you sure it's a standard 40g? 36" x 18 x 13 ? how deep is it? 40s aren't usually 48" long. I say usually, meaning typical standard dimensions. 

Why not try africans? you can get -mbuna, shellies or haps that stay 3-4" or even Victorians in that size tank. I just did a 40g Victorian.

Zig.


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## Dr_House (Aug 15, 2006)

Here are a couple suggestions for a 40 gallon with a single fish.

Blue Dempsey These are hard to come by and are very particular about water conditions, from what I've read, so be certain you're ready for the challenge.

Green Severum These come in several color morphs which are much more colorful than the standard green. There is a red-faced gold variant that I think is particularly striking.

Just some ideas...hope they help.


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## xerxeswasachump (Mar 29, 2006)

The tank is definitely 48" long. maybe is it a 45 or something. The flowerhorn is doing find in there and has doubled in size in the last month. I just started feeding him haifeng flowerhorn food i got through a chinese importer. The stuff is insane! My 55 gallon planted discus tank on the other hand is completely screwed up....i will make a seperate post for that.


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## girth vader (Apr 24, 2006)

JustOneMore20 said:


> I don't know much about CA cichlids, but I was going to suggest a Salvini before (just wondered how long the tank was)....good thing I'm on the right track.  I did check out a website on CA cichlids though, to get ideas, but it seems pretty much all but a couple of them get too large for a 40g.
> 
> Would you be interested in a pair of cichlids? Maybe a pair of Jewel Cichlids?
> 
> A 40g would make an excellent planted community tank... Or even a tank with some smaller Malawian or Tanganyikan cichlids...


or Victorians, most stay 4" some 6-8 but most 4"


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2007)

Victorians are beautiful.  I didn't mention them because I didn't know their sizes. Good to know most stay pretty small.


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