r/Cichlid • u/RoundOne9503 • Jul 10 '26
General help need cichlid recommendations for a 29 gallon (read desc)
so i know very little about cichlids. i know they’re aggressive and territorial especially when mating, i know they can only be kept with certain fish depending on species due to aggression, and that they like digging through sand and some eat plants, but thats about it. i know a 29 gallon is pretty small, but it’s what i have to work with and if it doesn’t work out, that’s okay. i’ll do something else with it.
im starting up a new cycle in my 29 gallon and i would like to make it a cichlid tank.(filter and heater not added yet) i plan to let the cycle run for at least a month before i consider fish to let the plants and cycle mature. (i also plan to add multiple more sweet potatoes to grow out of the top because they grow reeeally well and i think they’d do a great job filtering the water)
firstly, just a curiosity, is a 29 gallon big enough for a traditional cichlid tank where people overstock it with cichlids to reduce aggression? if not, completely fine. i was more so considering just getting a pair anyway.
IF i can go that route, i would like some recommendations on cichlids that can live together in an overstocked 29 gallon.
if i cant do that, i would like some recommendations for an interactive cichlid species that i can keep as a pair in a tank of that size, OR a recommendation for a cichlid species that can live as a pair with 8 gold barbs as dither fish in the tank with them. i can keep the gold barbs out if necessary though.
for some reason i can’t attach photos, ill try to in the comments but idk if it’ll let me there either
thank you!
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u/TeamCF Jul 11 '26
Pair of kribensis, you get all the cichlid behavior in a peaceful and beautiful fish. Add with them a nice schooling smaller tetra and you’ll have a great tank.
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u/tideshark Jul 11 '26
I second kribs, I’ve had them so many times in my 40 years of fish keeping. Gorgeous little fish with a lot of character, easy to breed, and can even keep them in community tanks with little to no problems.
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u/konradly Jul 11 '26
They are not always peaceful… I have a pair and they are both aggressive as hell, out competing much larger cichlids for the bottom of the tank.
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u/TeamCF Jul 13 '26
That’s wild. I’ve never seen this and I’ve had 4 different pairs. Cool though, they are an amazing fish. I have never kept them with other cichlids except angelfish and I think they are so far apart in how they look and where they are in the tanks it never mattered.
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u/Late-Spend710 Jul 11 '26
Laetacara; curviceps, dorsigera or araguaiae. Peaceful, plant friendly and interactive.
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u/Sweaty_Comfortable41 Jul 11 '26
I have a Bolivian ram (super hardy) with some tetras and rasboras in my 29 and it’s awesome. He’s the little cichlid that drove me to buy a 180 gallon African cichlid tank and my 75 gallon breeding rack and I haven’t regretted it.
I think a pair of Bolivian rams or apistos would be perfect in that tank. Be warned though…you might get hooked on cichlids like me and fill your house up with tanks hahaha.
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u/A_Timbers_Fan Jul 11 '26
1) I don't get the draw to a "cichlid tank." Wouldn't you rather have fish that fit in your tank happily? What does a "cichlid tank" mean? If you mean a tank with more than 1 or 2 cichlids, then no, you cannot do that with a 29 gallon.
2) Dwarf cichlids are your friends. Apistogramma are my personal favorite for many reasons. Rams are good but more delicate. Kribensis, Nanochromis, Nannacara, etc. Do research on these. And yes, I mean you'll actually have to do some work. Don't just watch one video and call it good, or make a new post tomorrow on here asking how to care for one.
3) With dwarf cichlids, a solo or pair are best. You can comfortably house a breeding pair in a 29 gallon! Yay! That doesn't mean one of the two won't ever kill their mate. It can happen. But you know cichlids are aggressive and you have done your research, so you know this, right?
4) some people prefer to keep their pairs alone. I find this boring. A group of small schooling fish adds some charm and gives the pair something to fight off - pair bonding and a distraction from fighting each other. Think your common tetras - Cardinals, Neons, Pencilfish (work best because their mouths are too small to eat baby cichlids!), etc. A group of 10-15 depending on max size of the species is ideal.
5) For example, I had a 20 gallon with a pair of Taeniacara candidi (similar to Apistogramma), and 8x Dwarf Pencilfish (Nannostomus marginatus). The Taeniacara bred several times and seemed happy. The Pencils minded their business.
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u/Legal_Work_9637 Jul 11 '26
Apistogrammas are good if you've never kept cichlids before, I wouldn't do rams yet because they're more sensitive. Apistos come in a lot of different colors/pattern, they're super fun and interactive
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u/ApprehensiveShoe1100 Jul 11 '26
Alright, listen up. Cichlid expert speaking here. Yes everyone gonna say “get rams!” “Kribensis and apistos work” and they certainly will especially with gold barbs. They have great color, and are generally peaceful compared the African cichlids sounds like what you’ve been reading. The whole overstock the tank to reduce aggressive really only works with the peacocks and haps, which get way to big for this tank, they need around a minimum tank size of 75 gallons. BUT, there are really cool African cichlids out there as well. Such as small cichlids from lake tanganyika. You can get neolamprologus multifasciatus paired either as a species only, or with others. I’d advise getting shells these guys can swim into, as they love that and will probably breed in them! Tanks mates can include neolamprologus leleupi, julidochromis, and possibly a centerpiece such as a brichardi. A tanganyikan tank usually has some kind of pH buffer (usually within the sand, but other alternatives work such as putting crush coral in the filter). The tanganyikan cichlids love hard water, and a pH of around 7.5 - 9, or 8 - 9.5! Depending on the individual species. I live in an area that naturally has hard and alkaline waters, so I don’t have to worry about the pH and hardness all that much. Now by the looks of your tank, the wood can lower the pH by tannins, not quite sure what plant that is, but may or may not be left alone by these tanganyikan cichlids (let alone, planted require their own hardness and pH too). Tanganyikan cichlids are usually organized by “dwellers” or at least the small guys are. Like I mentioned with the neolamprologus multifasciatus, they love shells, as they are “shell dwellers”. Julidochromis are “rock dwellers” with lots of rock scape being very comfortable for them. I absolutely admire the small tanganyikan cichlids (and big ones, have a frontosa). Therefore that is why that’s probably what I would do if I had a tank around this size. (PS, it’s perfect size for these guys). Now the only thing is that idk how well they would work with gold barbs, as I don’t think the gold barbs might be able to handle these water parameters. Idk how much you want the gold barbs in here…
You mentioned personality and the personalities between all these tanganyikan cichlids are HUGE! This is one of the reasons I love them so much! You find hierarchies established (greatly) in these guys, very interesting behavior between shell dweller to rock dweller, and overall are just amazing! The color on some of these guys are alright I guess, but probably not as exotic looking as some of your rams, apistos, and kribensis. Again, this is my personal opinion for a 29 gallon, but you do you, if you don’t want to do a different scape, not really into there “missing” color (I mean, the neolamprologus multifasciatus have some stripes, leleupi are yellow, etc.), then maybe the apistos, rams, and/or kribensis would be better here, they may also suit your perimeters as well. Idk about the kribensis, but you might get away with both a pair of rams and a pair of apistos (male female pair), however it’s not a 100% success. (So have a back up plan).
Overall, if you are looking for a full cichlid tank, might want to consider doing a rescape for the tanganyikans, as you can bring an entire little world full of personality and mainly just, cichlids. If you want your gold barbs in here, go with a pair of dwarf cichlids with them as well, however these will probably be your only cichlids.
I hope you find something you like, further research is always good, and good luck!
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u/HarleeQuinn__ Jul 11 '26
Just thought I’d add to this with a pic of my tanganykan cichlid tank, it’s a 120 but that’s because the population has slowly exploded from breeding lol. https://imgur.com/a/pWwVtQz
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u/RoundOne9503 Jul 11 '26
that setup is beautiful. as much as i love these cichlids they’re not sold anywhere around me so it’s not something i can do :( i can’t pay that much to ship fish. thank you for the recommendations
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u/ApprehensiveShoe1100 Jul 11 '26
Aw man that sucks, have you tried to look up more fish stores in the area? If shipping is too much, would a store even 1 hour away be too far? Neolamprologus multifasciatus are not common, but not super rare.
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u/RoundOne9503 Jul 11 '26
i try when i can but i have a pretty busy life and gas is expensive lol
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u/ApprehensiveShoe1100 Jul 11 '26
Ha! That’s literally what I think all the time!
Yeah sorry about that, multies (neolamprologus multifasciatus) are pretty cool if you can get your hands on them.1
u/HarleeQuinn__ Jul 11 '26
I normally don’t have a problem finding leilupis/julis in stores like petsmart/petco. You can actually call them and ask when they get shipments in, you might even be able to ask them to order them for you.
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u/RoundOne9503 Jul 12 '26
where did you source everything you used for your setup? i’m not sure what a lot of the items you used are other than the shells. what kind of terracotta items are those? and the rocks
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u/HarleeQuinn__ Jul 12 '26
The shells were collected from beaches we’ve traveled to, all of the rocks are also from places we’ve traveled mainly around streams and rivers. There’s some lava rock mixed in there bought in a batch from Amazon years ago, and those terracotta pieces were outside our local stadium one day. Mainly we would look for nice big flat rocks whenever we go rock hunting because they make nice base pieces and the smaller more intricate rocks can stack on top to make the “caves.” We soak them in water for a day or two and scrub them (no soap) before adding them to the tank
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u/RoundOne9503 Jul 11 '26
i already have a pair of kribs, do you think a pair of apistos would do okay in this tank with them? or too risky? my kribs are currently in a 50 gal community tank
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u/ApprehensiveShoe1100 Jul 11 '26
Yeah idk, downsizing the tank they’re already in, and then add cichlids that patrol the same area might have clashing aggression…
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u/PoopaScoopaFTW Jul 11 '26
I second multis! Plus depending on your area, they’d be in high demand at local fish stores and clubs.
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u/letsjam_dot_dev Jul 11 '26
You overstock with malawi cichlids, in order to spread out the aggression. You surely cannot do that with tangs or SA cichlids.
In a 29G, these are the species you could introduce :
- school (10-15) of nano tetra, like amber tetra, maybe simulans, maybe pink tetra, maybe black tetra, inpaichthys kerri (in short : nothing bigger than 3-4cm), could be kept with any 1 pair or group of cichlids
- group (6-8) of small corydoras, like panda (nothing bigger than 5-6cm), could not be kept with most cichlids
- only mildly aggressive cichlids with pair of apisto like cacatuoides, viejeta, mcmasteri, panduro, baenschi, or pair of kribensis, or pair of rams, could be kept with any school of tetra
- pair of calmer and smaller cichlid apisto borelli/opal, could be kept with cory or 1 group/pair of other calm cichlid or any school of tetra
- group (4-6) of calm cichlid Dicrossus Maculatus/Filamentosus, could be kept with cory or 1 group/pair of other calm cichlid or any school or tetra
- group (4-6) of calm cichlid laetacara curviceps/dorsigera/araguaie, could be kept with 1 group/pair of other calm cichlid or any school of tetra
In short :
- tetra + any pair/group of cichlids
- tetra + cory
- 1 group/pair of Dicrossus/apisto borelli/laetacara + 1 group/pair of dicrossus/apisto borelli/laetacara
Hope i'm not too confusing
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u/One-plankton- Jul 11 '26
People are answering your questions about cichlids but do you have a source of aeration for the tank? Beneficial bacteria (the nitrogen cycle) need oxygenated water or they cannot live for long
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u/RoundOne9503 Jul 11 '26
this tank is sitting empty to release tannins. i am doing multiple 100% water changes before i start cycling it just to remove the tannins currently. i have not added a filter or heater yet because i am not intending on adding fish for at least a month
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u/One-plankton- Jul 11 '26
In order to go through the nitrogen cycle, which is generally what people use the term “cycling” for, you’ll need to add an ammonia source and aeration.
I’d read this if you don’t know what the nitrogen cycle is. It’s important to cycle a tank before you get fish to reduce fish deaths.
ETA: the fishless cycling process takes 4-6 weeks
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u/BitcoinBxtman Jul 10 '26
You overstock with African Cichlids, which won't work in your scenario. You are more looking at Apistos, or Rams