A 50 gallon tank is very small in most cases, depending on what you have in mind to keep in it, but in most cases, a 50 gallon tank could very useful as you can use it to house some fishes. Such fishes includes cichlids. Although there are so many species of cichlids and the good news is, you can keep them in this size of tank if you want. Now your question will definitely be, how many of them can you be able to keep in this size of tank.
How many Cichlids can you keep in a 50 gallon tank? For a small tank like the 50 gallon tank, keeping 6-7 cichlids is very normal.
We all know that cichlids are very aggressive fish that rarely tolerate other fish, including themselves, more especially the male ones.
Although there are many species of this fish, and they vary in behaviors.
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Some species are very aggressive, for instance the African cichlids and some are not that aggressive, but in conclusion, all cichlids are considered as aggressive fish.
They vary in sizes too, depending on their different species, but on average, a cichlid could grow up to 3 -8 inches in size, again depending on geographical location.
Cichlids are very active and lively fish.
They love being in groups and doesn’t like being alone, although they could be aggressive to each other sometimes, especially the males.
So being an active type of fish, they need to swim around, chase each other and play around too in order to be healthy.
So in order to be comfortable and move about freely, they need a large tank, and when the the only option is a 50 gallon tank, then their number should be limited, so that the tank could not be over stocked which is harmful to them.
So keeping 6-7 of them, especially more females than males in a 50 gallon tank is normal in order to reduce their aggression to each other and allow them to be free and comfortable in the tank.
What Cichlids can Live in a 50 Gallon Tank?
Like I mentioned above, Cichlid has many species and each specie have their own behavior and size. Maybe you want to keep a particular specie of cichlid and you want to know the exact size and average tank space they can occupy, don’t worry, you will find all your answers here.
Cichlid Species that can occupy a 50-55 Gallon tank are:
Electric Yellow: This cichlid is only 5 inches and so 5-8 of them could fit comfortably in a 50 gallon tank.
Maingano: They are only 5 inches in size and also are great fit for a 50 gallon tank.
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Keeping 4-7 of them in a 50-55 gallon is okay.
Mbuna Cichlid: This specie of cichlid could get up to 5 inches in size.
Just like every other specie of cichlid, they don’t like being alone and they are aggressive too.
So keeping 7-8 of them in a 50 gallon tank is very normal, as they will be free and move about and also be less aggressive to each other.
Cobalt Blue Zebra: This specie of cichlid could grow up to 6 inches in size.
They could be comfortable housed in a 50 -55 gallon tank and in a group of 5-7 fishes.
Blue Peacock could only grow up to 7 inches in size and could be comfortably be kept in a 50-60 gallon tank and they could be kept up to 4-6 in a 50 gallon tank.
Albino/Yellow/Red Peacock: This kind of cichlid could get up to the size of 5 inches and 5-7 of them could comfortably be housed in a 50-60 gallon tank.
Electric Blue: Electric blue is an average sized cichlid.
They could grow up to 8 inches in size and 3-5 of them could be kept in a 50 gallon tank.
Damasoni: They are only 3 inches and about 10 of them could live comfortably in a 50 gallon.
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Venustus: This Specie can grow up to 10 inches, making then so large and only 2-3 could be kept comfortably in a 50 gallon tank.
Acei: They are 6 inches and 7 could be kept in a 50 gallon tank without any issue.
Bumblebee: This specie is only 6 inches and 7 of them could be kept in 50-55 gallon tank.
Kribensis: They are only 4 inches in size and up to 8 could be harbored in a 50 gallons.
African Cichlids: So far, this is considered the most aggressive specie of all cichlids.
They could group to 4-8 inches and could occupy more space due to their aggressive nature.
So 3-6 per 50-55 gallon tank is okay, inorder to curb aggression, especially on the male side.
American Cichlids: So far they are considered the 2nd most aggressive cichlid.
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They could get to the size of 15 inches and only 2-3 could be kept in a tank as small as 50-55 gallons.
How Many African Cichlids Can I Put In A 55 Gallon Tank?
This specie is by far the most aggressive of all cichlids and are highly intolerant of themselves, including many other aquatic animals. The high level of aggression is more on the males, so judging by how aggressive they are, you might be wondering how many of them could be able to coexist peacefully in a 55 Gallon tank.
How many African Cichlids can i keep in a 55 gallon tank? If the African cichlids comprises of more females than males, then you could keep up to 7 of them in a 55 gallon tank, but if there are more males than females, then don’t keep more than 5 in such a tank, as they will be aggressive to each other.
It is a well known fact that the most aggressive Cichlid of any specie are the male ones.
They are so intolerant that they could fight over anything, including mate, food and even territory.
So keeping more number of the males in a small tank of 55 gallon is not advisable, as they will all end up fighting each other and making themselves uncomfortable.
So keeping less than 6 in such a tank is very great, as they will learn to stay out of each other’s way because the tank will be just enough for them to do that.
How Many Peacock Cichlids can I keep in a 45 Gallon Tank?
Peackock Cichlid is one of the most popular species of cichlids. They’re often seen in many home aquariums because they are both nice and easy to care for. So how many of them should you stock in a small tank like the 45 gallon?
How many Peackock Cichlids can i put in a 45 gallon tank? Peackock Cichlids can grow up to 5-7 inches in size, so they can be kept in a number of 3-5 in a 45 gallon tank.
When I say they could be kept in a number of 3-5, it greatly depends on the type of the Peackock Cichlid and the immediate size.
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For some reasons, some animals could add more in size than what is generally stipulated about them, for instance, some animals in the wild might grow more in size compared to those in captivity.
So it’s very important to calculate the size of both your animal and their habitat and find out if they could be comfortable I’m such a space etc. ( DIY)
How Many Cichlids can Live in a 40 Gallon Tank?
40 Gallon is a small tank, although you can still keep some average sized and number of cichlids in it and they will still be comfortable. So how many of them should you keep in such a small tank.
How many Cichlids can live in a 40 Gallon tank? You can keep up to 7 dwarf Cichlid species or 4 average sized species of Cichlid in a 40 Gallon tank.
Although Cichlids are small fish compared to many aquarium fish, but the only thing about them is their level of aggression to one another, that’s why you can hardly keep many of them in a small tank without having issue of aggression.
So if you happen to be in possession of a 40 Gallon tank, and you want to keep cichlids in it, then try to keep less than 8 of the dwarf species and less than 5 of the average species in order to stem their aggression and give then enough room to be happy.
How Many Cichlids Can You Have in a 30 Gallon Tank?
Just like 40 Gallon, 50 or 55 gallon tank, 30 gallon is also very small to keep many aquarium animals. So if you happen to have it or that’s what your budget could get, then don’t worry, as you can still house some cichlids in it. Now the next question that might come from you is, how many can I keep in a 30 Gallon?
How many cichlids can I keep in a 30 gallon tank? You can house 4-5 dwarf species of cichlids or 2-3 average sized cichlids like the African cichlids in a 30 gallon tank.
30 gallon is very small and is not recommended for anything that has to do with fish, unless smaller fish like the neons and other smaller aquatic animals like crabs and snails etc.
So avoid overstocking it with an aggressive animals like the cichlids because they will make themselves uncomfortable in it.
How Many Cichlids Can You Keep In A 20 Gallon Tank?
By far, a 20 gallon is a tiny tank and shouldn’t be recommend for fish keeping, unless tiny animals that are Aquatic too.
How many cichlids can you keep in a 20 gallon tank? You can only keep one or 2 cichlids in a 20 gallon tank or up to 3 dwarf cichlids in it.
As a fish keeper, I won’t advise having this type of tank, no matter what, for the fact you will be using it to keep fish.
Although you can house some random tiny Species of fish with it, and also other tiny animals, but all the same, you should have a far more bigger tank than this for the overall health of your fishes.
Conclusion
Cichlids although are smaller than some fishes, but they need a lot more space than so many of those big fishes because of their aggression.
So when buying a tank for them, it’s very necessary to get them big tanks because they need to be very comfortable, which will help to curb their aggressive nature and for them to tolerate each other in such a tank.
So i recommend getting them nothing less than 75 gallon tank if you wan to keep them in groups.
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