There are few aquarium experiences as rewarding as keeping cichlids. While most people have kept small schools of minnows or a handful of languid goldfish at some point in their lives, cichlids are a completely different experience.
Not only are cichlids attractive fish, but they provide a level of interaction that few other fish can match. Many cichlids will grow to recognize their owners and will become excited at the sight of them. And unlike other species of fish, most cichlids are devoted parents. They carefully tend to their eggs, and most species shepherd their fry around the tank (or carry them around in their mouth), keeping them safe and guiding them towards food.
But not all cichlids are created equal, and some of these fish are exceptionally difficult to keep. Some species are fragile and will quickly die in anything but a perfectly maintained tank, while other species are extremely aggressive.
Because of this, I’ve created a list of the five easiest to keep cichlids below.
Convict Cichlid
If there is one universally agreed upon beginner cichlid, it’s probably the convict cichlid. These fish are incredibly hardy, breed readily, and are extremely prolific. If someone wants to experience all a cichlid has to offer, then these are the perfect fish.
Convict cichlids are easy to sex, and when a female reaches maturity, her belly takes on a reddish hue. Unless a person has a very large aquarium (55 gallons and above), then it’s best to start with a single breeding pair. Probably the only difficult aspect of keeping these fish is trying to figure out what to do with all the fry.
While these fish can be kept in semi-aggressive community tanks, it’s recommended to keep them in a species only aquarium. They are notoriously aggressive during spawning and will terrorize a fish tank. In fact, there are numerous stories of them killing every fish in their aquarium – even much larger, more aggressive fish.
To learn more about convict cichlids, read the Aquarium Tidings article – Convict Cichlid Care
Firemouth Cichlid
The firemouth cichlid has long been a staple in the aquarium hobby, and while it’s not as popular as it once was, it’s still an excellent beginner cichlid. Like the convict cichlid, it’s hardy and breeds easily. What sets it apart from the convict cichlid, is that it spawns at a slower pace, which means an aquarium won’t become overwhelmed with fry.
These fish tend to coexist well with other central American cichlids but shouldn’t be kept with any non-aggressive fish, as firemouth cichlids become aggressive during spawning. Most similar sized cichlids will hold their own against a firemouth cichlid during breeding, but non-aggressive fish will be bullied and may become injured.
To learn more about firemouth cichlids, read the Aquarium Tidings article – Firemouth Cichlid Care
Kribensis Cichlid
If an aquarist is looking for a slightly smaller cichlid, then kribensis cichlids are a wonderful choice. Not only do these fish have stunning colors, but they are also an undemanding and peaceful fish. They do well in small groups and spend much of their time weaving in and out of caves and decorations.
These fish are a little harder to breed than the other fish on this list, so if someone is interested in breeding cichlids, a different cichlid might be a better choice. Kribensis cichlids usually only breed in soft water, and it can be difficult to get the conditions just right in their aquarium to trigger spawning. Also, they are secretive breeders, and most of the parenting will take place inside of a cave.
While these dwarf cichlids would seem to be perfect for a community tank, it’s usually not recommended. With aggressive fish, the kribensis cichlids end up hiding most of the time, rarely emerging from their caves. And with non-aggressive fish, the kribensis will bully them relentlessly during spawning.
To learn more about kribensis cichlids, read the Aquarium Tidings article – Kribensis Cichlid Care
Bolivian Ram
The Bolivian ram is an underappreciated dwarf cichlid and is an excellent choice for a beginner cichlid. While their colors aren’t as striking as German rams, they are still an attractive fish and are often viewed as an alternative to the troublesome German rams. Not only are they hardier than German rams, but they don’t suffer the same abuse in the aquarium trade (German rams are often injected with hormones to brighten their colors early).
These fish are easy to breed, and it’s quite entertaining to watch a male court a female by rapidly moving his head back and forth and bobbing up and down. Bolivian rams exhibit excellent parental care, and they will escort their fry around the aquarium, protecting them and finding them food.
Bolivian rams are one of the few cichlids that seem to do well in a community aquarium. While they are still territorial, mid-dwelling and top-dwelling fish are often left alone – especially in large aquariums. Still, it’s always best to be ready for problems before adding these fish and to have a backup plan in place in case of aggression.
To learn more about Bolivian Rams, read the Aquarium Tidings article – Bolivian Ram Care
Oscar
While it may be strange to include the oscar – a fish often described as a football with fins – on a list of beginner cichlids, it’s actually one of the easiest cichlids to keep. Paradoxically, the larger an aquarium, the easier it is to maintain. And because oscars live in large aquariums, it’s usually easier to keep the water conditions stable and the fish healthy.
Oscars can be kept alone or in pairs and almost have the same mannerisms as a puppy. They will greet their owners when they get home and are always excited to see them. And they go crazy when it’s feeding time. For such a large fish, they aren’t overly aggressive and rarely cause problems with tankmates (unless the tankmates are small enough to eat). Surprisingly, oscars are usually the ones who get bullied. Because of that, it’s often easier to keep them in a species only aquarium.
These fish breed quite easily when paired bonded, but unlike many other cichlids, placing a pair together doesn’t guarantee they will bond. If someone wants to breed oscars, it’s best to purchase an already bonded pair of fish or to purchase half a dozen juveniles and then let them pair off.
To learn more about Oscar Fish, read the Aquarium Tidings article – Oscar Fish Care
Final Word
Cichlids may take a bit more work than other species of fish, but they repay the work a thousand times over with their interactive nature and fascinating breeding habits.
If you’ve found any other easy-to-keep cichlids, let me know in the comments below.
I’m a bit surprised you didn’t put angelfish on the list, but I understand that most people don’t even realize that angelfish are indeed cichlids.
I was honestly considering adding angelfish while I was writing it, but I’ve known so many people who’ve had problems with them in the past. A lot of the ones available now I find are very susceptible to disease and sensitive to poor water quality, and you need to find a reputable breeder to find a hardy and healthy angelfish. But I do agree with you – if you find a healthy angelfish, they’re a great beginner cichlid.
Prolific breeder and easy care are understatements for the convict cichlid. When I was a kid, we moved an aggressive pair to a 5 gallon tank. We had no other option at the time. They bred…and bred…and their babies bred…I swear that 5 gallon tank must have had 25-30 or more convict cichlids in it at one point.
thank you so much for your amazing articles and I am trying to decide on Convicts or Firemouths for my 29 that i got for Christmas(yes it is cycled) any comment would be appreciated thank you btw I am a kid so the cheaper the better
While convicts are among my favorite cichlids, it’s nearly impossible to find homes for all of their fry. So unless you have a local fish store desperate for convict fry, I would go with firemouths. They’re an amazing – and stunning – cichlid fish. But you’re really at the minimum tank size for both fish, so you’ll need to watch the water closely. And both fish are usually priced quite cheaply at stores, so it shouldn’t make too much of a difference price wish.
I hope this helps, and you’re going to have a lot of fun with these fish.
the fish store takes all fish for free even pest snails(they have a puffer) and i have a paratilapia polleni that currently only immediately eats live and it is only an inch long so fry wont be a problem. Should i get the Convicts at petsmart or my lfs
or online?
Where you buy the fish really depends on the store. Only buy fish from a tank with no dead fish, no sick fish, and no fish that look lethargic. If see anything that doesn’t look right in the tank, don’t buy from it. I’ve seen some really great PetSmart stores and some really terrible ones. Just check it out before you buy from there.
Thanks your site is the first site i go to for a reason =) amazing info
I’m glad I could help. 🙂
Hi there, I’ve been keeping tropical fish for a couple of years now and I would like to progress to cichlids, I’ve been reading up on the advice you’ve given on filter equipment, currently I’m using an external filter, fluvial 306, can this filter system be used for keeping cichlids?
No need to worry as fluvials are great filters with a lot of benefits to using them. It should handle most dwarf and mid-size cichlids with no problem.
What would you recommend for a 55 gallon tank? Like what would be the ideal stock for a tank that size if I didn’t want all of the same kind and don’t really care to breed. (It sounds scary 😨)
It’s really tough to recommend anything if you don’t want to breed them. But you could easily keep one oscar in a tank that size, and they make a great pet. Another option is to keep a few single fish cichlids together, but keeping them alone often leads to aggression problems. So you’d probably have to setup the aquarium like an African cichlid tank, with numerous places to hide and large decorations to break the line-of-sight.
Personally, I’d go with firemouths though. You could start with a breeding pair in there and their relatively slow breeding means you wouldn’t need to worry too much about fry right off the bat. And breeding isn’t as scary as you think – the cichlids do most of the work for you.
Hey! I’m new to Cichlids and was recently gifted a 45 gallon tank. I want to get a couple of them, but I don’t really want a ton of fry. Is it possible to house two cichlids of the same gender together? Thanks for this awesome list!
It really all depends on the fish. Many of the dwarf cichlids would probably be fine, but you’re in for a bad time if you try to house some of the larger ones together. Did you have a specific species in mind?