# Any smallish colorful cichlids that can live in a community tank?



## sand (Dec 21, 2010)

Are there any smallish colorful cichlids that can live in a community tank?

It's a 65 gallon planted with;
two little clown loaches
one "giant betta" boy
one regular betta girl
two female adult platys.
I'd love some color in the tank and cichlids have such cool personalities, but I want this to be a friendly tank, not a fighting tank. the clowns are quite small and have lived there for about 8 months so i want no fish who will harass them, and i'm not getting a bigger tank for at least another year and a half. 
our water is fairly hard and always a ph of 8.5 to 9 (it's desalinated ocean water, as I live next to the Gulf of Mexico)


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

I have two Balloon Rams in my community tank which is a 55 gallon. These are known as dwarf cichlids and their max size is about 2" There are also dwarf rams called Bolivian, and German Blue. I got mine at a local LFS. I hear Pet Smart is now carrying one of the species.


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## sand (Dec 21, 2010)

great idea, i've always admired the Rams, great colors.


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## dscobb (Dec 17, 2010)

I would be a little concerned putting rams in with high ph. They really like water thats below 7.0


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## rtbob (Jul 18, 2010)

dscobb said:


> I would be a little concerned putting rams in with high ph. They really like water thats below 7.0



Ouch, I somehow missed that in the post. Mine do well in 7.6 but 8.5-9.0 is probably to high.


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## sand (Dec 21, 2010)

someone mailed me an apisto cacatu.. in a plant order. when i looked up their parameters i saw they liked softer too. i acclimated him SUPER slow, and he lived his life out as the KING of the goldfish tank (i didn't have anywhere else to put him and he hadn't been expected!), hahahah. he was the boss. the guy who mailed him as a surprise said oh i didnt realize your water was hard. he kept inquiring on how the apisto was, so i'd send him little movies sometimes, hahaha. i think the poor guy was worried. i was too, but he did well. anyway based on that, i think i'll get a big school of cardinal tetras. i spoke to the owner last night, of a big lfs, he's ordering me some and said to acclimate them with a drip method, we shall see, i'll kept ya'll posted.


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