Dwarf African, W. African cichlids species and other small African fish suggestions.

Hello,
Tonight I was pondering redoing and restocking my 9.5 gallon long. As I was surfing the Web thought I would stop in and get suggestions from my fellow members.

Small/dwarf african cichlids and other fish. Is there any type that will thrive in a 9.5 gallon long? If so, any suggestions?

What is the footprint on the 9.5G long Chad? Shellies might work.

id say shellies as well, brevis or multies would do great in there. not so sure about occies or any of the other variants. a lot of the african river basin stuff id say is just gonna get too big.

The foot print is 2 feet long, 6 inches from front to back, and 1 foot deep. I was hoping there was some little 2-3 inch guys out there that might do okay in the tank. With a light crushed coral substrate maybe and rocks. Possibly little Anubias plants growing on the rocks?

I do like shellies and have done some research on them. After I posted this thread I haven't had much time to do research but I will be doing more research this weekend.

I would be okay with a species only set up since the tank is so small. Like one or two little rock dwellers... IDK...

a lot of tang cichlids will tolerate plants within their setup. i think a rock dweller might be difficult to achieve (but you could easily keep it in there for sight barriers and as a plant medium) as far as shellies that footprint gives you a little bit of wiggle room species wise. i would stay away from the ocellatus types (gold, "black", or pearly) as they tend to be quite aggressive and thats just not enough room for unwanteds to hide out. a pair of brevis would work great and you could easily snag some sort of hard water dither to keep em pre occupied. im actually in the process of setting up a similar tank (40g) and planned to (hopefully) pick up some of the smaller australian rainbows from the Co-op. just giving you ideas here but id strongly reccomend you take a look at some of the articles available on cichlid-forum to give you a better idea of what species you might be able to get. also on a side note, cory can get quite a few nice tangs in stock, so dont be afraid to ask him when you get the chance. GL to ya, Plz feel free to PM me any questions.

PS: my brevis kitumba just had another batch of babies. if im able to catch any and raise them ill be glad to hook you up

Not sure I'd trust a Westie pair with the foot print. Maybe, if I were forced to try, I'd go with Pelvicachromis roloffi since they are the smallest and least aggressive Westie I know of ... but honestly I still wouldn't try it.

Given the dimensions and gallonage, though it pains me to say it, shellies are probably the best option.

What about some dwarf rainbows?

I think I would go with either Neolamprologus brevis or Neolamprologus multifasciatus. I've been wanting to start a small shell-dweller tank for awhile, like a 12 long or something similar. I've even seen a small group in a Spec V!

I am reading up on all that has been suggested. Thanks for the start!
Here is some species I've bumped into. Anyone have experiance with these? Also, I haven't found any info on these yet about minimum tank size requirements just know they are smaller than 4".

Julidochromis transcriptus "Gombi"
 Hemichromis lifalili
 Hemichromis guttatus
Hemichromis stellifer
 Anomalochromis thomasi

Brevis kitumba in a 15 gallon tank. This is pretty neat.

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ive kept transcriptus before. actually just ordered a group in thru the co-op. idk how well they would do in such a small tank tho. ive noticed that julies tend to get attached to decor and dont take kindly to redecorating. other then that theyve been great fish. always kept in a 20g or larger tho. id look into the lamprologus shellies species personally (they have all been lumped into a new family, no longer neolamprologus)

So far I am liking the smallest of shellies and the Julidochromis transcriptus "Gombi". Leaning toward the shellies for this set up. All three of my tanks are the same theme (which I like) , but they are pretty much exactly the same.
My 9.5 gallon is just an algae machine and I am done dealing with it. A complete break down will be in order. This will give me an opportunity to do a compete break down , set it up for this specific species, run the system for a while playing with lighting and parameters and get it running consistently before getting any new fish.

I am still in research mode so suggestions and any input is welcome.

Here's the link for the Cichlid-Forum cookie cutter for a 10G tank...the size is pretty similar other than you have 4" less in depth in the tank.  Anyway...the other option they list are a couple of Apistogramma species.  With the size difference in your tank its unknown if that would make a difference for those.  I still think the shellies would do OK.

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i would do multies or brevis then. brevis would allow for a little bit of room for a possible dither (some of the smaller aussy rainbows are nice) also you should be able to order them from cory. multies are awesome as well and will eventually colonize the entire tank . its all up to you tho. if you do get shellies just go buy escargot shells from a grocery store (call ahead it was a pain for me to find) i KNOW brevis or multies would do fine in that tank tho, ive kept them in smaller quarters before. anyhoo GL with your choices, sounds like youve got some awesome species in mind

thought id post some pictures of my smaller shellie setups.
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well crap hopefully the links worked, they changed how pics are added onto the forum it seems. both tanks held brevis kitumba pairs. ive been line breeding with this group for 3 generations now. starting to get some neat coloration patterns (only shows when stressed UGH) u can see it in the small female in the 2nd pic.

Think I'm learning more from you guys than random Google searching , lol.

Thanks everyone. The info, link, and photos help alot. Think I am going to do this!
I am leaning toward shellies. This will be nice change and I've  always been fascinated with them. The 3rd species I am reading about is 'Lamprologus'  similis. Another small shell dweller I bumped into in Donnas link.

similis are pretty much multies but w/ more stripes. they also dont really do the colony thing (or at least thats what i read) they can be kinda hard to find as well. a lot of the africans are more popular on the east coast so you may need to ship something in. i would highly reccomend the multies. if you can get a good amount of females early in you can quickly get a TON of them all over the place. its kinda like a little soap opera with all the drama.

PS: be prepared to get bit by these little guys. it doesnt hurt but it will definitely shock the heck outta ya lolz.

Looks like you could maybe do a pair of these also...but only a pair...Lamprologus meleagris...or Pearly ocellotus. Looks like Wetspot has these so Cory could probably get some up for you. Very attactive little guys.

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Interesting Donna. Definitely a like on this species!

Here is my note list...
Julidochromis transcriptus "Gombi"
 Hemichromis lifalili
 Hemichromis guttatus
Hemichromis stellifer
 Anomalochromis thomasi

'Lamprologus' similis**

Neolamprologus multifasciatus**** small sized, many might be kept. Pearl eyes, pearl color

Lamprologus stappersi ****  color, digs, bury shells, will keep sand moving (possible algae deterrent in sand). Interesting/ captivating personality as per keepers.

I'd ditch the jewel cichlids off the list, unless you are talking just a single one with no dithers.

I hear you. The top list is what I started with. The list below with the stars is what am leaning towards.