How many convict cichlids is ok in my 40L tank

For now will get a bigger tank over 3 months or so


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That is my problem when I bought the tanks de lady gave me 4 and ja


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Dai are ok now and had 2 red fin sharks also but i give them back to the petshop dis Saturday


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What will be the best liter tank


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Why not get some other cichlids?

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Ok what kind


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At a push, a pair of Rams would be nice

 

IMO only fish that should go in a 40 l is micro fish. Nothing bigger than 2cm

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Shell dwellers

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As @Reedfish said. The bigger the water volume the more stable a tank will be.

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Instead of asking what size tank you need, turn the question around, and ask what size tank your fishes need.

The convicts you have in the tank grow to about 15cm, each.
When researching fish, remember the basic formula of fish per tank size is 2.5cm of fish per 5 litres of water, or 1 inch of fish per gallon of water.
Taking that formula into account, it means you would need a minimum of 120 litres, or a standard 3 foot tank.

Size of the fish is only one factor that needs to be taken into account.

Do all the fish share the same water requirements?
Are the fish in the tank all compatible with each other?
Do all the fish share the same type of food requirement?

The lady at the petshop did not give you 4 convicts.
She sold them to you, plus the redtail sharks., plus the 40L tank, and the TF800 filter you had in initially.
She also sold you the pebble substrate, the right, the plastic plants and the Amazon Sword plant.

Did she explain the nitrogen cycle to you? Recommend dechlorinating chemicals?
Did she suggest what the correct type of food was for all the fish in your tank?
Did she tell you how many fish you could safely keep in the tank once they had grown to adult size?
Did she explain how you should plant the Sword, and recommend plant food?

If she did give you good advice, and you decided to go ahead with your purchase anyway, you are to blame for the fish that have died, may still die, and the conditions in your tank.
If she did not, and simply sold you the goods or suggested you get more, without taking the fish into consideration, she shouldn't be in the pet trade.
Perhaps you should re-evaluate the tank, what you have in it, and take it from there.

 

@Barend Labuschagne : Don't take it too personally. The experienced fish keepers have all managed to kill many fish during their fish keeping careers, me included. What guys like @Pezulu are saying, is that if you want to keep fish, you have to be at least a little knowledgeable and prepared, otherwise you are doomed to inflict misery on the fish you intend to keep. This is true of all animal husbandry. I have less of a problem with rank noobs killing fish quickly, than with smart-ass ignoramuses that kill them slowly, keeping them in misery for months or years. Which is what you are going to do if you overstock the tank, or have one that is too small for the species you want to keep. We here like fish, and we don't like it when they suffer, so take the sharp-edged advice in that spirit.

From my own experience, the best I can recommend is to take it as slow as you can. Cichlids such as convicts should maybe wait a bit - very few of them are really suited to beginners. It may sound patronising, but try to keep a few zebra danios or guppies for a while. If that works out, and you understand water chemistry and the nitrogen cycle a bit better, as well as the basic diseases and feeding etc., then move onto something a wee bit more challenging. Don't go and spend thousands of rands only to meet abject failure, but don't underspend on the quality of life you offer your pets either. Keep it simple and small (in number of fish, and number of species). If you have kept other animals, then keeping fish is not such a stretch. You just have to understand water quality first and foremost.

And I do agree with getting the largest tank you can house and afford. The larger the tank, the fewer your likely problems, and the longer they will take to spin out of control. With a larger tank, one has a bit of time, which is often the only difference between losing all your fish and being able to salvage something. One more thing - keeping fish and plants happy at the same time is a tightrope at times. It is better to leave plants out of it. Keep the tank as clean and barren as you can, apart from a few simple objects that wouldn't harbour much dirt etc. Same with substrate - keep it simple. Then cleaning is quick and easy, and the water quality is not affected by additional nutrients or decay products.

 

@dorff That's how i started.

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Will do and thanks for the insight and pets shops in my town is not as clear my plan for now is toe get a 100L tanks and a bigger heater have a grade day and thanks to all


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100L isn't enough. I had 4 in mine. One didn't make it. Moved to a 250L and they happy even had spawning

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If you can rather get a 250L as per @Innocent159 's recommendation. It's a nice size to start out with, a 100L can be iffy at times when you start as the water still goes vrot fast in a 100L. 250L gives you more stability and time to react to problems. If you are interested in starting to keep plants, use the 40L as small planted tank with plants only to get the feel of how lots of light affects a tank, basically you have to learn how to grow algae as slow as possible haha, and as @dorff said, keep it simple.

 

Like how you mention algae. If you can't beat it you can atleast try and controle it.

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