Beginnings

I first started keeping cichlids (unknowingly) when i purchased a couple of jellybean cichlids from a Walmart in Chino. At first, i thought they were cute and interesting. They both had personalities that made them feel like miniature round dogs with fins. Anyhow they didn't last long. I kept them in a 2 gallon tank in my apartment while living on campus. So, since i was so upset, i decided to do more research on these particular fish and found out all about them. Well let's just say I never looked at hybrids again. 

Next, i fell in love with kribensis and convicts. I picked up a pair of convicts from petsmart and by this time I had 2 more tanks, 2 (2.5) gallon tanks. I also picked up a pair of kribensis from an LFS in San Bernardino. The female kribensis killed the male, the convict lasted but were constantly fighting. Eventually i gave away the kribensis and the convicts had paired up. As i read more and more about cichlids, i frequented many of the LFS around the inland empire. I added more tanks to my apartment. I had 2 additional 5 gallon tanks in which, I also decided to obtain neolamprologus brichardi. I also tried german blue rams, which quickly died on me as well as geophagus surinamensis. (At this time i really had no clue what i was getting myself into but i kept promising myself that i'd get a bigger tank) For my next birthday my dad got me a 55 gallon corner tank and it came with metriaclima greshakei. They bred and bred and bred and eventually i sold them all off at another LFS. 

As you can imagine, I kept adding more and more tanks. I bought a 60 gallon acrylic tank, in which i moved many of my mbunas to. (oh yes, i picked up Ps. Acei, L. Caeruleus, P. Socolofi, M. Callainos, M. Lombardoi and randomly a Nic) Then I also bought another 30 gallon tank in which I ended up picking up a severum for. I also kept a severum with me at my apartment. The bigger tanks stayed at home with my parents. And on and on i went picking up new cichlids. I eventually also had Keyhole cichlids (which i still have) and bolivian rams in my apartment. 

Fast forward to a few months after, I picked up more tanks and more fish. To this day, i've kept at least 60 different species of cichlids. Currently I don't have all the ones i began with. Among those that didn't stay were my Daffodil Pulchers, Neo. Brichardi, Bolivian Rams, T. Vittatus, German Blue Rams, Angelfish, Discus, Ps. Socolofi, M. Callainos, L. Caeruleus, M. Greshakei, M. Lombardoi, and plenty others. 

What I do have is on a list on another page :)