African Cichlids

Have a 55 gallon with 2 African Cichlids... Would like to add more color (currently two bumble bee type) However - what other types of cichlids can I mix in with them? Every time I ask at the local pet store, they tell me none - ONLY the basic ones that we have... I have numerous tanks set up - but really no experience with Cichlids... Any help would be appreciated..

I've heard those bumble bee cichlids are bruisers. They are from Lake Malawi, so I'd stick with species from that lake: mbunas - just look it up and you'll find tons to choose from. I bet some are even in the 'mixed cichlid' tank at that shop! Synodontis Catfish also tend to mix well. I have had success mixing rainbowfish and silver-tipped sharks with them. But I put them all together when the Mbunas were very young/small.

If your cichlids are a decent size. I'd recommend totally redoing the decorations in your tank and then introducing new fish in before the water clears. This way your current fish no longer have a 'territory' and everyone can establish new territories. A LOT of rocky caves and thick clumps of fake plants work the best. Plenty of hiding places for less dominant fish.

[img][/img]

From what I have gathered researching different Cichlids if you have a few Mbunas then it is best to stick with them. Their aggression level is fairly high but when mixed with other Mbunas it seems to even out and they only will chase for awhile then give up.

Provide an overly large amount of spots for them to hide and it make an enormous difference in how they get along. Mbuna means rock dweller and as such they love over hangs, rocks, holes, caves, and will spend most of the day aimlessly cursing through them.

There are lots of people that have been able to mix Mbunas with other Cichlid and be fine but you have to hope you get a mild mannered one and from my experience the "bumblebee" is not so mildly mannered. Size plays a big role in these fish as well. Some fish become aggressive towards others that are the same size while others pick on smaller fish it all depends on their demeanor. I have even seen smaller fish pick on larger ones when the larger fish won't fight back!

If you have Mbuna the best thing to do is overstock. I also like to throw in some Peacocks to mellow everything out. All my Mbuna and Peacocks breed with no problem being in the same tank.

i have 15 south african cichlids in 90 gallon, most of which are mbuna. is that enough fish or is that too much? they are about 2-3". i also have 2 bumblebees in there which are slightly smaller than the others and seemingly to hold their own. just looking for feedback.

One thing I would add is to put try to put them all in at one time so no one has qn established territory.

Yea, What Striking and KMX said. Over stock the tank and have rock work. I stock my rental tanks, like a 30 gallon with 20 1.5" fish, 55 with 35 fish and a 75 with 50 fish. This makes for a nice looking tank and is very active. I don't see the rental tanks but 2 weeks and they do fine. If I have a bully, I take him out and put him in another thank, that makes him the new guy in the tank and it changes his attitude quickly.

I always wondered if you had say two tanks setup if you took one bully out of the tank 1 stuck him in tank 2 just to break up the king of the hill mentality he had in the other tank then later put him back in the original tank 1 if he would remember and try to reclaim his territory or would be the new guy again.

strikingthematch wrote:

I always wondered if you had say two tanks setup if you took one bully out of the tank 1 stuck him in tank 2 just to break up the king of the hill mentality he had in the other tank then later put him back in the original tank 1 if he would remember and try to reclaim his territory or would be the new guy again.

I have not tryed to put the bully back into the first tank. I don't know if that works.

Yeah I might give it a try if I ever setup another Cichlid tank. I think it would be interesting to test at least.

Overstocking that heavily may cause chemistry problems - unless you are changing a large amount per week. Since so many mbunas enjoy plants (munch!) there's only one way to remove the nitrate buildup - remove the water.

I have 10 cichlids, 3 cats, 2 rainbowfish in a 55G. Filtered for 100G - plenty of volcanic basalt colonized by nitrifying bacteria. With regular weekly testing I see that the nitrate levels hit the danger zone every fourth week. I've added duckweed to mine in order to see if it will slow down the nitrate spike, but I still expect to continue 'turning over' around 40% of the tank's water with regular changes throughout the month.

I would not want the work that CichlidLover does. I've had a 55G with 23 fish in it. (Panfish tank). Filtered for a 100G. Nitrate levels consistently went high on a weekly basis. Pain in the neck to change enough water each week to bring nitrates back down to safe. So I culled 10 of the smaller fish and added duckweed. Now Nitrate spikes once-a-month. So I've cut my maintainance work from 4 hours per month to 45 minutes per month. The fish survived in the overstocked situation - but they are now thriving at a moderate stocking level. Still plenty of interest with fewer but bigger sunfish, plecos, and bass.

JoannLynn, you must decide what's more important to you: an exciting show with a lot of fish - which means more exposure to high nitrate levels, potentially stressed fish and more work for you; or a decent show with a moderately stocked tank - with lower nitrate levels, fish that will live much longer, and a whole lot less weekly work for you.

If you want a quick easy way to lower Nitrate levels get some Purigen! I was skeptical at first but I bought "the bag" and a bottle of purigen. It feels like the stuffing in some kind of micro fiber pillow haha. It does wonders to keep Nitrate down. It went from 20ppm to 5 in one week. The best part is that it is rechargeable with the use of a bleach/water solution so it least for a very long time.

You can take what you can get at the store,but you can order peacocks on line.The stores usually sell a lot of aggressive fish like zebras.Some stores have a better selection-usually privately owned.Filtration is the key.Aquaclear hang ons are effective.when adding new fish,it is best to take all territorial fish out,re-arrange tank,then add all together.with a crowded tank,there isnt enough territory to claim.
RE:KMX-if all your mbuna and peacocks are breeding in the same tank,then you are breeding hybrids!

you could end up with this if you get peacocks!

2SciCrazed wrote:

Overstocking that heavily may cause chemistry problems - unless you are changing a large amount per week. .

I agree you will need to change water and not be lazy but it is nothiing to worry about if you keep up with it.

jake wrote:

You can take what you can get at the store,but you can order peacocks on line.The stores usually sell a lot of aggressive fish like zebras.Some stores have a better selection-usually privately owned.Filtration is the key.Aquaclear hang ons are effective.when adding new fish,it is best to take all territorial fish out,re-arrange tank,then add all together.with a crowded tank,there isnt enough territory to claim.
RE:KMX-if all your mbuna and peacocks are breeding in the same tank,then you are breeding hybrids!

I agree most local fish stores are going to sell you and most of it is hybrid
Also agree about re arrange and introduce them all same time if you can.
However you always quote me wrong. What I said was "All my Mbuna and Peacocks breed with no problem being in the same tank.".......... if you know anything about cichlids you would know that peacocks and mbuna will not breed with one another. Please stop poking at me it won't get you far.

jake wrote:

you could end up with this if you get peacocks!

That is a hybrid. Sorry but very weird color and looks like it's not sure if it wants to be red or white. Looks weird to me.

KMX wrote:

What I said was "All my Mbuna and Peacocks breed with no problem being in the same tank.".......... if you know anything about cichlids you would know that peacocks and mbuna will not breed with one another.

Im glad they can't be mixed imagine how many "new" fish species would be out there. Not to mention how ugly these could turn out.

haha angry and flashy what a fish :P

Ben wrote:

KMX wrote:

What I said was "All my Mbuna and Peacocks breed with no problem being in the same tank.".......... if you know anything about cichlids you would know that peacocks and mbuna will not breed with one another.

Im glad they can't be mixed imagine how many "new" fish species would be out there. Not to mention how ugly these could turn out.

That would be one weird and deformed fish....would not be far off from looking like a flowerhorn.

Gotta dissagree with you KMX. Certain hybrids are Peacock/Mbuna crosses. So you've got to be careful keeping breeding peacocks and mbunas in the same tank. I'll most likely put a divider up when mine show maturity in order to eliminate the hybridizing potential.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ob_peacock.php

Somebody told me a sunburst/firefish was the result of a cross between a peacock and a cherry red zebra-these things are very hard to confirm,like how a flowerhorn was originally made.I have crossed haps with peacocks though with success.I have seen a sunburst crossed with a dolphin also

I have plenty of females for the males. No crossing here. If you put them in a tank where the man can make...then they will do. But if you do like I am doing there is no crossing. SO let me re say that. If you have a colony of a mbuna species and a colony of a peacock species Like I do then it won't happen.

Read the article in the link. Talks a little about hyrbids.

2sci-a divider may not work if the water is flowing.One tank-one type-guaranteed.TO an extent I agree with you KMX-hybridizing is not to be taken lightly.There are a lot of aspects to consider and should be done by experts.Otherwise you'll end up with a piece of On the other hand if done correctly,something great will happen-but not overnight.

an ob peacock is a perfect ex.-whats in it ?how far back?how aggressive is this strain?can be a dangerous fish.Thats why I breed them for personality 1st.My tenth generation OB peacocks are not extra aggressive,and extremely beautiful.

Cool.


Let's get back on topic. User looking for help.

so many variables-bumblebees are very agressive-they are a zebra,I think which generally indicates a more aggressive type-electric blue johanni,cherry red,red top cobalt-there are many to choose from-do you have all males or 1 to2 ratio-would be best to have all males for a show tank-can increase variety -the real issue is filtration.how much extra-two large hang ons will be fine for around 15,but as they get older and larger,some will have to go.some will get picked on naturally and wont be able to run w/ the big dogs-its only natural.An african peacock or mbuna can get large in a 55.when they start gettin big 7+,maybe your down to 3 to 5.It takes a few years or more to get that big depending,so you have time to decide which ones you like best.