90 Gallong African Cichlid Tank Stocking Help Please

[kyleiscool]

hi. im going to setup a 90 gallon assorted african cichlid tank. i will be running 2 filters and providing lots of lava rock for caves. i just need help stocking the tank. im new to cichlids so i dont know much about them. i will be having clown loaches in the tank as well. i want the cichlids to be about 6-8 inches in length. i love electric blue cichlids and would love to have a few of them.
i would also like a firemouth. i want a variety of fish and color. your replies are greatly appreciated.

 

[MEePStER]

hi!, here are a few links to get you started with your African cichlid tank:

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mixed_africans.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/compatibility.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aqua..._setup_list.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/spec...r_beginners.php

i hope these help,

also you cant have a fire mouth with African cichlids because of the different water perimeters, also fire mouths are new world cichlids and you just cant mix them with African cichlids.

 

[kyleiscool]

hi!, here are a few links to get you started with your African cichlid tank:

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mixed_africans.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/compatibility.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aqua..._setup_list.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/spec...r_beginners.php

i hope these help,

also you cant have a fire mouth with African cichlids because of the different water perimeters, also fire mouths are new world cichlids and you just cant mix them with African cichlids.

ok thankyou. also does it mater if i have fish from lake malawi and tanganika

 

[14gtr14]

It's best if you keep them seperate IMO. What's your tank's dimensions?

 

[Boids-n-more]

Time to do some research. First goto a fish store and find the fish you want. Then you need to find what there diet is. Then you need to find what there adult size is and there temperment is and what lake there from. Its better to keep cichlids from the same lake togeather. You don't want to mix herbivores with carnivores. You don't want a fish to get 8 inches as an adult and another only obtain 1.5 - 2 inches as an adult because the little one will get eaten some day , even buy a herbivore , its just nature and an opertunistic meal. The firemouth issue has been touched on above.

 

[kyleiscool]

It's best if you keep them seperate IMO. What's your tank's dimensions?

idunno. i havent got the tank yet.

Time to do some research. First goto a fish store and find the fish you want. Then you need to find what there diet is. Then you need to find what there adult size is and there temperment is and what lake there from. Its better to keep cichlids from the same lake togeather. You don't want to mix herbivores with carnivores. You don't want a fish to get 8 inches as an adult and another only obtain 1.5 - 2 inches as an adult because the little one will get eaten some day , even buy a herbivore , its just nature and an opertunistic meal. The firemouth issue has been touched on above.
[

so what size difference could i get away with? 4-6''?
and if they have the same water perimeters then there ok even from different lakes?
also if some are carnivores and some are herbavores, can i get both and feed both?

 

[Boids-n-more]

As far as size is concerned you just don't want a fish thats big enough to eat your smaller fish. If the water parameters are the same than yes you could keep fish from different lakes. As far as carnivore and herbavore no on this , if a herbivore is eating the high protein meat it will devlop whats called malawi bloat and die from it. There intestines are longer so they can get all the nutritional value they can out of the roughage. When they eat alot of meat it will start to rot so to say.

 

[kyleiscool]

As far as size is concerned you just don't want a fish thats big enough to eat your smaller fish. If the water parameters are the same than yes you could keep fish from different lakes. As far as carnivore and herbavore no on this , if a herbivore is eating the high protein meat it will devlop whats called malawi bloat and die from it. There intestines are longer so they can get all the nutritional value they can out of the roughage. When they eat alot of meat it will start to rot so to say.

so can you please send me a list of cichlids that have the same eating habits, water perimeters, and size? thanks

 

[Boids-n-more]

theres over 1800 different ciclid species. that would be impossible. Find what you like and look them up on the internet then if there are more questions post them on here and we can help you.

 

[MEePStER]

like boids-n-more said it would be almost imposable to list them, as he said there are over 1800 different species of cichlids.

the best thing you can do right now is go to your fish shop and see what they have write them down and tell us that way we could help you find the perfect combination of cichlids.

i would think for a 90 gal personally i wouldn't put anything under 4 inches(larger if you are going to get fish that are 8-9 inchs)

i think that the 4-7 inch range would be perfect, becuase that about average size for most mbuna.

(if you know when you are getting the tank can you tell us the dimensions, or will it be a standard 90 gallon. this also really helps figuring what fish you could put in the tank)

 

[kyleiscool]

i dont know much about cichlids and the names are way too confusing. other fish have just plain simple names like "tiger barb"and "red tailed shark". but cichlids are like psuenececgvamsd mdfdasdffflkd. its really hard for someone new to cichlids to even know what is going on with these 1000 names.so its hard for me to find them on the internet when they go by names like that.

 

[MEePStER]

its very understandable, i had the same problem like many before me also, ill give a few links to you and you look through some of the species and decide

lake Malawi
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=2
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=1
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=3

lake Tanganyika
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=7
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=11

Victoria basin
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=16

just remember its probably best to keep fish from the same lake instead of some Malawi and some Tanganyika

hope this helps, get back to us with the fish you like the most, but remember thats not all the cichlids just keep that in mind when picking, also look for fish in the 5-8 inch range

 

[kyleiscool]

thankyou. after looking through i really like the Metriaclima greshakei. Melanochromis sp. "Northern Blue" are very cool too.

i also like Metriaclima sp. "Msobo" .

oh my gosh. the turqouise Metriaclima zebra is the coolest fish ive ever seen by far. the site is this http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=809. i love that fish. are they all that color?

i also like the yellow labs.

and why are most of the african cichlids blue and yellow. i also want other colors in my tank like red and orange. i would love green but its not really an option is it?

also you know those fish with the big humps over their heads? well, would it be possible to have one in my tank.

and along with the cichlids what else could go in my tank.

are blue lobsters an option?

 

[MEePStER]

thankyou. after looking through i really like the Metriaclima greshakei. Melanochromis sp. "Northern Blue" are very cool too.

i also like Metriaclima sp. "Msobo" .

oh my gosh. the turqouise Metriaclima zebra is the coolest fish ive ever seen by far. the site is this http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=809. i love that fish. are they all that color?

i also like the yellow labs.

and why are most of the african cichlids blue and yellow. i also want other colors in my tank like red and orange. i would love green but its not really an option is it?

also you know those fish with the big humps over their heads? well, would it be possible to have one in my tank.

and along with the cichlids what else could go in my tank.

are blue lobsters an option?

the metriaclima zebra, is quite an aggressive fish, and as far as the fish with the big humps on the heads you cant keep them with African cichlids, they are ment to be by them selfs in a 100 gallon tank, and blue lobster would be a lunch for a few cichlids, as for any other fish that can go with cichlids its basicly none other then a bristle nose pleco, the melanochromis species is quite aggressive as long as you don't get the melanochromis auratus you should be fine with the zebra. as far as yellow labs (electric yellow) they have a very mild aggressiveness and probably wouldn't do very good with the zebra or the norther blue you would just need lots of rocks for hiding place the msobo would be fine with all those fish

 

[kyleiscool]

thankyou. after looking through i really like the Metriaclima greshakei. Melanochromis sp. "Northern Blue" are very cool too.

i also like Metriaclima sp. "Msobo" .

oh my gosh. the turqouise Metriaclima zebra is the coolest fish ive ever seen by far. the site is this http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=809. i love that fish. are they all that color?

i also like the yellow labs.

and why are most of the african cichlids blue and yellow. i also want other colors in my tank like red and orange. i would love green but its not really an option is it?

also you know those fish with the big humps over their heads? well, would it be possible to have one in my tank.

and along with the cichlids what else could go in my tank.

are blue lobsters an option?

the metriaclima zebra, is quite an aggressive fish, and as far as the fish with the big humps on the heads you cant keep them with African cichlids, they are ment to be by them selfs in a 100 gallon tank, and blue lobster would be a lunch for a few cichlids, as for any other fish that can go with cichlids its basicly none other then a bristle nose pleco, the melanochromis species is quite aggressive as long as you don't get the melanochromis auratus you should be fine with the zebra. as far as yellow labs (electric yellow) they have a very mild aggressiveness and probably wouldn't do very good with the zebra or the norther blue you would just need lots of rocks for hiding place the msobo would be fine with all those fish

it seems like the metriaclima zebra is very limiting so i dont think ill get that.
will the blue lobster do fine with the rest of the fish i selected?
and yes or no on the yellow labs?