African Cichlids Community Tank

[kissez_61]

hey guys my mom is going to try an african cichlid community tank.how do we know if they are african cichlids? i dont want to be putting the wrong fish in there.

 

[semper fi]

if you find some species youare interested in, post them here. otherwise kinda broad statement. depends on the size of the tank, type of setup (aggressive, peaceful), ph of your water. also which lake are you interested in? there are three major lakes africans come from and also riverine species.

moving this to africans to get more traffic

 

[africancichlids.org]

You'll find that a good bottom feeder to have is a clown loach. They seem to get along with most of the Malawai cichlids.

 

[gixer]

I see this a lot...although a clown loach is pretty adaptable and will get along with most african cichlids why on earth would you want to put them together?

Clown loaches come from a completely different enviroment and come from waters that are fairly soft. mixing them with fish that require hard, alkaline conditions is not ideal IMO.

I'm not saying it doesn't work.but i personnally dont think its a great idea.

for bottom feeders try synodontis.

 

[Angry_Platy]

Thanks to freshmikes advice I now have 3 clown loaches in with my yellow labs and they are doing fine....everyone knows how sensitive clownies are to water conditions....it has been 2 months and they are happy as ever!! That said, my pH and alkalinity are borderline meaning that both types of fish can co-exist "reasonably" well.....also, just cause it works for me doesn't mean it will work for everyone.

The final mix of africans I will have in there will be active and low aggression fish (as far as africans go anyway)...that said, the newest additions (Cyrtocara) will be going in there this weekend...then we'll see how the dynamics of the tank change!!