African Cichlids

[toebash17]

ok are all African Cichlids agressive. i mean are there some that wont eat other fish. becuase i like how they look but every one keeps telling me how mean they are and they will kill other fish. are there some that wont do that.... and i have a 55 gallon tank that is cycled

thanks for the help andy

 

[j.c]

ok are all African Cichlids agressive. i mean are there some that wont eat other fish. becuase i like how they look but every one keeps telling me how mean they are and they will kill other fish. are there some that wont do that.... and i have a 55 gallon tank that is cycled

thanks for the help andy

no not all are aggressive the ones that i have arent.you can have electric yellow,peacocks and many more that i dont know.

 

[Soaup]

Are they not aggressive and territorial at all?? Or are they less aggressive then the others??

 

[phoenixfire]

yes all cichlids are aggressive...no matter how u put it...whether or not they kill or abuse they are aggressive

if they arent the straightforward destroy anything in my tank that isnt my species they are the very territorial get out of my area fish...some cichlids will kill fish that arent the same species or fish that go onto there territory...others will just peck at and abuse other fish until the fish become sick and die...cichlids kept with cichlids is usually the way to go...putting in a livebearer with a cichlid is just writing a death certificate for the defensless guy... with a 55 gallon u could keep about 9 or 10 medium aggressive fish...but some fish get a whole lot bigger than others...research sizes and aggresive levels before buying...cichlids are beatiful and fun to watch...

if u want gentler cichlids stay far away from african and go new world...

 

[toebash17]

wow that made me feel better. is there a web site i could go to that tells me which ones are and which ones arent. becuase i know there is one that is all yellow and its fins are black and i really want it but i dont know if it is agressive or not. but were is a good web sit to find info . bc the lfs said they are all agrresive
so they are no help. thanks for all of the help

 

[Soaup]

Sounds like a yellow lab.. They arent very aggressive.. If it turns out to not be.. It may be a melanochromis auratus which are very very aggressive and are not recomended for beginners.

 

[phoenixfire]

yes yellow labs...i have three...u could also try melanochromis auratus...they are a little bit on the more aggressive said but keep them in a group of 4 and u should be fine...also, it is better to overstock than understock...which goes against everything that fishkeepers are taught...overstocking gives the guys that get picked on a chance to blend into the crowd...make sure u read up on what cichlids need

 

[Ferris]

u could also try melanochromis auratus...they are a little bit on the more aggressive said but keep them in a group of 4 and u should be fine

Sorry to contradict but Auratus are actually very high on the Mbuna aggression scale, in fact pretty much the opposite to yellow labs. Keeping them in groups can help to spread the aggression provided you keep just 1 male and several females. A single Auratus can also work provided there are no similar looking fish in the tank.

All Mbuna are aggressive but there are certainly different levels, reccomendations for less aggressive species are Yellow labs, Pseudotropheus Acei, Iodotropheus Sperengerae and Pseudotropheus Saulosi.

Highly aggressive species include Maylandia Lombardoi, Maylandia Crabro, Pseudotropheus Demasoni and the aforementioned Melanochromis Auratus.

 

[phoenixfire]

ooops sorry...i didnt realize they were that high...ive had my four forever and they leave with a community of cichlids and they only "play" with each other but there all healthy...sorry about that...and no problem i admit when im wrong...helps u learn something new and stay open minded

 

[Ferris]

Hi phoenixfire, don't worry about it. Yes Auratus are generally aggressive but individual fish can and are different. I have a monster male Lombardoi who is as a peaceful as a neon tetra (well nearly), there are always exceptions.

 

[Ginge]

Hi phoenixfire, don't worry about it. Yes Auratus are generally aggressive but individual fish can and are different. I have a monster male Lombardoi who is as a peaceful as a neon tetra (well nearly), there are always exceptions.

Ferris could you post a pic of your lombardi as i am not sure as i have mine correclty in my sig???

 

[phoenixfire]

I have a monster male Lombardoi who is as a peaceful as a neon tetra (well nearly), there are always exceptions.

no way...thats wicked awesome...and it is true all my fish have different personalities...but i never ever thought a lombardoi would be as peaceful as a neon lol thats insane...how big is he exactly...i wanted to buy a pair but there size is to great for any of my tanks with the current fish i have

 

[Ferris]

They normally max out at 5-6 inches but mine is 7

Ginge - digi camera is out of batteries at the mo, if you mean the spelling its Maylandia Lombardoi (aka Kenyi). Males when mature are Yellow with fairly feint vertical stripes, females remain pale blue, again with faint vertical stripes.

 

[Ginge]

Somehow i put lombardi instead of what they rally are they are accually CYRTOCARA MOORIIx4 will they be happy when they hit 9" its about another 1 1/2 year until they are 4" so i have time to plan their future.

 

[Ferris]

I think your tank is big enough for the Moorii based on your current stocking levels even when fully grown provided you have plenty of filtration. (lovely fish by the way).