"african" Is Listed As Being Compatable

[zesty]

Hi all, I was looking for compatable tankmates to go with my blue Gouramis, Tiger Barbs and BN when a site I was on said that various African were compatable.
Any ideas as to what they were refering to? Cichlids? I have no idea myself.

 

[Matt_northants]

I dont think it would be any of the cichlids from the Rift Valley lakes. As the gourami and barbs you listed like heavily planted tanks, not a feature of Rift Valley tanks. Some of the riverine species maybe, but I don't know so much about those.

 

[zesty]

I dont think it would be any of the cichlids from the Rift Valley lakes. As the gourami and barbs you listed like heavily planted tanks, not a feature of Rift Valley tanks. Some of the riverine species maybe, but I don't know so much about those.

It would have helped if they were more specific about what they were refering to.

Thanks

 

[nmonks]

The aren't that many African cichlids that make good community fish. For the general tank, species of Pelvicachromis work well, and in tanks with fast-flowing water and lots of oxygen, Steatocranus and Nanochromis are also options.

Hemichromis are sometimes mentioned as community tanks -- mostly by retailers! -- but they are territorial when spawning and opportunistically piscivorous. So while expert fishkeepers might slot them into tanks with medium to large sized barbs and characins, they aren't otherwise easy to recommend. To a degree, the same goes for Pelmatochromis, which tend to a bit too territorial and aggressive for the average community system.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Yellow labs mix well with alot of non Mbuna...very chilled out fish.

 

[nmonks]

Broadly, that's true, provided the other fish are active and fast-moving. I have seen yellow labs damage bichirs severely though, and I'd expect they'd bully things like Corydoras, which are "dumb as posts" when it comes to avoiding trouble. On the other hand, I dare say you could mix yellow labs with Australian rainbowfish, swordtails and various plecs, for example, if you were making a robust hard water community tank.

Cheers, Neale

Yellow labs mix well with alot of non Mbuna...very chilled out fish.

 

[zesty]

Thanks for that. I did look at Pelvicachromis but I read that it wasnt suitable because of my bn.

 

[nmonks]

How big is your tank? Assuming it's not below, say, 60 cm long, I can't see why Pelvicachromis spp. won't get along with Ancistrus. A pair of Pelvicachromis will claim a territory around 30 cm in diameter around their burrow, so if you have a hollow ornament at the other end of the tank, the Ancistrus should remain out of harms way.

It is true that some catfish, notably Corydoras have been attacked by dwarf cichlids so severely they are blinded.

Cheers, Neale

Thanks for that. I did look at Pelvicachromis but I read that it wasnt suitable because of my bn.

 

[zesty]

How big is your tank? Assuming it's not below, say, 60 cm long, I can't see why Pelvicachromis spp. won't get along with Ancistrus. A pair of Pelvicachromis will claim a territory around 30 cm in diameter around their burrow, so if you have a hollow ornament at the other end of the tank, the Ancistrus should remain out of harms way.

It is true that some catfish, notably Corydoras have been attacked by dwarf cichlids so severely they are blinded.

Cheers, Neale

Tank is 95usg and 150cm long.

When you say about a pair of Pelvicachromis, do you mean a mated pair or just two of them?

Thanks

 

[nmonks]

A pair is by definition a mated male and female. Since both males and females are territorial in this genus (though males hold larger territories, in the wild often including the territories of multiple females) it's risky keeping two unpaired fish.

Cheers, Neale

When you say about a pair of Pelvicachromis, do you mean a mated pair or just two of them?