Ciclids In New Tank

[Binge]

So I recently discovered that as my ciclids are reaching maturity they will no longer be able to live in my 75 gallon with my bicir and dempsy. So they will likely be claiming my 55 gallon in about 2 weeks.

I currently have( identified by the breed post in this forum)
1 male and 1 female yellow lab
1 female and 2 male cobalt


From what I understand I will be drasticly understocked in the 55 causing them to be more territorial and aggressive. SO I am looking for advice on what other ciclids or other fish I should add. I am a big fan of any kind of crustacean or crawling beastie but I do not beleive there are any that would fare well in a ciclid tank. They are currentlyn with a bristlenose pleco they tend to ignore but I wish to leave this one in his current home he has a cave he ALWAYS returns too and I do not wish to take that from him. So perhaps a different pleco? Is there any other serpent like fish that would do well in a ciclid tank? I love the way a bicir or loach swims and want other fish of that body shape.

Also I am curious if anyone knows if slate floor tiles are chemicly treated at all? I intend to buy a box of them form a hardware store and shatter them with a hammer. It will be much cheaper then paying the prices wanted by fishstores and garden centers for rough slate which I find hillarious. I will however be using that slate in 3 of my tanks if it works well.


Thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[markandhisfish]

hi

1st thing i would do is add another 4 yellow labs , these do much better in groups . then you can start to think about other species to add as well . have you got a pic of the cobalts? mbuna get given common names sometimes but usually scientific names are used . a positive id will make reccomendations much easier

 

[Binge]

http/flickr.com/gp/13739571@N00/7R2n13
Long as that works that should be a male and the female if I am correct.

link did not work first time.

 

[markandhisfish]

wouldnt really like to hazard a guess from that photo tbh . the 1 at the bottom looks lioke it could be a socolofi but i cant be sure . no idea about the top 1 . ive looked back through the section but cant find your original id post

 

[KittyKat]

+1, I have never seen the top cichlid specie before.
+1, I'd add another 2-4 female labs.

It would also be useful to know the dimensions of the tank and how much rockwork is doing in there Glad to see that you're already planning ahead!

 

[Binge]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/183020-metriaclima-callainos/
Thats the post I used to ID them. Looks just like em I think

The tank is a standard 55 gallon think its 4ft x 1 ft x 2 ft. The stone work depends if my slate plans work well. The hardware store sells a 12in x 12 in tile for like 1.50 If I can shatter them like I want to (gogo 2 pond sledge) I should get 3-4 large pieces from each and I will build a big terrace of stone in the tank. Plants unfortunately will hafto come piecemeal but they will. The stone currently in the tank is plain old stone found In the massive construction site near my mothers home, when ya dig up 6ft of earth it stirs up a lot of rock. It is not the kind ya build a terrace with but for my lobsters it made Ideal ground level caves everywhere. I doubt I will do driftwood in the tank unless I add a pleco.

more feedback is welcome.

 

[KittyKat]

I can see why your blue fish was IDed as Metriaclima callainos, it does look like a zebra. I recommend the common name "cobalt zebra" over "cobalt" because a number of African cichlids have "cobalt" in the common name. But personally, I think it is more likely to be a Pseudotropheus socolofi, as Mark suggested.

The top fish is most definitely not an M. callainos though. Only the central fish in the photos on the profile is a M. callainos, around it are another yellow Metriaclima (possibly M. barlowi), a Neolamprologus brichardi, a peacock and one of the same species as your top one, which we can't ID.

The pinky fish with bars, which is in your photo, is most definitely not related to the blue fish.

The tank size is good, it allows you to go for almost any moderately peaceful, 4-5" Mbuna. Keep in mind that some will need to be kept in certain number per species.

 

[Binge]

The on that looks pink is actually pale blue. the pink comes from the light reflecting off my sand substrate.

 

[markandhisfish]

from you photo it looks more likely to be socolofi than callainos . the top 1 i would say is most likely a hytbrid , it just doesnt look like anything i recognise .could you get a side on photo of the 1 under the plant? if it is a socolofi then with that and the labs youve got 2 fairly easy going fish by mbuna standards , so tankmates shouldnt be overly aggro . an afra of some sort would be good along with maybe something like pseudotropheus elongatus " neon spot" or perhaps pseudotropheus elongatus mpanga .

 

[Binge]

I will try and get more photos this weekend so ya can see them all better.

 

[Binge]

I was at aquarium adventure today and they had an african ciclid called a living stoni. I think they are gorgeous. I cannot however seem to find them online so does anyone know the scientific name instead of the market name for this breed.

Also would they get along with my mixed africans? They have all 5 been moved to the new tank today and the filter got seeded quite heavily with my bio bombs(Nylons filled with ceramic media that have been sitting in one of my filters for 2 months just breeding bacteria) So the tank is ready for additions soon. I am still trying to decide what to add to this tank besides a few yellow labs

I will also try to get the pics up soon for identification on the mixed been realy tied up this weekend with moving fish and relandscapeing 2 tanks. Captureing the almost 200 baby lobsters in the ciclids new tank and bagging them for sale was no picnic either (took 2 hours)

 

[markandhisfish]

have you bought a nimbichromis livingstoni? if so id advise you to take it back , its a large predatory hap that needs minimum of 100g upwards

 

[KittyKat]

I was at aquarium adventure today and they had an african ciclid called a living stoni. I think they are gorgeous. I cannot however seem to find them online so does anyone know the scientific name instead of the market name for this breed.

Nimbochromis livingstonii? Evil buggers, unfortunately, and also grow too large. N. livingstonii are haps, another… group of cichlids from Lake Malawi. The Lake Malawi groups include mbuna, haplocromines (haps) and peacocks. It would be best if you stuck to mbuna as the three groups have different base levels of aggressions, and while mixing is possible, you would need to know a lot more about all three groups before even thinking of attempting to.

Also would they get along with my mixed africans? They have all 5 been moved to the new tank today and the filter got seeded quite heavily with my bio bombs(Nylons filled with ceramic media that have been sitting in one of my filters for 2 months just breeding bacteria) So the tank is ready for additions soon. I am still trying to decide what to add to this tank besides a few yellow labs

A pleco maybe? Some species are compatible with the higher pH and water hardness that the Mbuna need. Also, look at this list for cichlids: http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=2
But before you add any more cichlids, you need to get that stripy cichlid IDed, post another photo on here, in a new thread maybe? It would be useful to know its aggression level.
If it's peaceful, you may want to look at Cynotilapia afra (Cabue).

 

[elisew]

As already said, the livingstoni and venustus cichlids grow big, around the 10 inch mark so a pretty big tank would be needed to house them.

Have I read right that you`re selling 2 blue lobsters from the cichlid tank? If so, I`m glad you`re selling and not keeping them with your fish

 

[KittyKat]

Have I read right that you`re selling 2 blue lobsters from the cichlid tank? If so, I`m glad you`re selling and not keeping them with your fish

(I think the cichlids went into the tank after the lobsters moved out )