Help me identify my cichlids??

[Colin_T]

If the lombadoi are less than 2 inches then they are only just warming up when it comes to agro. When they are 4-5 inches long and breeding, you see a whole new fish and its not always pretty

If you're desperate for holding tanks for livebearers, buy a 200 litre plastic storage container with a lid. Cut a 6 inch hole in the lid and fit the lid to the container. The lid will help stop the sides of the container pushing out and you can keep fish in them. Big cheap aquariums

 

[Mamaorca77]

Colin, I researched a bit on sexing them. Males have a spot (or a few) on their anal fins. Females don't. From looking that these guys, I have 3 males and a female..oh My!

 

[Mamaorca77]

So, can u do a filter, etc in the storage containers? And btw, the more I look at the odd fish, the more I think he may be an obliquiden..he is very colorful, but seems his colors are muted or faded.. I am seeing orange, yellow, green, red..just pale.

 

[Demeter32]

I see an kenyi(blue), 2 bumblee bee cichlids (or perhaps male kenyi), and I'm pretty sure the blue with orange fins is a young ice blue zebra. I wouldn't have them in anything less than a 55gal. Mbuna, as all of yours are, are very mean and get very aggressive as they mature. Don't bother keeping them with other non-mbuna species.

Colin, I researched a bit on sexing them. Males have a spot (or a few) on their anal fins. Females don't. From looking that these guys, I have 3 males and a female..oh My

The egg spot thing doesn't always work. I have females with egg spots and males w/o them. Generally the males will indeed have bright, vibrant egg spots and their dorsal, anal and pelvic fins will be slightly longer and pointed at the tips.

 

[Colin_T]

So, can u do a filter, etc in the storage containers?

Yes, you just set the plastic storage container up like an aquarium. You can put a thin layer of sand over the bottom if you like but I don't bother in plastic tubs. Have an airstone bubbling away and an air operated sponge filter or small internal power filter, add a heater and a few plastic plants (or live plants in pots if you have a light on it), and away you go.

I had a friend who used 200 litre wheelie bins for his fish and plants. He had a row of these bins lined up in his backyard and each one had fish and plants in

Basically if it holds water it can be used for fish. Most hardware stores, even the big chain stores like Target & Kmart have plastic storage containers and you wash them out with warm soapy water, rinse well and then set them up. You can even get metal shelving from hardware stores and stack the storage containers on them so you have rows of them one above the other.

 

[Mamaorca77]

Demeter, good to know about the egg spots! I def don't want to lose any, and want to make sure they have a safe, comfy home with as little aggression as possible considering their species! Lol I am keeping them in a species only tank, and they will be moved asap, I'm just waiting on a tank to cycle because my 50 is currently home to platy, guppies, corys, and gourami. Once the tank cycles, I can split the males from females in my 20 n 30 and move the cichlids to the Big tank. At the moment, they are maybe an inch and a half to two inches each, very much juveniles, and they seem to be fine in the 20. I've given them all their own little cave and plenty of hiding spots. They are fascinating fish! I've watched them play and dig and explore for a couple days now and I'm glad I gave in to my son (who btw, is 20 today!!) My only regret is that I couldn't find blue rams local. My initial plans were to get acara and rams, since they are less aggressive, but I'm going to enjoy these guys and maybe one day in the future buy the rams and acara for another tank! This truly is addicting.. it started as goldfish for my youngest and a cpl platy for me..lol. 5 tanks later, I'm still looking to expand!