Which Cichlids Can Go 2gether?

[fI$H_FaCe]

i am wondering which cichlids (either african or new world) can go together in my 75 gal tank?

i really like the electric blue and yellows, festivum cichlid, cockatoo dwarf cichlid, convict cichlid and i will have a community tank wioth others such as ......Angelfish......Blue acara.... clown loach.......

any advise as towhere i should start and what fish DO and DON'T go together very well....thanks

 

[freddyk]

The first place to start is deciding whether you want Africans or New Worlds because they have very different requirements and behaviors it's impossible to keep them both properly.

If you were hoping to stock all sorts of different cichlids for a busy, cichlidy tank, Malawi would be your best bet, since they thrive in these conditions, where new worlds merely exist like this (if your lucky). Besides, your other tank with Angels and Acara is already a new world setup. Malawi mbuna include the M. Johanni (electric blue) and L. Caeruleus (electric yellow) on your list.

If you like this idea then I'd recommend starting off reading the sticky on mbuna to get an idea of their needs and how to keep them. From there further stocking can be planned. Whatever you do, don't impulse shop and buy anything you aren't sure of since too many cichlids are incompatible.

 

[fI$H_FaCe]

thanks , thats kinda the response i was wanting....soem guidance as to where to start ......

i do really like the electric blues , yellows and angels so i guess form there i will begin to research and find out what else i can add, one by one to my community..... i hear some people say Bala sharks (2 or 3) are ok in a big tank with other fish the same size or bigger aswell?....any input?

i was thinking in my 80 Gal i would have about 15 fish, does that sound about right with the species i plan to use?
thanks a lot

-Brad

 

[fI$H_FaCe]

thanks alot, i am more than anything loking for color and activity in my tank...


so i am pretty sure i willk be going with the electric blues/yellows (4-6 total)to start, so would something like these be a better choice do you think to add to those 2 species: ....

- frontosa (1 or 2)
- clown loach (3-4)
- Kenyi (1 or 2)
- Kribensis/ Purple Cichlid (1or2)
- Brichardi (1 or 2)

now , i am assuming that my LFS can get all these species for me.....i knwo the frontosa will probly not be an easy fish to get will it?!

 

[freddyk]

Frontosa are not good companions for Mbuna. They are from Tanganyika and are calm, easy going fish not recommended to go with energetic mbuna. In addition, at some point the Front will reach a size that will make the mbuna become a delicious treat.

Starting with 6 each of the Labs and Johanni are is a good idea, that way you end up with a nice little group.

Kenyi are very, very aggressive mbuna. You can try them, but be aware that this will be an aggressive setup and all inhabitants must be chosen even more carefully. You can go with just one, or you can go with a male and a number of females, but if you go with just two you'll end up with one dead. This goes for any mbuna.

Brichardi are also from Tanganyika. A single specimen will survive, but a pair will establish a territory and complicate matters. They have much different behavior patterns.

There are many things that can work, but the best fish for your mbuna are more mbuna and I'd suggest choosing further species from this group. Keep them in groups or harems, not pairs.

You also have the option of a fast and tough bottom dweller for this tank. Clown loaches have worked for many, and catfish like Synodontis Multipunctatus work well too.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

kribs, btw, are Riverine not Mbuna or Tanganyika

 

[gtp]

I would'nt be so sure on that. I have kept what you would class as outragous combination tanks containing African cichlids like Mbuna and Tilapia with your common Central american and species of both groups have bred in there. I have even mixed them with Piranha which continually got nipped.

 

[freddyk]

You have a very different idea of what fish keeping is about then me gtp, that's for sure.

 

[modernhamlet]

You have a very different idea of what fish keeping is about then me gtp, that's for sure.

That's far more polite than you could have been freddy.

fish_face, please disregard gtp's advice. freddyk is widely acknowledged as one of the most experienced cichlid keepers around. Please take his advice. It is very good.

 

[gtp]

I can only say what I have succesfully kept together and cannot comment on what others might encounter. And may I say that although Freddyk might be well respected on this forum there are many other cichlids keepers on other sites who may quite easily surpass his knowledge.

 

[freddyk]

I've never claimed to know everything and I've met many cichlid keepers much more knowledgable then me (nevermind the internet) and I have one friend that would make me look like a beginner. I also know how all of them would feel about such mixes. Keep them how you want, we all have a right to. Me, I'll keep recommending what would bring out the most in the fish and lesson the likelyhood of problems.