African Cichlids

[143gadgets]

Hi. I have a 40gal breeder tank and i have about 10 cichlids in there (mixed variety). I noticed that some of them have little pieces of their fins missing. I don't know if they were there when i bought them or if another fish didi it. Is this normal or is there something that i should do? All fish seem to be healthy.

[Menagerie]

Exactly which ciclids do you have? African cichlids are known for aggression. 10 cichlids in a 40 gal is a tight squeeze. You may find that the weaker ones will be killed off. Keeping Africans is difficult. For instance, I have many mature Mbuna in an 80 gal, but would like to add more. I found our the hard way that my fish will not accept any adults--male or female. They are tolerate of juvies and I need to keep an eye as the juvies mature. I have many pics of my Africans in my gallery.
You need to ID your fish, because some are known for more aggression than others. While my fish tolerate each other, there are some Mbuna that I will not add to my tank due to reputation.

[143gadgets]

I am a newbie but I think this is what I have: an electric blue, a yellow one that is solid in color and a yellow one with black fins, i also have a Auratus, and 2 Blue Mbunas, a Redtop Mbuna, a Lemon Cichlid, and a rostrodum (it's supposed to be some kind or rare one).

[TankGirl]

Welcome to AA!

M. auratus are known to be one of the most aggressive of the cichlids, so that's my first suspect right there, but you have quite a bunch of possibilities.

Torn fins are from aggression so I suggest you pull up a chair and sit in front of the tank for a good long while. After they get over their "feeding response" at the sight of you, they'll forget about you and go back to doing what they do. That's when you might see who is chasing whom, and determine the troublemaker(s) in the tank. It is tough to stock a 40gal with Africans, but overstocking might be the only way. Once they are mature it is going to be very tricky (I am assuming they are not all full-size).

Filtration is going to be very important in this tank, as well, with all those cichlids.

[143gadgets]

Originally Posted by TankGirl

Welcome to AA!

M. auratus are known to be one of the most aggressive of the cichlids, so that's my first suspect right there, but you have quite a bunch of possibilities.

Torn fins are from aggression so I suggest you pull up a chair and sit in front of the tank for a good long while. After they get over their "feeding response" at the sight of you, they'll forget about you and go back to doing what they do. That's when you might see who is chasing whom, and determine the troublemaker(s) in the tank. It is tough to stock a 40gal with Africans, but overstocking might be the only way. Once they are mature it is going to be very tricky (I am assuming they are not all full-size).

Filtration is going to be very important in this tank, as well, with all those cichlids.

What do u mean by "It is tough to stock a 40gal with Africans, but overstocking might be the only way" No the only ones that are big are the rostrodum and the Auratus.

[poppab02]

You have waaay too many african cichlids for that tank. For example, I have 8 Africans in a 55 gallon, and 5 of them will only grow to 4". You have too many large, aggressive mbuna african cichlids in that tank and basically if you don't get rid of some of them the others are going to kill them off. Also IME Auratus are extremely aggressive fish, more so than other African species so be very careful if you decide to keep him. The yellow one with black fins is likely a yellow lab. I also have never heard of a rostrodum so be careful that he is a compatible fish, I've never heard of an mbuna referred to by that name so I'm guessing it's probably not. Also the lemon cichlid is not exactly compatible with the mbuna species.

Also
How large are the cichlids now?
What type of decorations and hiding spaces do you have in your tank?

[poppab02]

A 40 gallon tank isn't a perfect cichlid tank, in general you can keep less fish per gallon in that sized tank. Also the smallest tank I've seen the "overstocking" theory work in is a 55 gallon. It simply does not work in smaller tanks because there is nowhere to escape to and not enough hiding spots.

[143gadgets]

here are some pics so u guys can get an idea of wati am working with.

[143gadgets]

The entire tank

[TankGirl]

Okay looks like everyone is relatively small right now, and I am sure the auratus is the culprit. Keep a close eye on the tank and you'll soon see who is making trouble.