Cichlid compatability

[newhobbist]

I'm trying to learn more about cichlids and considering transfering my tank to these species. Reading about Tanganyikan cichlids tanks and Malavi cichlids tanks I noticed that, even though these fish requires similar water parameters, they are recomended not to be mixed. Is there any particular reason for that?
Secondly, within Malavi cichlids, can I keep together Mbuna and Peacock?

 

[Zagz]

I have been doing quite a bit of research on cichlids lately. I have discovered that species from different lakes shouldn't be kept together because simply put they don't get along. Nature put them in different lakes for a reason.

Mbuna and peacock's aren't generally compatible because most mbuna are more aggressive than peacocks. There are always exceptions to the rule, my advice is research the types of fish you want and then you can compare the habitat's and make an informed decision. Good luck.

 

[tetrin]

zagz is right. what i faintly remember is that the malawi cichlids are far more boisterous and appreciate a far greater stocking density than the ones from tanganyika. so tangs in a malawi tank live a stressful and short life. i can dig up more reasons if you want.
in case your tank is huge so that you can divide it into separate rocky areas and sandy areas. then you might try a mix of some tangs and certain peaceful non-mbuna. but its not recommended for beginners (of course i have no info on your expertise level ).

mbuna and peacocks are not recommended together for the same reason as before. mbuna being far more active and usually aggressive than peacocks, outcompete peacocks during feeding time, harass them a lot and ultimately, lead to frayed fins and untimely deaths. of course, as zagz stated, there are exceptions to this general rule of dominance and i have seen it happen in my tank.

 

[newhobbist]

mbuna and peacocks are not recommended together for the same reason as before. mbuna being far more active and usually aggressive than peacocks, outcompete peacocks during feeding time, harass them a lot and ultimately, lead to frayed fins and untimely deaths. of course, as zagz stated, there are exceptions to this general rule of dominance and i have seen it happen in my tank.

Does aggressiveness of mbuna depend on their size? In other words, can I keep larger peacocks with smaller mbunas in one tank?
BTW, my thank that I want to convert to Cichlids tank is 72g.

 

[tetrin]

no. unfortunately, a pint-sized demasoni or a juvi male auratus or a dominant smaller zebra can run larger peacocks ragged. but there are less aggressive mbuna, like yellow labs and ps. acei or even c. afra (some) that will mix well with peacocks. but occasionally there'll be a power-crazy lab (sometimes hybridized) that'll wreck havoc in your tank.
and its always great to see someone migrating to cichlids; amazing personality, great parenting skills and interesting behavior are a few traits that drew me to them.

 

[dskidmore]

I knew nothing abut cichlids when someone gave me a "pair". In retrospect think I really had been given two males, and the dominant one killed absolutely everything I put in the tank with him. I still don't know which variety I had, or I might have had more sucess with him.

Fortunately for me, he is gone now.

 

[Zagz]

There are tons of sites out there that will give you detailed descriptions on cichlids. Once you have decided on some of the ones you like, you can post and get everyone's opinions on them. One thing I have learned about cichlids is it is far better to research before you buy!

 

[dskidmore]

At the time I wasn't so great on internet research. I had a phamplet on fish species that showed a "male and female cichlid". From that info I had no idea there was that much more to know about it.

 

[Menagerie]

Aside from aggression, the diet is different among African cichlids. I highly recommend this site: http://www.mongabay.com/fish/cichlids.htm for information. 72 gallons is a decent sized tank for either type of cichlid. Research is key with these fish!

 

[newhobbist]

One thing I have learned about cichlids is it is far better to research before you buy!

I'm not rushing into converting my tank and will most definetely learn as much as possible before converting it.
Maybe, at the and I will learn that cichlids are not for me. I like them very much, but what I like the most is the diversity of cichlids. There are many cichlids that I would love to have in my tank, but if I conclude that incomparability severely restricts my choices, I might stick with a community tank until I have a chance for a second one.

P.S. I want a different setup without sacrifising what I already have and am thinking about another tank. Isn't that a first sign of addiction?

 

[Zagz]

LOL yes the syndrome is known as MTS. It is unavoidable as near as I can tell.

 

[Crippldogg]

Try www.cichlid-forum.com it has all the info you need for starting and maintaining a malawian, tang, front, etc tank.

72 gal is perfect for mbuna, you have many options to choose from with that size.

 

[Menagerie]

cichild-forum is great. If you want diversity, try a Lake Tang community.

 

[travis simonson]

I have to admit I'm a big fan of the Malawian Mbuna. There is more variety among them than just about any other group of fish you can keep. In fact (and someone correct me if I'm wrong here) I seem to remember reading Ad Konings saying that there were more varieties of Mbuna in Lake Malawi than there are varieties of any other type of fish in any other lake in the world. A high degree of speciation is, I guess, what I'm trying to say. Widely varied with new species entering the hobby monthly if not more often. Like tetrin says, their behavior is extremely complex and they have a lot more personality than just about any other fresh water fish I've ever seen. OK, I'll stop now

 

[Menagerie]

I love the Malawian Mbuna too, but IMO, they all have the same body type (except the mouth). I love my torpedo fish, but the look of a community Tang take is impressive.

 

[newhobbist]

cichild-forum is great. If you want diversity, try a Lake Tang community.

I will do some research about Lake Tang community. And, here I will return to one of my previous questions with some adjustments:
Can I keep Peacocks in Lake Tang community tank? Since they are not very aggressive and require similar setup and water parameters, I don't understand why not. If there is difference in feeding, I don't think it is a serious obstacle. Am I right?

I love the Malawian Mbuna too, but IMO, they all have the same body type (except the mouth). I love my torpedo fish, but the look of a community Tang take is impressive.

I agree with you. Mbunas are beatifuly colored, but similar in shape. The same I can say about Peacocks. That's exactly why I don't want to commit to keeping solely Mbunas or Peacocks. If I could keep them together, the diversity would satisfy my fish-keeping "apetite". Otherwise, I have to explore other options.

 

[newhobbist]

I've just checked Cichlid-forum.com. The species profiles are the best I've seen so far!

 

[tetrin]

Can I keep Peacocks in Lake Tang community tank? Since they are not very aggressive and require similar setup and water parameters, I don't understand why not. If there is difference in feeding, I don't think it is a serious obstacle. Am I right?

there is no easy straight answer to this question. first off, i've been keeping cichlids only for the last 2 months. so please research anything i say. but from what i've read so far, the two principal requirements for any fish are - food and spawning space (well, barring good water quality). and most cichlids from the two great lakes clash in both of these issues.
while you can provide the same food to both these kinds of cichlids, usually, the tang ones are more shy than malawi ones. so, the peacocks would probably hog the food during feeding time and the tangs would slowly starve.
also, since the peacocks are mouth-brooders, the males can set up a spawning site and mate literally within hours. but tangs being mostly substrate-spawners, there are elaborate arrangements to be made and a larger territory staked out.

however, with careful selection and aquascaping, it might be possible to mix the two and maintain both species in relative harmony. but to do so, you need some expertise to look for small signals when things might go wrong and act accordingly. i have little knowledge about malawi's and none about tangs. but i'm prepared to learn and am prepared for the long haul. so, some day in future, i may be able to give you more specific advice. but for the time being, i'd recommend sticking to a specific lake in a tank.

If I could keep them together, the diversity would satisfy my fish-keeping "apetite".

of course i agree with you. but please think about the fishes who might have to sacrifice their 'appetite' or natural behavior to whet yours.

again, i'm not discouraging you to keep them together. a lot of people do that with relatively high amounts of success. but i'm just asking you to learn a little more about the fishes you are going to keep to make them all comfortable.

 

[Menagerie]

Definately ask over at cichlid-forum too. The more advice from long-term cichlid keepers, the better. I have had my Mbuna for 3 years, but my knowledge is limited to them and some Lake Tang cichlids. Peacocks are a whole other langauge!

 

[newhobbist]

Thank you, Tetrin for such extensive explanation. I will move ot Cichlids not earlier than in 3-4 months and will do a lot of research, which I've just started resently.
Speaking about difference between Peacocks and Tang Cichlids in spawning, I'm not sure I want to breed them. I understand that spawing is a part of their life and they should not be denied it, but I breeding fish isn't my goal.

Definately ask over at cichlid-forum too. The more advice from long-term cichlid keepers, the better.

I'm going to register there tomorrow and will ask some questions as well as read other posts.