ok, so I've been reading some stuff.
most of what I've read seems like it was set in stone so far back that no one really knows why it was that way in the first place.
so let's talk about mixing Cichlids from the new world and Africa.
probably the most common objection is the water conditions argument, but I have to ask, since most places keep these in tanks with water that runs through all of the tanks. every fish store I've been in admits that this is so. many will tell you that the suppliers breed and keep them in much the same way. so, is it really necessary to keep African Cichlids in ph 9 water, and is it even safe to do this. you wouldn't shock a fish with a huge temperature change, is it safe or wise to shock them with highly alkaline water?
so, what happens to a fish like an African cichlid, that has been raised in neutral ph water, to be kept in neutral ph water. I mean, what will happen? I had an electric yellow years ago that I kept in a community tank for years, and never noticed any signs that he was uncomfortable.
the next objection is the river vs. lake argument. it says, these fish come from vastly different environments, and therefor can't be put together. this also seems like a moot point when so many fish are bred and raised in captivity. it's like saying you cant have a cat and dog, because they come from different environments in the wild. yeah, well that's not really true anymore. are we attributing things to these fish that they aren't really capable of being concerned with?
the last and most dogmatic argument is that they come from different places and therefore shouldn't be mixed. again, kinda like saying you can't have roses and tulips in your garden because they don't grow together in the wild. well I'm sorry, my tank isn't the wild, it's a very artificial environment with plastic plants rocks I found in my back yard.
I'm wanting a tank where I can find fish I like to look at, and I want some color variety and shape variety.
as long as I keep aggression levels comparable, will there really be any problems?
I'm seriously looking for well reasoned answers and advice on this. not just the typical, "because I said so" reasoning.
most of what I've read seems like it was set in stone so far back that no one really knows why it was that way in the first place.
so let's talk about mixing Cichlids from the new world and Africa.
probably the most common objection is the water conditions argument, but I have to ask, since most places keep these in tanks with water that runs through all of the tanks. every fish store I've been in admits that this is so. many will tell you that the suppliers breed and keep them in much the same way. so, is it really necessary to keep African Cichlids in ph 9 water, and is it even safe to do this. you wouldn't shock a fish with a huge temperature change, is it safe or wise to shock them with highly alkaline water?
so, what happens to a fish like an African cichlid, that has been raised in neutral ph water, to be kept in neutral ph water. I mean, what will happen? I had an electric yellow years ago that I kept in a community tank for years, and never noticed any signs that he was uncomfortable.
the next objection is the river vs. lake argument. it says, these fish come from vastly different environments, and therefor can't be put together. this also seems like a moot point when so many fish are bred and raised in captivity. it's like saying you cant have a cat and dog, because they come from different environments in the wild. yeah, well that's not really true anymore. are we attributing things to these fish that they aren't really capable of being concerned with?
the last and most dogmatic argument is that they come from different places and therefore shouldn't be mixed. again, kinda like saying you can't have roses and tulips in your garden because they don't grow together in the wild. well I'm sorry, my tank isn't the wild, it's a very artificial environment with plastic plants rocks I found in my back yard.
I'm wanting a tank where I can find fish I like to look at, and I want some color variety and shape variety.
as long as I keep aggression levels comparable, will there really be any problems?
I'm seriously looking for well reasoned answers and advice on this. not just the typical, "because I said so" reasoning.