New tank-considering cichlids

[chew valley]

Your pretty limited to only African cichlids. That is if your talking about getting haps, peacocks or mbunas because they are aggressive. Which leads me to 2. You have to over stock to spread out the aggression. The one inch rule doesn't apply to cichlids. I would say you need at least 20 fish. I have 55 gallon and only 8 fish at the moment. I plan on getting 15 or so.

Why is he limited just to Africans. That's not true at all

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Looking at getting a tank about 60 gallons. Thinking about stocking cichlids. I have a couple of questions. I posted in general forum, but thought this would be a more appropriate place.
1. What can I stock with cichlids?
2. I read on-line that the the 1 inch of fish per gallon of water doesn't apply. Looks like I should have more fish to prevent them from establishing a territory. Is that true?

I appreciate any help! Thanks.

1) what Cichlids do you want to keep? Their are many different types sa,ca, lake malawi, lake tanganyika, lake victoria and african riverine to name a few.

2) it doesn't apply really to any fish not just Cichlids. The second question here is a false statement.

Your pretty limited to only African cichlids. That is if your talking about getting haps, peacocks or mbunas because they are aggressive. Which leads me to 2. You have to over stock to spread out the aggression. The one inch rule doesn't apply to cichlids. I would say you need at least 20 fish. I have 55 gallon and only 8 fish at the moment. I plan on getting 15 or so.

You don't have to over stock, only sometimes is it needed. I have to disagree with 20 fish, I would say aim for 12-15 witch is the same thing I would recommend for a 55 gallon because there isn't much of a size difference.

Sometimes being under stocked doesn't work out and sometimes being over stocked doesn't work out. I've seen one fish start killing one by one with a heavily stocked tank. Before you know it half your stock is gone before you'll figure out witch one it is.

Does over-stocking make it tougher to keep the tank healthy?

Yes
The more you.stock the more water changes are needed. Some of us can get away with 2-25% water changes a week and some of us have to do 2-50% water changes a week to keep nitrate levels under control.

How do these guys do in a planted tank? I'd like to have a mix of rock (and/or driftwood) and or live plants.

I would recommend not trying it. It works for some people but the odds lean more to it doesn't work out. Many of us have tryed including myself.

This may help you out some
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/lake-malawi-mbuna-stocking-dcor-hardware/

And this will probably help with stocking
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php

Here is some pictures and other stuff all about my tank
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/november-tank-month-andrew-mcfaddens-180-gallon-lake-malawi-biotope/

Here is my YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/mcfaddy212000/videos



On a side note
Rift lake Cichlids shouldn't be with other types of fish
1) if it will fit in its mouth they will eat it
2) not to many fish can withstand the hyper aggressiveness of mbuna
3) rift lake Cichlids do better in completely different water chemistry then any other fish.

With that said the only fish that is mostly safe or left alone is synodontis catfish and plecos and sometimes their not

 

[CatoeSc]

I'm pretty open to the types. I'd prefer being able to have a lot of color. From what I've seen on line I like the looks of the following. Any of these guys no-gos?

AFRICAN
1. Peacocks
2. Blue Johanni
3. Demasoni
4. Bumblebee
5. Fuelleborni , Marmalade
6. Kenyon
7. Mbuna
8. Red Zebra

NEW WORLD
1. Rams
2. Convict
3. Jack Dempsey
4. Oscars
5. Cockatoos
6. Agassizi

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Some of these will work. Do you want many fish, just a couple or 1 fish like the Oscar.

Just to note most of the topic here has been on african mbuna Cichlids. Those stocking levels that have been discussed in this thread won't hold up to all Cichlids just mbuna

 

[CatoeSc]

The more the better for me. I'd rather have more of the smaller guys than a few of the bigger guys.

 

[CatoeSc]

Andrew, your lake m... Pics are great. Nice tank!

 

[kjacks]

I went through this process i guess about a month ago .. well it lasted awhile before i got everything planned but it was worth all the research n money put into this project..the hubby n me arent diy people nor do we have the time so we just bought the rock caves, drift wood n the expensive sand (make sure to get something other then fine grain bc u will see it floatin alittle n the tank since the fish sift through it constantly).. we also ended up buyin some slate rocks n makin a formation. I spend most of my time watchin my cichlids instead of tv i luv watchin them attack the water bubbles like its food...lol wish i would have bought that dang 75G thats the only regret bc it looked a few inches wider which would have made a difference imo..

The 1st pic is my cyno. zebroid.. 2nd is my p. nyerereis n alto. compressicep ..3rd is my cyno n the yellow labs

 

[CatoeSc]

Really thinking cichlids is the direction we will go. I read that adding less aggressive fish first helps them establish some level of dominance and helps them survive more aggressive fish added later. Any truth to this?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Really thinking cichlids is the direction we will go. I read that adding less aggressive fish first helps them establish some level of dominance and helps them survive more aggressive fish added later. Any truth to this?

Correct but generally you would want to try and stay with the same aggressiveness when you pick them out or down the road problems will more than likely arise.


From what all you have said I would say go for lake Malawi mbuna Cichlids. My next question is how aggressive do you want them to be? Mild, aggressive, highly aggressive?

 

[chew valley]

I'm pretty open to the types. I'd prefer being able to have a lot of color. From what I've seen on line I like the looks of the following. Any of these guys no-gos?

AFRICAN
1. Peacocks
2. Blue Johanni
3. Demasoni
4. Bumblebee
5. Fuelleborni , Marmalade
6. Kenyon
7. Mbuna
8. Red Zebra

NEW WORLD
1. Rams
2. Convict
3. Jack Dempsey
4. Oscars
5. Cockatoos
6. Agassizi

They are all suitable for your tank size apart from the Oscar. Oscars need to be in 75 gallons minimum.

 

[phin]

I'm pretty open to the types. I'd prefer being able to have a lot of color. From what I've seen on line I like the looks of the following. Any of these guys no-gos?

AFRICAN
1. Peacocks
2. Blue Johanni
3. Demasoni
4. Bumblebee
5. Fuelleborni , Marmalade
6. Kenyon
7. Mbuna
8. Red Zebra

NEW WORLD
1. Rams
2. Convict
3. Jack Dempsey
4. Oscars
5. Cockatoos
6. Agassizi

Don't mix the africans and new world. i wouldn't mix the demasoni with many other species and I'd keep a close eye on the bumblebee. Most peacocks are too passive to hang with mbunas. All the africans you listed except for the peacocks are types of mbuna.

You don't need to just pick one or two different species. I think the best mbuna tanks are all male tanks with a dozen different species. I have 14 in my 44g tank, male female mix, and they currently are coexisting. Every once in a while I need to take one out that is getting beat up, give him a few days of solitary to recover, re-arrange the rock formation and then reintroduce. I plan on adding 2 or three more in the future.

 

[CatoeSc]

Well, after all this discussion, I'm being reminded by my wife that our original purpose for this larger aquarium was to have something of our own, but to be able to move fish from my sons aquarium as they outgrow it. His tank is probably ok for now, but when his Molly's mature, they'll need more room...

Can I keep dwarf cichlids and/ or gourami a in a community tank?

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Now.that you say that you should go with rams or something similar