SA/African Cichlid conflict

[rippin17]

Ok now it is to my knowledge that you are not ot mix african cichlids and south american cichlids... One of the reasons.... BESIDES the difference in water parameters... was an example i was given

This had to do with the pike cichlid where the african cichlids are not used to being around such large preditory fish and they swim near it to try to bully it and get gulped up.

The reason I am posting this is because lately I have seen people (from newbies to moderators) posting that Frontosas can be in the same water as SA cichlids. Now i realise frontosas grow to a decent size so the size arguement is null and void....

but what about water parameters?


from my research frontosas should be in water that is around 8.0-8.4 i have even seen some water listings go as high as 8.6. I have never seen a south american cichlid whose water parameters has been up that high what so ever.

I am not asking this question because of my tank or anything pertaining to my tank... I have a frontosa but i keep it with other tanganyikan fish. I am just asking this because of my confusion

 

[DeFeKt]

research frontosas should be in water that is around 8.0-8.4 i have even seen some water listings go as high as 8.6. I have never seen a south american cichlid whose water parameters has been up that high what so ever.

You are 100% correct
The fish will live, but it will only live, it will not thrive and generally be happy

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Actually, the pH in Lake Tanganyika is over 9! 8O

This is a very common point to debate/argue/discuss amongst cichlid hobbyists. I'm of the opinion that New World and Old World species should never be kept together; I go one step further and avoid mixing the Rift Lakes. I'm a purist, what can I say?

People do it every day. Does it work? Sometimes, yes. More often than not, the answer is no. I agree with Defekt though- even though a fish is alive, it may not be thriving. I'm not saying we need to exactly replicate the natural conditions in our aquariums for captive-bred species, but we should try to accomodate them to something similar.

 

[rippin17]

yeah i tried keeping even the different lakes out of my tank... my pH is actually 8.7 dump some salt in and id have a good dsalt water tank lol.

its steady and such.... i thought so tho.... thank u for verifying my suspicions... i thought i was giving out wrong advice to people

seeeeee people! thats why we ask questions....

 

[BillD]

The pH thing is interesting, as we expect CA/SA water to be soft and acidic. It is not always the case. A thread on another forum, describing a collecting trip to Honduras, indicated a range in pH of 6.5 to 8.5 for the same fish collected in different locations. In all cases the water was soft, which lends more credence to the theory that pH is not really important, but rather Total Dissolved Solids is. There is a commercial breeder of Africans in Costa rica; guess what his water is like.
I do agree that they are best kept seperately (Malawis and Tangs, too), not because of water issues, but rather, because they have different behaviours. Plus, most SA/CA cichlids have teeth. However, I will not play water chemist. I will only keep fish that will flourish in water right out of the tap. So far, that has been everything I have kept.