New Fish List -Cichlid Suggestions

[Jdills1347]

Well I am finally ready to put some cichlids in my tank. Pretty excited actually. Right now I have two bristlenose plecos in my 55g and that is all. I have a lot of rocks and therefore plently of hiding spaces for the new arrivals. I made an effort to have more hiding spaces then there will be actual fish. K here is my list and would appreciate any suggestions for additions or removals. Also as you can tell I am trying to stay on the small size.
Might want to double up on a couple of these but not sure, let me know what ya think about that.


Want:
Melanochromis auratus
Pseudotropheus lomardoi "Kenyi"
Labidochromis caeruleus "Electric Yellow"
Pseudotropheus estherae "Red Zebra" <-I realize some might shy away
Pseudotropheus demasoni
Melanochromis johanni
Pseudotropheus callainos "Colbat Blue"

Optional: If my lfs can order them
Pseudotropheus flavus
Aulonocara baenschi

I am also trying to get one or two Synodontis multipunctatus but my lfs hasn't been able to locate any yet. Was also wondering if I could possibly add a couple of Lake Tanganyika cichlids since there are a couple I would like to add but do realize that this is probably not a good idea. Thanks for any help.

 

[TankGirl]

The only comment I have is a caution against keeping the mbuna with the peacock you list there. I would personally not mix the lakes, but that's just me.

Others will I am sure give some valuable opinions.

 

[Jdills1347]

The peacock you are referring to is the Aulonocara baenschi correct?

 

[TankGirl]

You got it -

 

[Jdills1347]

Thanks. Anyone else have any input? I placed an order for two auratus and I am thinking that might be a mistake since a lot of old posts say that they are very mean. Hmm...


Update, I cancelled my order for the auratus for now since they are so aggressive.

 

[Jdills1347]

whimper....no other suggestions?? Was also looking for a cichlid with green color but have not been able to find any small ones.

 

[Menagerie]

Hmmm, you names ones I don't keep. It looks like you are going for all Mbuna, which should make a great tank--plenty of rock should be provided.
Good call on the auratus (although it seems there might be more than one ?? auratus, but I stay away from anything with auratus in it!).
Green is a hard fish color to coem by. Blues, yellows, reds and orange are easy to find

 

[TankGirl]

Maybe edit the topic name to say New Fish List -Cichlid Suggestions or something like that, maybe Voodoo Chilli or Menagerie or some of the other cichild keepers will spot it that way.

 

[TankGirl]

Well, there's Menagerie - spoke too soon!

 

[Menagerie]

Actually, I saw this the first day it was up, but since I don't keep these fish, I didn't contribute right away.

 

[Jdills1347]

O well thanks anyway Menagerie, any suggestions for other interesting additions?

 

[Menagerie]

If you can find Synodontis multipunctatus or S petricola, either one would be a great addition. S petricola looks very similar to the multi. I have two S petricola. Apparently they are a tad easier to breed and are a little less expensive.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Secure-

Sorry I'm late coming to the party.

First thing I'd suggest is avoiding M. auratus, M. johannii, and M. lombardoi like the plague! These are some of the most aggressive Africans you can add to a Malawi system, and unfortunately, some of the most readily available species in stores. They'll suck the fun right out of your tank- trust me.

So- what are some species I would suggest?

Iodotropheus sprengerae (Rusty cichlid)
Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric Yellow)
Labidochromis sp. Mbamba Bay
Labidochromis sp. Perlmutt
Pseudotropheus demasoni (are usually peaceful)
Pseudotropheus flavus (can get nasty during breeding, but otherwise peaceful)
Pseudotropheus aceii

You can try the zebras- some are nasty little buggers, some are peaceful- if your shop allows trade-ins and you can take them back if you need to.

Hope this helps-
Steven

 

[Jdills1347]

Too late on one of those. I picked up four fish today and one was a Kenyi (M. lombardoi) so we will see how he works out and if he causes any other problems. The others I got were:
1- Yellow lab
1-Colbat Blue (Pseudotropheus callainos)
1- Red Zebra (P. estherae)

I ordered a demasoni and a fluvus on monday and they are supposed to come in on monday. I wanted to get a M. johannii but I guess that won't be a good idea. I'll look up your other suggestions though thanks.

 

[Jdills1347]

Well first night went well, everybody is still intact and looking very nice. Will get some pictures up asap. I am a little concerned about my male bristlenose, not nearly as pretty as my female. Hes fins are all tucked in and appear much smaller and hes almost grey in color instead of a very dark brown. Might take him back soon since I will probably only need the one female to keep the tank pretty clean.

Either way I am definitely looking into getting these:

Labidochromis sp. mbamba
Iodotropheus sprengerae (My gf loves purple and that's the only one I can find that has it)

and possibly the Labidochromis sp. Perlmutt, Pseudotropheus aceii

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

If your girlfriend loves purple- you need to track down some aceii: they're purple with yellow fins.

 

[Jdills1347]

Cool I'll have to see if I can get one of those. Thanks

 

[Menagerie]

The aceii are gorgeous fish. When they are comfy, they show off their colors.

 

[TankGirl]

One thing to consider is that all bristlenose that are sold together are not necessarily the same ancistrus sp. so there are variations in coloration.

Congrats on your new fishies!

 

[Jdills1347]

Yeh I think you are right Tankgirl. I'll have to get a pic to show you what I mean.