ScottS
Aquarium Advice Freak
I hate to create another tangent, but what kind of cichlids are you keeping?
Black Ghost Knife???
- Thread starter AlonelyCody
- Start date
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AlonelyCody
Aquarium Advice Freak
LOL..well I have
1 Jacobfreibergi Peacock max size 6in.
1 Electric Yellow Hap max size 4in.
1 Kenyi Cichlid max size 4in.
1 MUTT where i got him they don't know what he is. max size ??
1 Johanni Mbuna max size 4.5in.
I know that they will out grow the tank that they are in but for now they
seem to be happy.
1 Jacobfreibergi Peacock max size 6in.
1 Electric Yellow Hap max size 4in.
1 Kenyi Cichlid max size 4in.
1 MUTT where i got him they don't know what he is. max size ??
1 Johanni Mbuna max size 4.5in.
I know that they will out grow the tank that they are in but for now they
seem to be happy.ferret
Aquarium Advice Addict
The Kenyi will be your troublemaker. They're well known for aggression. Since you don't have multiple Kenyi, it shouldn't be too bad, but he'll almost certainly be the 'top dog'
AlonelyCody
Aquarium Advice Freak
OH yes he already is...he is the bigest and i remember when he was the smallest. He is a pittle Pig he eats anything he loves live guppies. (O: and the Mutt has started to eat the live guppies also. i have hear that that will make grow faster is this true.?
William
Aquarium Advice Addict
its raw meat, Fresh meat.
That makes anything healthier, not to say flake food is bad by a long shot.
That makes anything healthier, not to say flake food is bad by a long shot.
AlonelyCody
Aquarium Advice Freak
so flake is bad? so i shoud feed all my fish more frozen bloodworms and frozen brine? and Krill??
grimlock3000
Aquarium Advice Addict
a variey is best. if you try to stick with just frozen foods, many fish can get stomach problems if they are herbivores by nature. no one single food has "complete" nutrition since all fish are different. when you mix up food types, you ensure that the fish will get vitamins missing from one food in the next one you feed.
William
Aquarium Advice Addict
AlonelyCody said:
William said:
ScottS
Aquarium Advice Freak
AlonelyCody said:LOL..well I have
1 Jacobfreibergi Peacock max size 6in.
1 Electric Yellow Hap max size 4in.
1 Kenyi Cichlid max size 4in.
1 MUTT where i got him they don't know what he is. max size ??
1 Johanni Mbuna max size 4.5in.
I know that they will out grow the tank that they are in but for now they
You really shouldn't go off half cocked against other people when you're trying to keep this combo in a 30. What a disaster waiting to happen. Between temperments and dietary needs, these fish should never have been mixed in the first place. Mbunas are strictly vegetarian and should not be fed otherwise. Mbunas need lots of rocks to establish clear territories, whereas peacocks are more into open swimming waters. If you really want to get flamed, post that combo and your tank size on any cichlid forum. I'll offer up cichlid-forum.com for starters.
ferret
Aquarium Advice Addict
Don't worry about the mix, Cody. LFS are notorious for selling these species as 'compatible' and a lot of new hobbiest fall for it. You'd be lucky if they told you that cichlids were aggressive at all in most cases. While not the most optimal mix in the world, it'll work out just fine in the end with enough care.
I would suggest you look into getting Hikari floating cichlid pellets, or possibly the 'Cichlid Attack!' sinking pellets. These are a good general food for most african cichlids. To supplement this, you should try getting two packs of the frozen food cubes. One should be bloodworms, a good protein source nearly everyone on this board uses, and the other I use is the Emerald green cubes. They're a mixture of vegetation and krill and other fun stuff cichlids all love. I'd mostly suggest the bloodworms as treats and the emerald cubes as a more common food.
You should try to find some rock work locally or even driftwood or plastic ornaments that you can place in the back of the tank, for fish to hide in, under, and behind. Try to leave the front of the tank open for swimming, and you'll mostly keep them all happy.
In my beginner days, I've done much the same. I still have nearly all of my cichlids, with only 2 deaths from fighting out of 18 I've ever kept. I've passed some on to others since then, and lost a few two weeks ago to a bad heater (Well bad owner. I had been moving stuff all day and left it unpluged .. )
I would still suggest the 55 gallon for this guys later on. You'll have a lot more room to work with them and they'll definately be happier.
I would suggest you look into getting Hikari floating cichlid pellets, or possibly the 'Cichlid Attack!' sinking pellets. These are a good general food for most african cichlids. To supplement this, you should try getting two packs of the frozen food cubes. One should be bloodworms, a good protein source nearly everyone on this board uses, and the other I use is the Emerald green cubes. They're a mixture of vegetation and krill and other fun stuff cichlids all love. I'd mostly suggest the bloodworms as treats and the emerald cubes as a more common food.
You should try to find some rock work locally or even driftwood or plastic ornaments that you can place in the back of the tank, for fish to hide in, under, and behind. Try to leave the front of the tank open for swimming, and you'll mostly keep them all happy.
In my beginner days, I've done much the same. I still have nearly all of my cichlids, with only 2 deaths from fighting out of 18 I've ever kept. I've passed some on to others since then, and lost a few two weeks ago to a bad heater (Well bad owner. I had been moving stuff all day and left it unpluged
.. )I would still suggest the 55 gallon for this guys later on. You'll have a lot more room to work with them and they'll definately be happier.
ferret
Aquarium Advice Addict
One more minor note.. While Africans will eat feeder guppies, I do not consider it a particularily healthy diet for them. I'd stick to Hikari pellets foods as I mentioned above, with the frozen foods as 'treats' ... This will probably be a more rounded diet
The other reason is that feeder fish, goldfish or guppy, are notorious for being diseased. The last thing you want to do is buy some sick guppies and your fish get sick from it.
The other reason is that feeder fish, goldfish or guppy, are notorious for being diseased. The last thing you want to do is buy some sick guppies and your fish get sick from it.
AlonelyCody
Aquarium Advice Freak
Thank you all for all the info. it is much appreciated. i want to get a 75 gallon for the cichlids that want they have plenty of room to do there thing, and be happier. I am going to stop the flake for them, and get some more frozen food. they love frozen brine and bloodworms. and the last thing i want to do is make them sick so i will probly stop feeding them feeder guppies. I do know that they get diseased easily. the tank i keep my feeder fish in i treat with ick medication. my eel and my ropefish both eat guppys and when i got the black ghost knife they said to feed him feeder guppys and he never touched them until the other night. he likes flake and loves brine, and will some times eat the bloodworms. I put in Cichlid Mix (sand) last friday and they all seem to love it, the tank looks like a disaster area. they have all been digging holes. on the bag of sand it said that it was supposed to set the Ph in the tank to for African Cichlids. My question is what is a good Ph for Cichlids? right now the tank is at 8.0. I haven't had a Ph that high in any of my tanks. And i am going to put more hiding places in there for them maybe they wont bicker as much. LOL. But i do know that they need a bigger tank. I am working on that. peace by peace.
ferret
Aquarium Advice Addict
Cichlids are a very very widely varied group. There's well over 4000 species, and well over 500-600 of them are available for aquarium keeping in some form of another. The general rule of thumb though is that they're South American or African. Yours are Africans.
The South Americans prefer soft acidic water (Low ph). But the Africans live in lakes that have nearby volcanos and such. They have very hard water with a high ph. 8.0 is pretty good for the cichlids you have. That sand is designed to buffer the water and keep it at a good ph and hardness for the cichlids.
This is one of the other reasons cichlids generally need to be only kept with cichlids, besides their aggression and deiet. Most fish aren't well suited for their high ph needs.
The South Americans prefer soft acidic water (Low ph). But the Africans live in lakes that have nearby volcanos and such. They have very hard water with a high ph. 8.0 is pretty good for the cichlids you have. That sand is designed to buffer the water and keep it at a good ph and hardness for the cichlids.
This is one of the other reasons cichlids generally need to be only kept with cichlids, besides their aggression and deiet. Most fish aren't well suited for their high ph needs.
AlonelyCody
Aquarium Advice Freak
Cool so the sand was a good thing to put in the tank. BUT wha tabout my Plecostomus is that Ph going to well Kill him? or is there another type of algee eater that would be more suited for the job???
ferret
Aquarium Advice Addict
The pleco can survive a wide range of ph levels. He should be just fine in 8.0 .. Its probably not the best level for him, but it shouldn't hurt him either. There's very limited choices for ph 8.0 algae eaters. I keep plecos with my cichlids, both african and south american.
The sand was a very good thing either way, as cichlids in general love sand. Their natural habitats are generally either sandy open areas, or near rocky shores with lots of caves (But still a sandy bottom)
The sand was a very good thing either way, as cichlids in general love sand. Their natural habitats are generally either sandy open areas, or near rocky shores with lots of caves (But still a sandy bottom)
AlonelyCody
Aquarium Advice Freak
Ok so is a Plecostomus a Pleco? at the fish shops they refer to them as being differant.
BTW the black ghost seems to be happyr in the new tank...but his stripe is still brown. (O:
BTW the black ghost seems to be happyr in the new tank...but his stripe is still brown. (O:
grimlock3000
Aquarium Advice Addict
"Ok so is a Plecostomus a Pleco? at the fish shops they refer to them as being differant."
Yep, same thing. Pleco is just shorter and easier to say. One store around me has them just labeled as "Algae Eater". From what I have seen, pretty much anyone who asks about a dirty tank gets sold one, regardless of their tank
Yep, same thing. Pleco is just shorter and easier to say. One store around me has them just labeled as "Algae Eater". From what I have seen, pretty much anyone who asks about a dirty tank gets sold one, regardless of their tank
AlonelyCody
Aquarium Advice Freak
Ok...thank you i was just wondering about that.
ScottS
Aquarium Advice Freak
ferret
Aquarium Advice Addict
I quite aware of Malawi bloat, one of the reasons I posted to keep bloodworms only as a treat. For the most part, my experience is that the Hakari pellets are fairly safe for Africans, as I've never had a case of this occur. My main goal was to get the feeder guppies off the menu and get something at least somewhat designed for cichlids on it.
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