I have a Cichlid compatibility question

[WendiDell]

In 1 55g tank I have Mbunas and I love them. They are so smart and interesting and a joy every day.
I have a second 55g tank that I'm in the process of making an Angelfish tank.
Both are cichlids but vastly different fish, so they will always be separate.

Now, I just recently saw several fancy BN Plecos and I just love how they look. The fact that they eat algae is a bonus, but cleaning isn't the primary reason that I would love to have a couple in each of my tanks
Can a Fancy BN Pleco be in a tank with Mbuna and/or Angelfish?
I already have a regular BN in the Mbuna tank, but Jed could use the company and a little help.

I'm just wondering if the long fins on the Fancy BN will become an issue with either the Mbunas or the Angels?

In time I plan on getting a 75g tank for the Mbunas and a 90g for the Angels. But that won't be for 6 mo. to a year from now. So this is based on my 55g tanks. I'll worry about the bigger tanks when I have them.

Right now both tanks have a Common Pleco that I will be re-homing in a week or so. The Gold Pleco in the Angelfish tank is still doing great but he will soon outgrow the 55g as he has reached 13" already.
The brown Common Pleco that is in with the Mbunas isn't very happy living with Mbunas that steal his food. He's only 8" but I don't want to cause any stunting problems.

 

[toddnbecka]

By fancy I presume you mean longfin? Those should be alright with the angels, not sure about the mbuna. However, if your regular BN isn't getting its fins torn up the longfins shouldn't be a problem either. If the mbuna are still young you need to be aware that they may become more aggressive toward the BN when they mature. Some species are more likely than others, but there are many variables.

 

[HUKIT]

Wendi, my africans are extremely racist, I've tried on three occasions to add albino BN and they killed everyone going after the eyes first but never even gave a second look at the regular black BN which each tank houses two. Even weirder all I have is Texas hokey rock which the black ones stand out like sore thumbs but the albinos blended in very well. So its eith going to work or it's not based on your fish, but my money's on succeeding. Good luck.

 

[WendiDell]

By fancy I presume you mean longfin? Those should be alright with the angels, not sure about the mbuna. However, if your regular BN isn't getting its fins torn up the longfins shouldn't be a problem either. If the mbuna are still young you need to be aware that they may become more aggressive toward the BN when they mature. Some species are more likely than others, but there are many variables.

Yes I meant long fin, sorry. Some of my Mbuna are just over a year old and some are about 6 months, the rest are in between.
But they don't seen to notice the BN. They like to steal his NLS wafers though.

 

[WendiDell]

Wendi, my africans are extremely racist, I've tried on three occasions to add albino BN and they killed everyone going after the eyes first but never even gave a second look at the regular black BN which each tank houses two. Even weirder all I have is Texas hokey rock which the black ones stand out like sore thumbs but the albinos blended in very well. So its eith going to work or it's not based on your fish, but my money's on succeeding. Good luck.

Thank you, I planned on getting 2 of the regular Long Fin BN for my Mbuna tank. They seem to be a bit tougher than Albinos in general, IME.

But, I want to try 3 of the Albino Long Fin in my Angelfish tank.
What do you think? Will the Angels have a problem with the extra long flowing fins?
I temporarily have a 13" Common Pleco in with the Angels now and they seem to ignore each other. But Goldie is a BIG boy(?). It may be a different story with the smaller BN, long fin or not.

It seems like everything is a hit or miss with both of my tanks. Not sure why I chose aggressive Mbunas for 1 tank and finicky Angels for the other. I don't think I was thinking at all, I think it was based on a silly, OOOO, those are pretty. Can I have some of those?

Speaking of pretty, my Mom got me 2 new Angels for my birthday. One is suppose to be a mate for one we already have, but the other was just to beautiful to leave behind.

 

[HUKIT]

They're very pretty for nice fish for non meany fish...you know where my passion lies.

But back the BN as long as there are sight breaks and places to hide, I'm Sure they'll be fine. The only thing I try when introducing them is purchase larger fish if possible and I always QT for 3-4 weeks but introduce them after the lights go out at night, giving them some time in the darkness to explore and relax.

I have 2 BN's in each of the tanks with some of the meanest freshwater fish on earth, between the jags, tricmacs, Festae and oscars and everyone of them pay them no mind.

 

[WendiDell]

They're very pretty for nice fish for non meany fish...you know where my passion lies.

But back the BN as long as there are sight breaks and places to hide, I'm Sure they'll be fine. The only thing I try when introducing them is purchase larger fish if possible and I always QT for 3-4 weeks but introduce them after the lights go out at night, giving them some time in the darkness to explore and relax.

I have 2 BN's in each of the tanks with some of the meanest freshwater fish on earth, between the jags, tricmacs, Festae and oscars and everyone of them pay them no mind.

WOW!!!
Well that all sounds very promising for me and my fish.
Just so you know, Some Angels can be worse than some Mbunas, IME. The Angels appear slow and graceful, and most days they are. But I got one that was just awful. It killed 2 tank mates in 1 day and nearly killed 2 others. One I was able to get healthy in a week, the other is still hanging by a thread three weeks later.
Angels aways go through a pecking order, but this went way beyond simple aggression. They may be called Angels, but it ain't cause their nice.

When it comes to buying BN, I always try to get the biggest ones I can find. They have a better chance of survival in general.
And I have always put any new fish in at night without the light, to lower the stress.
I also have 2 QT, one for Mbunas and one for Angels. Right now my fry are in the Mbuna QT, so the new BN will have to go in the Angel QT but that won't matter to much.
After I've finished the QT time, I'll put the 3 Albino's in with the Angels.
The Angel tank pH is the same as our tap, 7.2, but I have crushed shell/coral substrate in the Mbuna tank to keep the pH up naturally.
So after the 3 Albinos are out, then I'll slowly adjust the pH over a week or so. That way the brown BN can acclimate to the Mbuna pH which is 8.2.

 

[toddnbecka]

Angels are cichlids, and dominant males can be very aggressive. The best way to get a breeding pair is to raise a group of juvies together, then move out the extras after they pair off.
No worries about acclimating the brown BN to a higher pH, it's fine to move fish into harder, more alkaline water. It's moving them into softer (and usually more acidic water) that causes osmotic shock.

 

[WendiDell]

Angels are cichlids, and dominant males can be very aggressive. The best way to get a breeding pair is to raise a group of juvies together, then move out the extras after they pair off.
No worries about acclimating the brown BN to a higher pH, it's fine to move fish into harder, more alkaline water. It's moving them into softer (and usually more acidic water) that causes osmotic shock.

WOW!!! Thank you that pH thing is really good to know, given my choice in Cichlids.

It's not so much that I'm want to breed, I just want pairs that get along.
Most of the Angels I get are no bigger than a quarter. I haven't had Bully for quite 2 months and he's gone from a .25 cents to 3". The one that is still not well from his abuse hasn't grown at all.
Six weeks ago we bought Mouse (now Micki) he was the size of a Pea. Now he's just past the .25 cent size.
I don't normally buy Angels as large as Lilly, but she (I hope she) was to gorgeous to pass up. She's not all that large yet, not quite half her full size.
My not so LFS is great about trading fish so I can get what I need. In fact it works out well for them. I by a $5.00 pea size Angel & return a $20.00 in exchange for another $5.00 Angel. So they in turn get to resell the fish without doing any of the care and feeding. So they really don't mind trading out fish with me.
So until I get 6 Angels that will tolerate one another, I'll just keep trading.
So far there are only 2 that I won't switch and that's Mouse (now Micki) and the Lilly. Since she (we hope she) is one, a gift, and two an amazing specimen. She has unique markings and she's just a beauty.
Other than those 2 I'm trying to avoid getting attached to the rest. Not an easy task.

 

[jetajockey]

I have longfin brown and longfin albino bn plecos with several angelfish and haven't seen any issues at all.

 

[WendiDell]

I have longfin brown and longfin albino bn plecos with several angelfish and haven't seen any issues at all.

Thank you, that's the answer I was looking for. If anyone had tried and failed miserably, like HUKIT and the long fin Albino with his Mbuna. Then I would attempt it. I don't want to add any kind fish knowing it could get them killed. And just because all the fish sites say, "it OK, they're compatible", doesn't make it true. I like to hear it from real people, so thank you again.