so i decided to start a cichlid tank in my 50g, i have a Question?
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Aski247
Aquarium Advice Addict
I myself prefer SA/CA over old world. It's mainly due to the fact they grow large and have attitudes to match. They are super smart and are so interactive. Also they for the most part are very hardy fish and very easy to raise to maturity.
The down side is you can't have as many as you could with the old worlds. In a 50 gal. You could keep any of the larger species for about a year before having to rehome. Or you could have a few of the smaller/med size mild temper ones.
IMO you can't go wrong with new worlds even if it's less fish the interaction more then makes up for it.
Anyways hope more people chime in for ya. Good luck.
The down side is you can't have as many as you could with the old worlds. In a 50 gal. You could keep any of the larger species for about a year before having to rehome. Or you could have a few of the smaller/med size mild temper ones.
IMO you can't go wrong with new worlds even if it's less fish the interaction more then makes up for it.
Anyways hope more people chime in for ya. Good luck.
thank you for the reply! do you have any recommendations of what types I should add? so far I only have 1 electric yellow because I love the color and brightness... also, is it true that if when I add another fish and my original fish is being too territorial because he was there first I can fix that by rearranging everything in the tank?
Aski247
Aquarium Advice Addict
Electric yellow? Pretty sure that would be a African. And not compatible with new world cichlids.
But as far as fish that could work are convicts, fire mouths, severums(sp?), rams. Not in this paticular order or mixing. Even a single jack Dempsey could work.
Also I'm sure you know they need large filtration too due to being such messy eaters with large bio loads.
But as far as fish that could work are convicts, fire mouths, severums(sp?), rams. Not in this paticular order or mixing. Even a single jack Dempsey could work.
Also I'm sure you know they need large filtration too due to being such messy eaters with large bio loads.
Nimo
Aquarium Advice FINatic
xsamrlx17 said:
Electric yellow is african. And yes when you add new fish it is very helpful for the aggression if you rearrange the decorations in your tank. If you have fake plants move them around too. For every new addition in my tank as the new fish was acclimating I redecorated the tank and have been very successful with new additions.
I did try one time to add a fish with out moving things around and as soon as the new fish was released it was immediately harassed, so I started rearranging the tank harassment stopped. If you do go with the africans I would recommend avoiding aritus(not sure about spelling) they are beautiful yellow and black but one of the most aggressive they can and will wipe out a tank.
HUKIT
Aquarium Advice Addict
I prefer new world cichlids over old for a variety of reasons but most behavioral.
1. They bond for life as opposed to harem breeding, I love watching bonded pairs interact.
2. They guard their fry over their dead bodies as opposed to spitting them to the wolves.
3. Coloration, and anyone who says africans are more colorful are looking at wrong fish.
4. Most new worlds have a higher intellegence level and can recognize individuals and colors as opposed to simply movement outside the tank, I've had fish react violently to the color red!
These are just a few quick reasons and I could type all day. With that sized tank I would into the Cryptoheros and Amatitlania genus of fish.
1. They bond for life as opposed to harem breeding, I love watching bonded pairs interact.
2. They guard their fry over their dead bodies as opposed to spitting them to the wolves.
3. Coloration, and anyone who says africans are more colorful are looking at wrong fish.
4. Most new worlds have a higher intellegence level and can recognize individuals and colors as opposed to simply movement outside the tank, I've had fish react violently to the color red!
These are just a few quick reasons and I could type all day. With that sized tank I would into the Cryptoheros and Amatitlania genus of fish.
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RLBeausoleil
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Your little fish is a labidochromis caeruleus. If you break the word labid/o/chrom/is down it roughly means pertaining to lip color. All the fish in the genus are very colorful. They woul go well with your fish.
It is a mbuna cichlid from the lake malawi. If you decide to keep him you should stick with other mbuna. All mbuna are very colorful and there are many to pick from. They are very fun to watch. They are very spunky little fish with a lot of personality . Mbuna are also smart little fish. When I sit on the sofa right next to my one tank they all crowd around me. They don't do that when other people sit there.
They also have some pretty interesting breeding habits. Some males will try to mate anything that has fins, while other males will stick with one female. I have a male I bought with two females. The will only mate with the one female. He is normally rather docile, but when his female is holding he becomes a shark. I have to remove her or my other fish(even my kenyi) take a beating. After I remove her he searches frantically for quite a bit of time, and no matter how long she's gone he won't move on and mate with the other female. They're mouth brooders. The mommy will hold the fry in her mouth. Once the fry are big enough and she will let them out. They stick close and if another fish comes along she scoops them back up. Once the fry are big enough you can provide places for them to hid that bigger fish can get. Texas holey rock is good for that. Or you can learn to strip the female. I strip my females and keep the fry in their own little tank. I was scared to do it the first time but it's pretty easy. It's also kind of amazing to see how many fry the female holds in her mouth.
I've been keeping mbuna for a while, but recently I adopted some new world cichlids from a friend. I'm not finding myself becoming attached to the new world cichlids at all. They a boring. They aren't as active. They also aren't as colorful. They do grow much larger and live much longer. They are also much messier. If it weren't for my friend being so attached to them and wanting them to go to someone who would provide the best for them I wouldn't have taken them.
So as for your big decision everyone one here has their own opinion. I'm obviously pro-mbuna, but that's me. You should do some research to gather unbiased information. Look at different species and how to care for them. Weigh out the pros and cons and form your own opinion.
It is a mbuna cichlid from the lake malawi. If you decide to keep him you should stick with other mbuna. All mbuna are very colorful and there are many to pick from. They are very fun to watch. They are very spunky little fish with a lot of personality . Mbuna are also smart little fish. When I sit on the sofa right next to my one tank they all crowd around me. They don't do that when other people sit there.
They also have some pretty interesting breeding habits. Some males will try to mate anything that has fins, while other males will stick with one female. I have a male I bought with two females. The will only mate with the one female. He is normally rather docile, but when his female is holding he becomes a shark. I have to remove her or my other fish(even my kenyi) take a beating. After I remove her he searches frantically for quite a bit of time, and no matter how long she's gone he won't move on and mate with the other female. They're mouth brooders. The mommy will hold the fry in her mouth. Once the fry are big enough and she will let them out. They stick close and if another fish comes along she scoops them back up. Once the fry are big enough you can provide places for them to hid that bigger fish can get. Texas holey rock is good for that. Or you can learn to strip the female. I strip my females and keep the fry in their own little tank. I was scared to do it the first time but it's pretty easy. It's also kind of amazing to see how many fry the female holds in her mouth.
I've been keeping mbuna for a while, but recently I adopted some new world cichlids from a friend. I'm not finding myself becoming attached to the new world cichlids at all. They a boring. They aren't as active. They also aren't as colorful. They do grow much larger and live much longer. They are also much messier. If it weren't for my friend being so attached to them and wanting them to go to someone who would provide the best for them I wouldn't have taken them.
So as for your big decision everyone one here has their own opinion. I'm obviously pro-mbuna, but that's me. You should do some research to gather unbiased information. Look at different species and how to care for them. Weigh out the pros and cons and form your own opinion.
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