Labenator65000
Aquarium Advice FINatic
butterfly_koi said:
Responding to your original question, for a 75, if you want numbers and variety, go African. If you want larger, go SA/CA. Very cool options either way you go.
types of cichlids
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Responding to your original question, for a 75, if you want numbers and variety, go African. If you want larger, go SA/CA. Very cool options either way you go.
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butterfly_koi
Aquarium Advice Addict
Labenator65000 said:
Thanks for the answer lol I did enjoy the debate though the more I learn about cichlids the better. Because there are so many different varieties of this fish it gets kinda confusing on what is compatible with what. Maybe I should choose a center piece and then build my stock list around that or is that a bad way to go?
HUKIT
Aquarium Advice Addict
My fishroom.
+1 As usual my Friend Labenator65000 did a good job of breaking it down.
I have both African and SA Cichlids. Both are unique I am more Partial to SA due to my Familiarity with them....but both are great. I even have some Dwarf Cichlids (Bolivian Rams) in which you could put in Schools of them.
paytertot
Aquarium Advice Addict
Discus are my favorite cichlid by far. Idk why people say they're difficult because I started out with discus and have always kept them without giving any special attention or anything like that. Maybe I got lucky.
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butterfly_koi
Aquarium Advice Addict
paytertot said:
I really am taking a liking to Africans but I really really like the discus, its so pretty! What can you keep with the discus? And how many would be ok in a 75?
You could start with a "type" Like in Africans (Mbuna)
In the South Americans more difficult since many grow too large.
My Oscar is finally outgrown the SA tank and now is Solo in a 75 for an example.
Firemouths , Red Devils, and Oscar are typically a Solo fish.
paytertot
Aquarium Advice Addict
butterfly_koi said:
Any small peaceful fish really, discus are pretty docile. In a 75 you could do 6 and then a school of 6 rummy nose tetras, neon tetras, etc and a bn pleco. That would be pushing it probably.
So maybe..
5 discus(I think they do better in odds)
6 tetras
1 bn pleco or something similar
My tank is SUPER SUPER overstocked (I do soo many PWCs) with:
7 discus
5 angels
3 bleeding heart tetras
4 black skirt tetras
2 kuhli loaches
3 rope fish
2 bn plecos
And this is all in a 55!
imtcurveball
Aquarium Advice Freak
You could also just get both. A few years ago my dad and I had a 55 gal with african, NW and SA cichlids... and some native species like sunfish. we kept it at 73 or 74 degrees and they were all fine. Just make sure the africans are a little smaller. They tend to be more aggressive
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butterfly_koi
Aquarium Advice Addict
This may seem like a dumb question but can Africans and discus be in the same tank?
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butterfly_koi
Aquarium Advice Addict
josh7 said:
I respect that you are against that advice and believe me I'm going to do research before any fish hits the tank but instead of saying that it would be appreciated if you could explain why instead of saying "I would not take his advice"
Freakgecko91
Aquarium Advice Addict
The way I see it is that we've taken a responsibility to simulate these animal's natural environment as closely to their natural one as possible, and new worlds would obviously never encounter old worlds in nature. Also, new worlds TEND to prefer more acidic waters (obviously depends on exact specie) while Africans prefer more alkaline waters. Diet is also much different. Several NW can tolerate higher protein where as many Africans develop bloat from it (Malawi bloat for instance). The are also aggression issues between the two and how the deal with those issues
jetajockey
come get me tang police!
Sorry for going a little astray earlier, I do think it's important to try to keep things as accurate as possible when putting things in stone. Keeping natives isn't much different than keeping sa/ca or africans. The temperature requirements might differ a little bit, and even then it's debatable because south florida is literally crawling with invasive african and new world cichlids. Arguing that natives come from big bodies of water is moot because there are plenty of wild caught new world and old world cichlids in the hobby as well, they come from big bodies of water too, don't they? (besides the thousands that come from illinois lol)
Not to mention that most sunfish breed readily in captivity in similar ways as their sa/ca counterparts, so there are lots of f1's and so on out there.
A little research on the subject would reveal that there are dozens of species and locality variants in this category that work just as well as sa/ca cichlids from dwarf and pygmy sizes on up. Most sunfish species apart from bass and bluegill are much smaller than oscars, for example.
I just suggested it because it is an idea well off the beaten path, and it's a surefire way for quite a unique setup.
But anyhow, on to the main topic. I would avoid discus, it is not a beginner fish, and some people are fortunate in their discus keeping, but many are not. There's a reason why a lot of people say they are difficult, it's because they can be. There are always exceptions to the rule, but discus are a notoriously sensitive fish species and that idea didn't just come up out of thin air. I've had mixed results keeping them, and because of their specific care requirements I would not recommend them.
Another cichlid not mentioned yet (that I know of) is angelfish. They are one of the standards in a centerpiece with schoolers type setup.
I also agree with not mixing old and new world for the reasons Freakgecko mentioned. But it can be done, and many of these species have been kept and bred in your average tank setups, so fudging a little with the care requirements is probably not going to hurt anything. I know people who mix the two, it's just not my cup of tea. And definitely not africans with discus. Discus are a slow moving peaceful fish and with their notoriety and price tag they should really have a tank built around them rather than be tossed into a community.
Not to mention that most sunfish breed readily in captivity in similar ways as their sa/ca counterparts, so there are lots of f1's and so on out there.
A little research on the subject would reveal that there are dozens of species and locality variants in this category that work just as well as sa/ca cichlids from dwarf and pygmy sizes on up. Most sunfish species apart from bass and bluegill are much smaller than oscars, for example.
I just suggested it because it is an idea well off the beaten path, and it's a surefire way for quite a unique setup.
But anyhow, on to the main topic. I would avoid discus, it is not a beginner fish, and some people are fortunate in their discus keeping, but many are not. There's a reason why a lot of people say they are difficult, it's because they can be. There are always exceptions to the rule, but discus are a notoriously sensitive fish species and that idea didn't just come up out of thin air. I've had mixed results keeping them, and because of their specific care requirements I would not recommend them.
Another cichlid not mentioned yet (that I know of) is angelfish. They are one of the standards in a centerpiece with schoolers type setup.
I also agree with not mixing old and new world for the reasons Freakgecko mentioned. But it can be done, and many of these species have been kept and bred in your average tank setups, so fudging a little with the care requirements is probably not going to hurt anything. I know people who mix the two, it's just not my cup of tea. And definitely not africans with discus. Discus are a slow moving peaceful fish and with their notoriety and price tag they should really have a tank built around them rather than be tossed into a community.
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I would Agree with this statement 100%.
Africans need higher Ph
SA lower PH. In a Short term depending on Species it can work but not a long term plan.
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butterfly_koi
Aquarium Advice Addict
Pton46 said:
Well considering on how my water is I think Africans would be best. My water has always shown higher levels in ph
Freakgecko91
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's not to say new worlds can't live in higher pHs due to adaptations from "domestication" for lack of a better word. I keep my SA dwarves in 8.2 water and have had great success! Stability is more important than the level itself, for the most part. If you do go with Africans, my best advice is research, research, research! There are a few different groups that prefer a group only tank, like peacocks, mbuna, and habs, but I don't know nearly enough to advise ou either way with Africans lol all my research tends to go towards SA/CA cichlids lol
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butterfly_koi
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think that Africans are the best way to go but how do I tell if a cichlid is African or south American? Is there physical differences?
Labenator65000
Aquarium Advice FINatic
josh7 said:
Agreed. Why you ask? Differences in diet, water parameters, and compatibility. Some may get away with it, but best practice is to select one or the other.
bcurlacher54
Aquarium Advice Freak
to learn which fish are african, just google or go to a lfs and look around. my 75 sat empty for a year while i spent all that time googling and researching. you can never read too much. take your time but no matter how much your read or advice you get, it doesnt compare to actually doing it yourself.
