African Chilets

[Mercury64]

Not sure if I'm spelling it right but I heard there mean fish ,I like mean fish so I thought I would give them a shot ,was told you can't add anything else with them ,anyone have any other info on these fish

 

[Toirtis]

Not sure if I'm spelling it right

You are not...it is "cichlid".

but I heard there mean fish ,I like mean fish so I thought I would give them a shot ,was told you can't add anything else with them

Most are territorial and/or aggressive, some are not. Many may be kept with other similar fish (like lake Malawi mbunas), some may not.

,anyone have any other info on these fish

That is one astronomically massive order...there are dozens of societies and hundreds of books and webpages devoted exclusively to African cichlids. For beginners, I would suggest Lake Malawi mbunas or some of the dwarf Tanganyikan cichlids....punch either into a google search and you will have days of reading ahead of you.

 

[madasafish]

African Cichlids (pronounced sick-lids). They belong to the family Cichlidae, which spans primarily Africa and South-middle America. Very few exceptions.

They range from mostly-peaceful (as in the Kribensis, Pelvicachromis pulcher) to downright devilish (as in some of the Malawi Cichlids, such as Melanochromis auratus).

I'd advise starting with Kribensis, as these are a) mostly peaceful, b) easy to breed, c) readily available and d) do not require special water conditions. Most African Cichlids require high pH (7.5->9.0) and high KH.

Some good resources:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm (scroll 2/3 of the way down to the section on Cichlids)
www.malawicichlids.com
www.cichlids.com
www.malawicichlidhomepage.com

 

[Cafe Jeff]

Just between me and you, I find the South American cichlids to be a bit meaner. Not once, has an Oscar ever picked up the bill when we've gone out for 2 for 1 feeder night at the LFS. Jeff

 

[madasafish]

Certainly, ask *many* questions before starting out any sort of cichlid tank. Most ppl start with other FW fish and graduate to cichlids after a year or two. I certainly did, and it helped me understand them immensely.

These are intelligent fish, so they use their aggression and territoriality to keep themselves alive. Also, in nature, they have a lot more room to swim. So, in an aquarium they can get pretty nasty.

 

[madasafish]

Oh, and btw. They come from 3 main lakes in Africa--Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria--and many other smaller lakes and rivers. You'll most often see them referred to as Malawi Cichlids, Tanganyika Cichlids, Victoria Cichlids, or other.

 

[Billsgate]

You could try keyhole cichlids. I have them. Great fish! Not too hard to find. They aren't too picky on awater conditions. I would advice a 30 gallon for 5 youngsters, and then let them grow. Once you get a pair, (these fish are monogamous), You can ask your lfs to take the other 3 back. Then you could keep some more fish in there, ottos, guppies, danios, corys, almost any peacefull fish will do nicely with them.
Don't get all of the fish i just mentioned.....choose some.....
These are South-American cichlids, and very kewl, i have them.
I wouldn't go for african cichlids as i'm supposing you do not have much experience in fishkeeping. (African cichlid owners, correct me if i'm wrong!) I for one wouldn't want a Jack Dempsey as my first fish.

HTH

 

[FawnN]

As a beginner myself in cichlids, I personally feel that German Blue rams are very peaceful and easier to breed in the right water conditions.

Kribensis however, IMO are aggressive and very territorial even when their not spawning, especially the males.

 

[Menagerie]

I have three African cichlid tanks running right now (check my gallery). One tank of Lake Malawi cichlids, a brichardi breeding tank and a Lake Tanganyika shell dweller tank. From the limited contact I have had with cichlids from South America, I will say that SA cichilds are meaner (not the dwarf varieties). I had a Jack Dempsey once and he wasn't just territorial, but acted like the other, larger fish in the tank were food.

This link breaks down cichlids nicely:
http://fish.mongabay.com/cichlids.htm

You need to do lots of research before starting an aggressive cichlid tank, or you will end up with a bunch of dead fish, not to mention you will be out quite a bit of money.