another cichlid newbie

[BHead707]

stocking a 75gallon tank and wanting to do cichlids, i have experience with FW fish but have no idea where to start with cichlids.

I want a colorful tank and fish that would be easy for me to come by or acquire at LFS. Whether it be african or south american it doesnt matter to me i just need some advice and a nudge in the right direction.

thanks
-Brandon

[Cornstar]

Originally Posted by BHead707

stocking a 75gallon tank and wanting to do cichlids, i have experience with FW fish but have no idea where to start with cichlids.

I want a colorful tank and fish that would be easy for me to come by or acquire at LFS. Whether it be african or south american it doesnt matter to me i just need some advice and a nudge in the right direction.

thanks
-Brandon

Yellow labs are quite common and have a great color. I heard its not too difficult to breed as well.

[BHead707]

ya but i dont want a whole tank of them haha, iv'e heard you want to do a 1M/3-4F ratio correct?, or possibly an all male tank but then you would need a large variety of different fish that don't look the same to prevent aggression

i think thats what ive read

[tsk5035]

Yes. Either a bunch of different males or about 3-5 species with 1m and 3/4f.

What are you looking for?

Do you wanna deal with babies? - I switched to an all male so that I don't have to strip and grow out an deal with babies. Lol

How much color do you want? - I also switched to males for lots of color.

The down side of males- aggression levels can change over night. Some males just don't get along. It can be a process that requires having to remove and rehome a lot...

[NyteGTI]

check out this thread that was started to ask about what other people in here keep as far as stock lists and parameters & tank size.

[BHead707]

Originally Posted by tsk5035

Yes. Either a bunch of different males or about 3-5 species with 1m and 3/4f.

What are you looking for?

Do you wanna deal with babies? - I switched to an all male so that I don't have to strip and grow out an deal with babies. Lol

How much color do you want? - I also switched to males for lots of color.

The down side of males- aggression levels can change over night. Some males just don't get along. It can be a process that requires having to remove and rehome a lot...

id rather not have to deal with babies but could i just let nature take its course with them, because with buying a bunch of juvies will it be hard for me to tell if it is a male or female?

[BHead707]

Originally Posted by NyteGTI

check out this thread that was started to ask about what other people in here keep as far as stock lists and parameters & tank size.

ok thanks ill read it now

edit:link didnt work

[NyteGTI]

try this
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...do-182974.html

[BHead707]

Originally Posted by NyteGTI

try this
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums...do-182974.html

ok that worked! ive read it and ive got a better idea of what a stock list will look like. What are some common african cichlids to do a little research on?

[tsk5035]

Electric Yellow Labs (Labridochromis caeruleus)

Yellow-tailed Acei (pseudotropheus sp. Acei)

Kenyi (maylandia lombarido)- aggressive. Try to avoid to start

Honestly, you're best bet is to get a good reference book/ ID book. So that you can look in the tanks and research on the spot. I've got a good handle on cichlid knowledge, but I still won't buy a single fish (that I haven't already owned at some point) without fully studying it.

Trust me, you'll be thankful of you take it slow and start out right as opposed to going back and try to fix aggression issues.

[BHead707]

Originally Posted by tsk5035

Electric Yellow Labs (Labridochromis caeruleus)

Yellow-tailed Acei (pseudotropheus sp. Acei)

Kenyi (maylandia lombarido)- aggressive. Try to avoid to start

Honestly, you're best bet is to get a good reference book/ ID book. So that you can look in the tanks and research on the spot. I've got a good handle on cichlid knowledge, but I still won't buy a single fish (that I haven't already owned at some point) without fully studying it.

Trust me, you'll be thankful of you take it slow and start out right as opposed to going back and try to fix aggression issues.

this is what ive noticed from other threads and thank you for helping.

and ill try to get my hands on a good book cause half the time im staring at the lfs tanks drooling cause i have no idea what fish i am looking at and how to tell the compatability of each fish and the difference between the sexes

[joel618]

Originally Posted by tsk5035

Electric Yellow Labs (Labridochromis caeruleus)

Yellow-tailed Acei (pseudotropheus sp. Acei)

Kenyi (maylandia lombarido)- aggressive. Try to avoid to start

Honestly, you're best bet is to get a good reference book/ ID book. So that you can look in the tanks and research on the spot. I've got a good handle on cichlid knowledge, but I still won't buy a single fish (that I haven't already owned at some point) without fully studying it.

Trust me, you'll be thankful of you take it slow and start out right as opposed to going back and try to fix aggression issues.

Reference book recommendations?

[tsk5035]

"Cichlids of Lake Malawi" by AD Konnings

And

"Cichlids of Africa, volume 1: Haplochromides"