Pleco's and Cichlids

[Xabien]

Hello again. I am about to transfer all my fish from my main tank to a second tank apart from my pleco. The pleco is a para pleco (I think) so it should stay quite small. I was going to put some african cichlids into the tank with the pleco. Will they bother it?

Also there are 2 mollies, 8 neon tetras, 4 black phantom tetras, 3 clown loaches (about 2 inches big) and 2 dwarf gouramis going into the new tank which is 27 gallons. does that sound ok? Thanks

 

[Endgame319]

Depends, what kind of cichlids?

 

[Xabien]

Not sure yet. Maybe some Yellow Lab's, Kenyi and Kribs. Nothing that gets too big basically.

 

[Menagerie]

Aside from a size concern temperament is a HUGE factor. Kenyi can get nasty and so can the yellow labs. All of them, if breeding, will cause your entire community of fish to cower on one side of the tank.

Also there are 2 mollies, 8 neon tetras, 4 black phantom tetras, 3 clown loaches (about 2 inches big) and 2 dwarf gouramis going into the new tank which is 27 gallons. does that sound ok? Thanks

With the pleco and the cichlids! This will not work. The neons will become a snack. More importantly, these fish do not all have the same water needs. African cichlids like a higher pH and harder water, while the community fish like a more neutral pH and softer water. Please rethink your tank set up.
If you really want cichlids for their personality, go for Apistos or rams. They stay small and (unless breeding) will leave the other fish alone.

 

[Atlarge]

Those fish were going into a different tank Menagerie.
Kenyis and just about anything don't match. IME. The pleco will be fishfood. However Kenyis will nibble down your algee so you don't really need it.

I love Kenyi's, they're great fish, just make sure you only have one male...

 

[Menagerie]

Those fish were going into a different tank Menagerie.

Ah
What size tank are the cichlids going into? I agree that a tiny pleco may not do well. The little pleco can live with the community fish.

 

[Xabien]

ok sorry I messed that up a bit. I have a 33 Gal at the moment and got an empty 27 Gal. i was putting everything but the pleco into the 27 Gal and adding cichlids to the 33 gal. Will all those fish plus the Pleco be ok in the tank or will the tank be overcrowded?

 

[Menagerie]

How many fish do you want to put in the 33 gal? Have you taken into consideration the temperament of these fish?

 

[Xabien]

Yeah. I asked this question a while ago on here and somebody said about 6 small cichlids should be ok. But some people say that overcrowding leads to less aggression. It's quite confusing.

 

[Menagerie]

I probably said to overcrowd. It's not so much overcrowd~it's fully stocked. My 80 gal which is full of lace rock, a common pleco and two catfish has 14 Mbuna cichlids. So far, so good. Unfortunately, with aggressive cichlids there is a LOT of trial and error. I suggest sticking to fish with the same temperament, which the ones you have listed do not share. Kribs are too docile to be in that mix.

 

[Xabien]

so how many smaller size cichlids (5"-6") would you recommened I put in the tank to fully stock or overcrowd?

 

[Menagerie]

6 is probably a good number, but it really depends on temperament. I don't keep Kenyis and the two yellow labs that I have owned have been relatively docile females. If you do Kenyis, make sure to only have one male, after reading their profile on many sites, they do get nasty. Out number your males by a ratio of 1 male :2 females at least. If you do Kenyi and labs, don't do kribs.
Make sure to pack the tank with rocks and hiding places.

 

[Lilly]

allow 4 gallons of water per fish, this will avoid over crowding.
33 gallons = 8 /9 fish max.