Compared to discus ...

[chipmunk636]

How are the african cichlids?

I have 2 55 gal tank one has 7 discus and the other is lightly planted , i had discus in the planted also but it didn't worked at all, so now it only houses about 15-20 rasboras, i was looking for discus on the canadian aquafarm sponsor here and came thru the cichlids section , i actually think that iam falling in love with them lol, they look cool and agressive, that would be an interesting alternative to the discus and piranhas i had before...


I didn't really pay attention to this type of fish before so i know absolutely nothing about them, i will read about them a bit but my main concern would be :

are those fish fragile like discus or more like usual random fish

what are the behaviour of the fish , will they kill everything else , what maintenance they need ?

breeding difficulty level?

overall difficulty level of fish ?

that would be for this 55 gal tank , i don't mind if i would have to remove the rasboras!

i was thinking about adding more plant and some drifwood maybe ...

any help or idea is welcome!

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s519/flatspin636/002-7_zps1648cfb8.jpg

[a volar]

African cichlids in general are aggressive, some more than others but aggressive, there are some really beautiful, I keep ACEI and YELLOW LABS, there are the least aggressive.
No daily water changes definitely, tank with lots of rocks and caves.

Read about them, you will like them!

[chipmunk636]

Thanks !

Btw this tank is in my small bedroom so iam close to it , i walk just next to it when entering , i suppose cichlid are not super skittish ?

the pic look far but iam on the bed almost on the opposite wall .

[Jeff O]

I kept African cichlids for a very long time, I got super interested in the rare tanganyikan Cichlids lots of sand sifters and shell dwellers (I was most interested in these) although I keep discus strictly these days, I had a lot of fun with those guys, easy maintenance too.
-Jeff

[chipmunk636]

Can i keep only one species or i can mix color and strain ?I don't want to join a forum simply for this , too many forum already!

I suppose its not like discus and you can safely buy from good lfs or classified, i just took a quick look in my local classified and found tons of fish for cheap to start with to see if i really like that .

If they are really easy to breed that could be fun !

[joanstone]

I used to keep Tanganyikans as well. I agree with Jeff, I think they make for a great tank with a lot of variety and interesting fish. With the water I have coming out of my well, it's what I should go back to-I could ditch the RO.

[cjr8420]

A cics are awesome for a comparison if watching discus is like watching a ballet.watching mbuna cics is like watching a wwf royal rumble.if i ever start a fresh tank i think i will setup a peacock show tank. less aggresive and more interesting colors/patterns.ive had many community spawns with plenty of surviviors so trying to breed should not be to hard.

[Mgardner]

Some cichlids are hiders, so you'll want to do your research for more social fish. both of my brothers and i have had cichlid tanks and never had a problem with traffic areas.
Also, I've never successfully kept them in a planted tank- they tear it up. Build cool caves with rocks, get some driftwood and plastic plants... And try to get groups of fish from the same region. You can get different colors and breeds from the same area.
Water parameters are totally different from discus -temp, ph especially.
And just realize as cool as they look as juvies, they can change color to some extent (ie jack dempseys can lose the bright yellow and black contrast as they get older), depending on the breed.
Good luck!

[chipmunk636]

Thanks !!

As for parameter, i read that ph want to be higher like 7.8-8 and 40-50% wc weekly would be ok? , i suppose if i age my water 1 day before it will put the ph at 8 and the tank with low wc should be in this area also ?

I would really like to keep the plant though , anyway not the end of the world if they destroy , i can get rock from my lake to make all kind of layout so not a problem.

I found i guy locally that has like 5000 from different size for sale , do they grow fast? Should i go small and grow them or go big, and how much should i start with in the 55 ?

Guy sold them from 5 to 15$ depending on the size , all king of color., as for strain i still need to learn more.

keep the tips coming thanks !!

[Bill63SG]

They dont tear up plants,they eat them.Most a veggitarian,some cant handle protien at all,bloat and die.You need a high tank load because they are aggresive,spread the fighting out,and because of it,lots of filtration.kept them in a 150 for years until I gave discus a shot again.

[chipmunk636]

Ok how much should i go to start with 20-30 ?

and how about the grow speed and my q's about should i start with juvies or adult ?

thanks !

[a volar]

Here is what I'll do.

-get a bigger tank, if not for a 55G I'll get 10 fish at about 1 - 2 in long; introduce them at the same time.
-don't mess with PH
-no aging water, straight tap same or similar temperature.
-use rocks, caves
-20 or 30% water change every 1 or 2 weeks.
-Don't feed a lot of proteins.
-don't get the very aggressive ones, (like RED DEVILS) just do a quick check at fish profile before you buy them.

[chipmunk636]

I will keep the tank , just built a new stand for it couples month ago.

I will see with the seller what species he have .

Is that like usual and the more fish the less agression ?

[chipmunk636]

I emailed and called the guy in question , he said his fish come from lake malawi and he has lots of species, i asked for pic but he said he don't show pic pother than the pic in the add.

Other than that , it was the usual my fish are perfect and i am the better in the area ...

Its about 1 hour from home in car, he said red devil are american and he only had african and he said i can mix all the species he have in stock , ranging from 5 to 50$

other than that he said he keep is ph at 8

how that sound ?

What should i look when selecting cichlid?

here are his add:



http://www.lespac.com/animaux/betes/mascouche/d-poisson-cichlide-africain-malawi-colore-LPaZZ23464972WWcpZZ11WWgrZZ2

http://www.lespac.com/animaux/betes/mascouche/d-poisson-cichlide-africain-et-materiel-LPaZZ23428032WWcpZZ11WWgrZZ2

http://www.lespac.com/animaux/betes/mascouche/d-poisson-cichlide-africain-LPaZZ23339245WWcpZZ11WWgrZZ2

http://www.lespac.com/animaux/betes/mascouche/d-poisson-cichlide-africain-eau-douce-et-materiel-LPaZZ23678069WWcpZZ11WWgrZZ2

[chemjab]

Africans are a lot of fun to keep. Not as beautiful as Discus, but much more active. If you really want to know about them this website is the best place to search, in my opinion.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/index.php

James

Of course this site that we are on is the best for Discus. That goes without saying.

[chipmunk636]

thanks !

as for the info and link , that sound ok for my first place to visit , i will read more before but other than lfs its rare and i don't want to got fish shipped i think ...

[pauline]

Mbuna are the more aggressive of the lake Malawi African cichlids except for the acei and yellow labs (labidochromis ceruleus). They are also the ones that require veggie based diets to prevent bloat...a killer. The peacocks (aulonocara) and most haps are less aggressive. If you get all males you'd have a very colorful tank. However male and female juvies are very difficult to tell apart. Males color up with maturity.

I enjoyed your questions as you and I are at opposite sides of the cichlid spectrum. The African cichlid could care less about activity and commotion around their tanks. They are all about activity and commotion. Overstocking their tanks is a requirement...it spreads the aggression. Rocks create sight barriers. I'm amazed by the sensitive delicate side of the discus. Like I said...total opposites.

[chipmunk636]

thanks Pauline !

so i should stay away of mbuna , he named some but i can't remember iam too noob , it would be good if you can name me the best strain to look for , he named a lots on the phone !!


i will see if he have the one you named !

My experience with discus may be biased , i don't have sponsor fish , only from local seller , they look ok , but its just too fragile .

[pauline]

There are very, very many African cichlids. If you start out with just male peacocks, Aulonocara, you'd be okay. I'd suggest you Google "Peacock Cichlids". I haven't posted enough times to give you any links. Also look at the species "Acei" and yellow lab..."labidochromis ceruleus". Just ask the seller to set you up with these species. Make sure you pile rocks up in the tank though. You could go to Google images and look up lake Malawi cichlid tanks.

[chipmunk636]

any reason to only go with male , he said he has mainly 1-2.5 " fish , i suppose at 1-2" its hard to tell male or female , its like convict and male tear up the female ?

[pauline]

If you go male/female they hybridize which is very much frowned upon in the African cichlid community. You could get a few of one strain....look up Aulonocara and see what you like....and also three acei and three yellow labs.

[chipmunk636]

Ok so if breeding i must go one strain , i will write the strain you listed and see with him when i will visit his place .

[chipmunk636]

I rescaped the tank today with a good cleaning of the sand in preparation of the cichlid , all my bigger rocks are stuck in the snow outside so that's the most hiding space i can do for now with the rocks i have .

i am still unsure about selection , i plan to visit the seller soon , any more halp is appreciated !

what would you select?

i plan to buy 10-12 small fish about 1.5-2.5" and hope to have breeding activity in the future .

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s519/flatspin636/002-7_zpse9d86b6c.jpg