Which simply discus lovers have passion for african cichlids?

[dkeef]

Ive been dreaming of multiple type of tanks in future and two top choices are discus and african cichlid (lake malawi and tang community) tanks. Also heavy planted angelfish and community fish tank and monster tank for arrowana, stingrays. Just wondering if others share similar passion for other cichlids besides discus?

[rdiscus]

I have african (peacok cichlids) and angles ... You can keep angle with discus without problem

[Ryan]

I keep several species of South American and West African cichlids. Discus are not and have never been my primary interest. I have a soft spot for them but I tend to gravitate more toward the other members of the Heroini tribe (though discus are considered one).

[Second Hand Pat]

I would not mind having another native Florida reef tank myself.

[dkeef]

REEF tank used to be my passion but its so much work. even with frequent discus WC schedule, I still think theres more maintenance work for SPS reef tanks.
thus sticking to freshwaters.

if u have 3-4 different type of tanks then would u use all separate equipments to prevent contamination?

[pastry]

used to loooove a Malawi tank I had a long time ago. as some would perish due to aggression, others would appear due to great parenting (and lots of rocks for young ones to hide!).

also loved the Tangayikan (sp?) tank I had since they were more diverse than the Malawi cichlids and had all sorts of cool habbits (i.e.-looooved shell dwellers)

[Udeservit]

I have a 30 gal Cichlid, and I love it!! Also a 75 gal discus, it was home to angel fish but last week i traded them in for discus.

[Discus-n00b]

I'm into reefs. I have toyed with the idea of turning my 100gal tank into an african tank....just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[joanstone]

I'm always struggling to contain my fish room sprawl since I like to keep so many types of fish. I was very into saltwater for years and I did the Tanganyikan cichlid thing years ago. Now I keep various types of cichlids and other fish besides discus. I keep wondering how I will ever limit myself to one tank when I have to consolidate due to room restrictions when/if I move back to Maine this Spring. I will have to re home a lot of fish I'm afraid. This is one of my problems with keeping discus, it's limiting. I feel like I will have to choose between discus and almost everything else.

[Disgirl]

Years ago I kept Africans, from all 3 lakes (Malawi, Tang. and Victoria). Really enjoyed all of them, did some breeding of them and sold the young to others. Besides their beauty and interesting life styles, you just can't beat their toughness. So hardy even if they get beaten up they still recover. I had some Lamprologus Leleupi that lived about 13 years!
Barb

[dkeef]

Yea i wish discus were as hardy as africans sometimes.
I used to do monthly wc and they were fine. Never lost to disease. Only aggression.

[Cichlidcraze]

I used to keep cichlids from lakes Malawi, Tang and Victoria. My favourite species are Malawi Blue Dolphins, they get big but are quite peaceful. They use their size to intimidate rather than cause damage.

Also had a psyco male Red Tail Hap. Beautiful little cichlid but pound for pound the most aggro fish i have ever kept. His name was BA. He regularly murdered mbuna twice his size. Oh, and love the shellies, great for a small tank.

When i get a tank big enough i want to get a group of Uaru. I think they are gorgeous.

Cass

[joanstone]

When i get a tank big enough i want to get a group of Uaru. I think they are gorgeous.

Cass[/QUOTE]


It's funny about Uarus. I got two nickel-sized ones in the Fall and they are now 6+ inches. I don't know what it is about them, but they are just very likable fish. If I see more I will probably get them. I've never seen fish grow that fast though.

[Bill63SG]

I had a 150 filled with africans before I switched over to discus.Was great in the family room,so much action.I actually picked up 4 uaru at the last meeting of the MWDA at Jeffs in the summer,another guy just wanted them to have a good home.Told him I had a 180 that would love to have them.Always had a soft spot for them.Think I'm getting some spawning behavior,so going to research them a little and give them a 40breeder of thier own next weekend or so.

[joanstone]

I'd love to hear how that goes. How big and how old are yours? Mine are still very young, but sometimes I wonder if they are exhibiting some signs. Every once in a while I see them do a lot of head twitching and jerking. Maybe that's just something that they do?

[Bill63SG]

Dont really know how old,got them from another person,and I think thiey're a little stunted.Largest about 5" and the others 3"-4".I was at the Shedd Aquarium with my son2 weeks ago,havent done the thread yet,and they had some monsters,12"+.
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb328/Bill63SG/Shedd/IMG_1915_zps604f5319.jpg (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/Bill63SG/media/Shedd/IMG_1915_zps604f5319.jpg.html)

[Ryan]

Uaru amphiacanthoides should make it to 10 - 12". They may show spawning activity when they're smaller but they should continue to grow. They're great fish but you really do need quite a bit of room to house a small group.

[Bill63SG]

Uaru amphiacanthoides should make it to 10 - 12". They may show spawning activity when they're smaller but they should continue to grow. They're great fish but you really do need quite a bit of room to house a small group.
How big minimum Ryan,after our last meeting,I cleared some tanks,and have an empty 40L.40breeder,65gal,and a 100gal.

[Ryan]

If they're small you could probably get away with the 40 but I usually keep larger cichlid pairs in something like a 75. I like the extra width because 55s are only 13". I grew out my group of Uaru in a 55 like discus (bare bottom, daily w/c) until they were about 6", then split the group between a 150 and a 210. They made it to about 8 - 9", but these were the undescribed orange variant which stay a bit smaller than regular amphiacanthoides.

[Bill63SG]

Well,the 65 is the same as a 75,just 2" shorter.These guys I belive to be stunted,so the plan is to hopefully,get a pair,and do right by the spawn.Thanks Ryan.

[Nick Klimkowski]

I love my angels and my community tanks, while discus are my favorite I love all my other fish I have kept over the years.:D

[mellie24]

I also have African cichlids as well as the discus, our cichlids are great breeders

[dr.nick73]

Ive been dreaming of multiple type of tanks in future and two top choices are discus and african cichlid (lake malawi and tang community) tanks. Also heavy planted angelfish and community fish tank and monster tank for arrowana, stingrays. Just wondering if others share similar passion for other cichlids besides discus?

hi dave i have kept many tanks over the years iv has saltwater tanks, reefs, freshwater community tank and african cichlids as well…. apart from the discus i enjoyed the african cichlids the best as they were super easy to take care off and had wonderful colors
nick

[NJdiscusbreeder]

I used to breed all different species of African cichlids many moons ago. Now I only breed discus but I still have a few tanks with various African Cichlid species. Actually my discus get a kick out of it when they can see a tank of African cichlids across the way! The discus can just stare at the African cichlids for hours at a time while the African cichlids are too busy moving gravel around and not even paying attention to the discus. It's pretty awesome to see how the different species of fish behave differently and have completely different personalities.

[dkeef]

my 300 gal current discus tank used to be Malawi Hap/peacock, Lake Tang cichlid community tank.
used to have about 100 most colorful full adult males in it. some were 12" long.
Even tho Its a discus tank now, I do miss Africans behaviors and different species. another 240 + gal is in plan in some near future LOL...

[LisaT]

I've had mbuna ciclids in the past. That's the tank that currently houses my few discus. Trying hard to break into the discus community but they are quite expensive. I still have a 120 gallon Frontosa tank. I thoroughly enjoy them as they so little work. There are also 2 peacocks and 2 comps in the tank.


http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/LisaTraver/fronts.jpg (http://s1238.photobucket.com/user/LisaTraver/media/fronts.jpg.html)

[ericatdallas]

African cichlids was the reason I started to love the hobby. I started with goldfish and mollies like a lot of others, but watching African cichlids care for their eggs was the hook for me. Nowadays, I prefer New World Cichlids. As much as I love Discus, I think I find my geophagus much more interesting to watch.

[Mariowa]

Here are some of my African chiclids, peacefully and calm fish.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/9y8atuta.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/qusa2e3a.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/y9y9u4e3.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/hateqe4e.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/apysanum.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/dejape6u.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/use6a9yh.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/02/mybapyty.jpg

[LisaT]

Gorgeous!!!! I love Frontosa