Are Jewel Cichlids Mbuna?

[Lisa67]

I thought they were, but from what I'm reading I may have been mistaken. I have them in my mbuna tank... which kind of bothers me (not sure why). Guess I just didn't want a mix. Thanks.

 

[Davo86]

No they are a west african cichlid with requirements not so dissimilar to South American cichlids

 

[Lisa67]

Darn, I don't know what I was thinking. I have no idea what a South American cichlid requires because I only have Africans. So far they don't seem to be having a problem, but they have only been in there for 3 days. I have 3 of them. Any suggestions? Does anyone keep them with mbuna successfully?

 

[Davo86]

mbuna prefer relatively high ph and hardness
Jewels and SA cichlids prefer relatively low ph and hardness,

In a big enough tank you may have success, but tbh one type isn't going to thrive,

 

[Lisa67]

I'm guessing it's the jewels that aren't going to thrive. I've got about 18 mbuna and only 3 jewels. The ph is very high and water very hard which is why I chose mbuna in the first place. Well, maybe I'll return them the next time I make the hour trip to the LFS.

 

[Lisa67]

30 minutes on Craigslist and they had a new home. Hopefully a good one.