African Cichlids Suitable For Beginner?

[jamesmacc]

hi all, i was browsing google for fish to keep in my 385l tank, i had always heard people say cichlids were aggresive so i never looked into them, until today! some pictures popped up of beautiful yellow and blue cichlids and now im hooked, they look amazing. i am new to tropical fish keeping, is keeping cichlids a big no no? or with some carefull planning would i be ok? i am putting alot of money into this and i will take alot of time and care with cleaning, water changes etc.
any opinions would be great, also any photos of suitable begginers fish would be great.
thanks, james

 

[fishguy2727]

I would stick with peacock cichlids. When most people think and talk about Africans they are talking about mbunas, which are more aggressive than I care to deal with. It is hard to prevent problems with them long term. Peacock cichlids however are at least as colorful and not nearly as aggressive (but definitely still cichlids).

 

[jamesmacc]

can all of these peacock cichlids be kept together or are some of them not compatible. no place near me stocks these sort of fish so i would have to mail order them

 

[elisew]

I have a 380L malawi/mbuna setup which houses both peacocks and mbuna, apart from one dominant male mpanga being top dog over the sub dom male I have no aggression in the tank at all, even when the dom has a go at the sub dom it`s not bad or nasty aggression. You could have a mix but as with all fish it may be a case of trial and error which is something a lot of us experience.

The 'most peaceful' mbunas that I have so far experienced are: elongatus neon spot, socolofi, yellow labs, white labs. Ndumbi red tops are nice but can be aggressive.
Aulonocara/Peacocks can be just as aggressive as the mbuna sometimes and if you have a tank of just peacocks they`re very likely to cross breed. There`s no reason why you couldn`t look at having a mbuna setup that includes 2 very different looking pairs of peacocks but you`d be better off googling for some different types and then asking here about the aggression level and compatability of the fish that you like and might possibly look to keep.

Some important issues relating to the malawi/mbunas is to overstock to cut down on aggression, stock a ratio of 1 male per 2 or 3 females of each species, stock with different looking species to limit the possibility of cross breeding and have very good filtration to compensate for the overstocking.

Good regular water changes of approx 50% per week is good for ensuring the health of your fish, healthy fish goes a long way to give you a good amount of colouring in the tank too .

 

[jamesmacc]

I have a 380L malawi/mbuna setup which houses both peacocks and mbuna, apart from one dominant male mpanga being top dog over the sub dom male I have no aggression in the tank at all, even when the dom has a go at the sub dom it`s not bad or nasty aggression. You could have a mix but as with all fish it may be a case of trial and error which is something a lot of us experience.

The 'most peaceful' mbunas that I have so far experienced are: elongatus neon spot, socolofi, yellow labs, white labs. Ndumbi red tops are nice but can be aggressive.
Aulonocara/Peacocks can be just as aggressive as the mbuna sometimes and if you have a tank of just peacocks they`re very likely to cross breed. There`s no reason why you couldn`t look at having a mbuna setup that includes 2 very different looking pairs of peacocks but you`d be better off googling for some different types and then asking here about the aggression level and compatability of the fish that you like and might possibly look to keep.

Some important issues relating to the malawi/mbunas is to overstock to cut down on aggression, stock a ratio of 1 male per 2 or 3 females of each species, stock with different looking species to limit the possibility of cross breeding and have very good filtration to compensate for the overstocking.

Good regular water changes of approx 50% per week is good for ensuring the health of your fish, healthy fish goes a long way to give you a good amount of colouring in the tank too .

thanks for that, i will google to see the ones i like then post up on here to see if they are fairly easy to keep etc, any chance of some pictures of your tank

 

[jamesmacc]

i see that they like hard alkline water, im going to buy a water test kit and see what my water is like just now. i see you can use limestone to make the water alkaline and that the cichlids like to hide in rocks, were is the best place to look for good rocks or limestone

 

[jamesmacc]

could any one have a look through this list and recomend what ones are compatible together.
Electric Blue Johanni Melanochromis johannii, Electric Yellow Labidochromis Caeruleus, Jewel Cichlid Hemichromis guttatus, Kenyi Maylandia Lombardoi (maybe too aggresive?), Labeotropheus Trewavasae "Zimbawe, Metriaclima Callainos Cobalt blue, Powder Blue Cichlid Pseudotropheus socolofi, Pseudotropheus "elongatus Mbenji Blue" ,
Pseudotropheus Demasoni Demason's Cichlid (very aggresive).

Pseudotropheus Sp"zebra Long Pelvic" Chesese pseudotropheus sp"zebra long pelvic


Pseudotropheus Sp. "elongatus Mpanga" Mpanga elongatus
Saulosi Pseudotropheus Saulosi
Telmatochromis Temporalis "swell"
Yellow Tail Acei Pseudotropheus Acei (Msuli) & (Ngara)

i also like most of the ones in this link, any of these compatible together. http/www.freewebstore.org/Tonys-African-Cichlids/FISH_FOR_SALE/cat918496_818670.aspx

 

[peterclarke666]

or why dont you try west african dwarf cichlids .... stunning fish and dont breed and over populate your tank like the other larger west african cichlids do

 

[fishguy2727]

IME peacocks do much better without mbunas in the tank. They do not really interact much in nature and are not as aggressive. I have seen it over and over where the peacocks relax and do much better when the mbunas are removed.

 

[markandhisfish]

have to say that although i dont agree that peacocks are less problematic than mbuna ( its just different set of problems) . from having had a mixed peacock/mbuna tank and subsequently switching to just mbuna , i deffinately agree that its best to choose 1 or the other and stick to them . 1 thing to consider with peacocks is that they are notorious for interbreeding . they can and will interbreed with any female in the tank .a good way of avoiding this is to have an all male tank. male peacocks will still show colour without the prescence of females. its horses for courses at the end of the day , and entirely down to personal preference . your tank is big enough for either so just do your research and choose whichever you prefer .

 

[jamesmacc]

were does everyone get there limestone etc from? i live 120 from my LFS and its a pets at home. i will have to order any cichlids online and the same with any rocks etc

 

[markandhisfish]

try to find a local landscape suppliers that delivers .

whats your water parameters?

 

[jamesmacc]

try to find a local landscape suppliers that delivers .

whats your water parameters?

were i live realy holds me back, im on the isle of skye in the scottish highlands, most places wont deliver here
i ordered a api test kit today so i should know my parameters very soon

 

[ZoddyZod]

easy African cichlids?

Kribensis

 

[fishguy2727]

Depending on how you define a species, if they are breeding together they aren't different species to begin with.