Baby fish

[glolite]

I posted this in the african forum but got no replies.
Went to the lfs today and they have inch size mixed African cichlids. My frontosa is due to move on next week, so I'd like some smaller cichlids in his place. Does anyone know if I can grow this baby in a community tank or would I need to put him/her/them in a separate tank? Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Candyco]

I would advise u use a seperate tank.... even @ a young age they'd have territoral behavior

 

[sylvia]

I'm not sure I understand your question... Do you mean you already have an african tank and want to add more but they are still too small or are you asking whether you should put all the young fish together in a big tank (no other fish) or what? Deffinately don't keep them in a community though. If the problem is that you want to put them somewhere temporarily until you move the front, my simple advice is that you be patient and move the frontosa first - then get the new fish.

Anyway, don't get fish labelled as 'mixed african' unless you can reliably identify them FIRST. Not all africans are compatile and some have very different requirements. You'll also find some should not be mixed because they cross-breed and others grow much too big or are much too aggressive to be kept with certain other cichlids. Then there's the various dietary requirements and of course their preffered water parameters and lastly their territoriality.