Did I Create Future Problems?

[lrhodes]

So... I was planning my stocking for my 29 gallon... Finally decided on a few species of tetras...
 
I get the lfs (chain store really)... And completely throw the tetra plan out the window and bought 2 kenyi, two red zebras (I'm pretty sure), and one auratus. (maybe I spelled that right.)
 
I have plenty of territories. A little nervous they will be crowded when they are adults... Even though they are a smaller species, yes?
 
As of right now, they all look female... But they are still juveniles I think....
 
Is this going to turn into a disaster in the near future?

 

[ech0o]

You just listed some of the most aggressive cichlids in the trade!   I don't suggest any of those fish be housed in a 29 gallon tank.  The Kenyi get quite large, the Auratus need swimming space as they are slender and like to dart, and the red zebras are natural bullys unless there is enough space.  Looking at some of the fish informative websites, it looks like most of these fish require at least 55 gallons and some even more.   In your terms, you may have a future disaster.  
 
A school of small tetras would have been great, with a pair of small centerpiece cichlids like apistos or kribensis.

 

[GetItSahn]

I was under the impression that red zebras alone need 50 gallon setups if not more. You are correct about them being smaller species, the zebras should max out at 5 inches (the males at least)

 

[paradiddle]

Overstocking is essential with Cichlids, just make sure you over filtrate to compensate.
if your stocking is 1.5x your tank, filter it 4.5x an hour at least to maintain healthy water. (my 55G is filtered with a fluval fx6 and 305 giving me over 4000L/pH filtration = 16x turnover)
 
But i cannot speak about the size of your fish in comparison to this, you do have to overstock with fish that "fit" in the tank, stick with the smaller species like the dwarf mbuna and youll be fine.
 
Also, you want to buffer your pH so if its not a steady 8 at the moment you need to buy something to keep it from shifting, some Tuffa rock is the favourite choice however i use marine grade coral gravel as this makes a perfect pH 8 for my cichlids. You need to create plenty of hiding places using rock in the tank to disperse aggression and create a shelter for nervous fish (even the biggest will go into hiding sometimes!)
 
You will also need specialist Cichlid food if you dont have any already (you can feed TetraMin flakes etc but they colour up best with specialised foods such as New Era or New Life Spectrum.
I currently use a mix of TetraMin Pro flakes while they are small, but also use Hikari mini pellets at times to get them used to pellets, then in a couple of months when flake will not be enough i will be feeding NLS foods.
If your into saving money you can make your own foods, but google that for more information.
 
A last little tip, if you find you ARE getting aggression from a single fish being a bully his aggression can be reduced simply by rescaping the rocks, this makes the fish forget where he claimed "home" and force him to find another, it may take a few times to get him to calm down but it does work! If you find you have one that is killing off fish or fighting way too much the only solution is rehoming =/
 
Hope this advice helped a little

 

[DerpPH]

I would trust frapadiddle. He is also a cichlid keeper. Just keep in mind. Dont make your tank too crowded. Overstock it just enough for some swimming room

 

[lrhodes]

I wrote a big long response and it didn't get posted... Lol. Well I feel a little better about the situation.
 
I checked the water last night and everything was good but ph was about 7.8. I'll have to recheck it today.
 
They seem to be ok right now... But the kenyi are definitely the bullys of the tank. The auratus keeps to herself. And the zebras just run away from the kenyi...
 
I have the hikari cichlid mini pellets. But they can't eat it unless I crush them up. And seem to like the flakes better at the moment.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I have got to agree with echoo, none of these are really suitable for a 29 Gal tank, minimum being 55 Gals.
 
Now I have never had cichlids so am not really one to speak of cichlids but I may plan to in future in a 90 Gal tank that I already have in storage!
 
Paradiddle said it best, 
 

But i cannot speak about the size of your fish in comparison to this, you do have to overstock with fish that "fit" in the tank, stick with the smaller species like the dwarf mbuna and youll be fine.
 
A last little tip, if you find you ARE getting aggression from a single fish being a bully his aggression can be reduced simply by rescaping the rocks, this makes the fish forget where he claimed "home" and force him to find another, it may take a few times to get him to calm down but it does work! If you find you have one that is killing off fish or fighting way too much the only solution is rehoming =/
 
Hope this advice helped a little

 
Good luck! 

 

[Agent14]

If you want to keep these guys, they perhaps can spend a month or 2 in that tank then you'll have to bump up to 55g+ . These are very very aggressive fish that consider murder a sport. I keep Mbuna and love them but in a much larger tank. You'll need to overstock again once (if)you get a bigger tank for them. All the fish you've listed will grow to 5-6inches. From how you have to feed them I'm assuming they are still very small so it's unlikely that you know wether male or female yet. All of these ones look the same.male and female while small. The kenyi and auratis will show gender coloring when they're older and the Zebra is better to vent to be sure if male or female..again when it's bigger.   How big are they right now? Are you planning to keep them? 

 

[ech0o]

We have a blue kenyi that is about 1.5", that literally will square off with and eventually chaseoff a full grown 4.5" - 5" convict.  Granted the convict is a sissy, he still does not take crap from many fish LOL

 

[lrhodes]

Yeah... The kenyi are for sure the trouble makers of this tank... The bigger of the two is about 2".

 

[Agent14]

Yeah... The kenyi are for sure the trouble makers of this tank... The bigger of the two is about 2".

The tank bosses get "overthrown " throughout time. There in any African tank will be a boss eventually and when they're younger it can easily change and sometimes fast and shocking who by. I currently have a Pseudotropheus polit thats a tiny little thing maybe not even an inch in my tank that lately has been challenging the tank boss(a 4 inch psychotic Rusty) . While he isn't ready yet... he probably will be tank boss one day.  
 
Back on subject though.. at 2inches already I'd say you need to go ahead and start looking for a larger tank. As I'm sure you've notice they are hyper and fast swimmers. They need room and territories . This is all key to success with these wonderful pretty little murderers . Any plans on a bigger tank? 
 
BTW, Fish Crazy.. you know a convict shouldn't be kept with an African. They need different water and diet... Convit omnivore, Kenyi and most Mbuna Herbivore. Plus the convict isn't made to deal with the aggression of an african especially a Mbuna

 

[ech0o]

ech0o, fish crazy is just a title I received for wasting too much of my life in TFF forums!  
 
the convict was given to us with a free tank, so having him is more the fact it is nearly impossible to rehome convicts.  he is for sure acclimated just fine to the water conditions, and the way i have the food staggered should be fine for everyone.   i actually did quite a bit of research and found that it is OK for kenyi and other malawi cichlids to enjoy a bloodworm meal from time to time, once a week is the suggested.   the rest of the time they eat cichlid pellets and high quality vegetable flake.   i hope that blood worm feeding is enough for the convict and generally judge mostly by the health of the fish, who are all extremely healthy, and vibrant.
 
he does show stress from time to time, but like i said, he is 5 inches, the next biggest cichlid is less than 2", so he doesn't really get messed with much.  Most of the time his lines are super dark and defined and he is happy.

 

[Agent14]

  i actually did quite a bit of research and found that it is OK for kenyi and other malawi cichlids to enjoy a bloodworm meal from time to time, once a week is the suggested.   the rest of the time they eat cichlid pellets and high quality vegetable flake.   i hope that blood worm feeding is enough for the convict and generally judge mostly by the health of the fish, who are all extremely healthy, and vibrant.
 

Well stuff happens. I get it. I might recommend switching your frozen protein source to chopped finely prawns or mysis shrimp for the once a week snack. Mbunas can handle that better then bloodworms. And all love those equally as much as bloodworms. Thats something even I feel fine tossing in my Mbuna tank once a week.