Mixing South American And African?

[always4lora]

Hi'

Just curious why everyone advises to not mix the two types? my water's high PH so would meet the requirements for both SA and african or is it just they dont get on at all? Mbuna seems to be due to their aggression but things like yellow labs dont appear to be very aggresive so i would of thought theyd be ok. Or is there much more to it? I know it's not natuaral for the fish to meet up but its not natural for them to be in a tank either...

 

[mike os]

think you will find it is CA not SA cichlids..... and they are generally far more aggressive and larger than malawi's.

SA are usually soft water fish

 

[always4lora]

think you will find it is CA not SA cichlids..... and they are generally far more aggressive and larger than malawi's.

SA are usually soft water fish

It's actually sa/ca South american . central american but what ever... but yeh that answer my question , was just curious.

 

[drobbyb]

It's not that it can't be done. I have come across clients who had both malawi cichlids and SA cichlids in the same tank. I have come to understand though that these tanks are the exceptions, not the rule.

Can it be done, yes, but be prepared for losses on both sides.

 

[Truck]

what about kribs? there african cichlids and they appear in many SA/CA tanks

 

[drobbyb]

what about kribs? there african cichlids and they appear in many SA/CA tanks

They also come from the jungles with soft water.

 

[Truck]

what about kribs? there african cichlids and they appear in many SA/CA tanks

They also come from the jungles with soft water.

but still it just goes to show that one or two species are okay.

 

[mattbond]

kribs can still be a bit violent though, chose tough SA species

 

[Davo86]

kribs can still be a bit violent though, chose tough SA species

Its not something that i would recommend for beginners but it can be done provided tankmates are chosen carefully,

fish can adapt to water conditions, but the main issue with mixing the two is feeding,
many african cichlids are herbivores so therefore feeding a carnivore diet is a big no no.

 

[b0668099]

It can be done, i have a couple of malawis in with my New worlds. To be honest they all seem to ignore each other, any conflict is american on amercian or african on african. But again to be honest the majority of my fish are still juveniles, so maybe its a ticking time bomb. But for the time being my tank looks awesome, and my 4.5 inch male kribensis keeps order.

if i had to choose one or the other......go for New world, convicts are awesome.