New 55 G Tank Ready For Fish...but Which?

[Trickles]

Im fairly new to the fish keeping hobby. I have a 55g tank that has been cycled and is now ready for fish. I already have a Blood Parrot, and 2 Angels in it. I wanted to get an electric yellow Labidocromis, but the sales person said if i did, i would have to stick to a cichlid only tank (So i ended up going home with the Angels). However every thing i had read prior to going to the pet store says that the Yellow Lab is not very aggressive or territorial. I would like to have a variety in my tank, so i dont want to go with a cichlid only tank. Does anyone have any input?

 

[rabbut]

I think from my research that the Yellow labs are as agressive as the Blood Parrots, but I have no direct experience of keeping either, as I don't like the geneticaly modified parrot fish, and the Labs are hard to get arround my way

Are there any particular fish you like?

How have you cycled your tank, and what are your current water stats? I assume that you have followed the typical advice of the LFS and fish-in cycled, adding a few small and heardy fish each week?

to tff
Rabbut

 

[dthoffsett]

Labs (labidochromis caeruleus) are often listed as peaceful or semi-aggressive, however, that is only in comparison to other mbuna (rock dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa), making them far more aggressive than "standard" community fish. They are also herbivores and prefer a higher pH than your New World Cichlids. Your LFS was absolutely correct that they should only be kept with other Lake Malawi cichlids.

 

[Trickles]

I think from my research that the Yellow labs are as agressive as the Blood Parrots, but I have no direct experience of keeping either, as I don't like the geneticaly modified parrot fish, and the Labs are hard to get arround my way

Are there any particular fish you like?

How have you cycled your tank, and what are your current water stats? I assume that you have followed the typical advice of the LFS and fish-in cycled, adding a few small and heardy fish each week?

to tff
Rabbut

Thanks for your input.
I love Discus!!!! But Im not ready for that yet. But someday i would love to have some.
I actually did a fishless cycle.
NH3/NH4=0 ppm
Ph=6.5
Hardness=10dh

 

[Trickles]

Labs (labidochromis caeruleus) are often listed as peaceful or semi-aggressive, however, that is only in comparison to other mbuna (rock dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa), making them far more aggressive than "standard" community fish. They are also herbivores and prefer a higher pH than your New World Cichlids. Your LFS was absolutely correct that they should only be kept with other Lake Malawi cichlids.

I see.......thanks for clearing that up. I guess ill just keep reading, and find things that are compatable with angels.
Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly happens if a fish is kept in water that is not within their prefered parameters?
Do they die? dose it shorten there life span? or predispose them to disease?
I know that fish have different requirments, but ive never read anything that explains why.....

 

[Trickles]

Im fairly new to the fish keeping hobby. I have a 55g tank that has been cycled and is now ready for fish. I already have a Blood Parrot, and 2 Angels in it. I wanted to get an electric yellow Labidocromis, but the sales person said if i did, i would have to stick to a cichlid only tank (So i ended up going home with the Angels). However every thing i had read prior to going to the pet store says that the Yellow Lab is not very aggressive or territorial. I would like to have a variety in my tank, so i dont want to go with a cichlid only tank. Does anyone have any input?

 

[Trickles]

I think from my research that the Yellow labs are as agressive as the Blood Parrots, but I have no direct experience of keeping either, as I don't like the geneticaly modified parrot fish, and the Labs are hard to get arround my way

Are there any particular fish you like?

How have you cycled your tank, and what are your current water stats? I assume that you have followed the typical advice of the LFS and fish-in cycled, adding a few small and heardy fish each week?

to tff
Rabbut

I see you have experience with Discus... I didnt realize that at first. So, do you have any reccomendations for reasearch material?

 

[dthoffsett]

Labs (labidochromis caeruleus) are often listed as peaceful or semi-aggressive, however, that is only in comparison to other mbuna (rock dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa), making them far more aggressive than "standard" community fish. They are also herbivores and prefer a higher pH than your New World Cichlids. Your LFS was absolutely correct that they should only be kept with other Lake Malawi cichlids.

I see.......thanks for clearing that up. I guess ill just keep reading, and find things that are compatable with angels.
Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly happens if a fish is kept in water that is not within their prefered parameters?
Do they die? dose it shorten there life span? or predispose them to disease?
I know that fish have different requirments, but ive never read anything that explains why.....

Most tank bred fish can adapt to parameters outside their desired levels. However depending on the species, they can be more susceptible to disease and may not breed or show their best coloring/behavior.

 

[rabbut]

As above, conditions outside their ideal range will make the fish loose their full colouration, but with careful aclimation, can still be maintained. If for example you placed Malawi cichlids needing a pH of 8 into a tank with a pH of 6.5, they would realy struggle, becomming suseptible to disease and with the extream difference in this example, they can die. A difference of +/- .5 of a point won't make too much difference though

Discus reading material.

Anything that isn't a book realy As with most fishkeeping books, the discus litriture available in paper form is usualy arround 30 years out of date, and 30 years ago duscus were theought difficult to keep even for the experienced. Now we actualy know more about them, even beginners have been known to be successful keepers. Read all the on-line sites and arround the forum and you will get an information overload that is up-to-date Once you get to keeping them though, scrap the research and replicate an existing set-up.

These are "advanced" fish and don't read out research They often don't like common methods of keeping them If the copy of an exising set-up isn't working, then tweak it according to the gut instinct the research will have given you. However, if it ain't broke, don't fix it Many on here recon that they need a low pH and hardness, with 2 30% weekly waterchanges minimum. Mine flake over with more than 1 20% change a week, and go into super-strop mode if the pH falls below 7.3

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Labs (labidochromis caeruleus) are often listed as peaceful or semi-aggressive, however, that is only in comparison to other mbuna (rock dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa), making them far more aggressive than "standard" community fish. They are also herbivores and prefer a higher pH than your New World Cichlids. Your LFS was absolutely correct that they should only be kept with other Lake Malawi cichlids.

I see.......thanks for clearing that up. I guess ill just keep reading, and find things that are compatable with angels.
Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly happens if a fish is kept in water that is not within their prefered parameters?
Do they die? dose it shorten there life span? or predispose them to disease?
I know that fish have different requirments, but ive never read anything that explains why.....

all of the above is possible when you keep fish out of their preferred parameters, depends just how picky the fish are how well they will adapt and the impact of changes.

there's other reasons to not keep african and new world cichlids together too, firstly their food requirements are different and you'll struggle to get the right food to the right fish (ever tried telling them 'no don't eat that one, eat the flake over there...... ), also cichlids are all aggressive and territorial to some extent, they have signals which they use to communicate to other fish, any african cichlids will be able to understand the signals given by other african cichlids, while you still get squabbling they generally manage to avoid serious aggresion problems. Now the new world cichlids have a whole different set of signals and as such the africans and new world cichlids can't understand each. Just imagine sticking a bunch of big hard aggressive blokes in a room together, only half of them speak one language and the other half speak another one..... how long do you think it'd be before a fight broke out over a misunderstanding?

Its not fair on the fish to mix them up together.

The discus won't be a good mix with the parrot, parrots are far too fiesty for them. You should be looking at other new world cichlids now but it's gonna be a bit tricky to find much to go well with botht he parrot and the angels, tbh i'm not even convinced parrots and angels are a good combination...... i think the angels may well end up picked on.

 

[Trickles]

Labs (labidochromis caeruleus) are often listed as peaceful or semi-aggressive, however, that is only in comparison to other mbuna (rock dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi, Africa), making them far more aggressive than "standard" community fish. They are also herbivores and prefer a higher pH than your New World Cichlids. Your LFS was absolutely correct that they should only be kept with other Lake Malawi cichlids.

I see.......thanks for clearing that up. I guess ill just keep reading, and find things that are compatable with angels.
Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly happens if a fish is kept in water that is not within their prefered parameters?
Do they die? dose it shorten there life span? or predispose them to disease?
I know that fish have different requirments, but ive never read anything that explains why.....

all of the above is possible when you keep fish out of their preferred parameters, depends just how picky the fish are how well they will adapt and the impact of changes.

there's other reasons to not keep african and new world cichlids together too, firstly their food requirements are different and you'll struggle to get the right food to the right fish (ever tried telling them 'no don't eat that one, eat the flake over there...... ), also cichlids are all aggressive and territorial to some extent, they have signals which they use to communicate to other fish, any african cichlids will be able to understand the signals given by other african cichlids, while you still get squabbling they generally manage to avoid serious aggresion problems. Now the new world cichlids have a whole different set of signals and as such the africans and new world cichlids can't understand each. Just imagine sticking a bunch of big hard aggressive blokes in a room together, only half of them speak one language and the other half speak another one..... how long do you think it'd be before a fight broke out over a misunderstanding?

Its not fair on the fish to mix them up together.

The discus won't be a good mix with the parrot, parrots are far too fiesty for them. You should be looking at other new world cichlids now but it's gonna be a bit tricky to find much to go well with botht he parrot and the angels, tbh i'm not even convinced parrots and angels are a good combination...... i think the angels may well end up picked on.

Thanks for the input!

The LFS told me the angels would be fine with the parrot, and so far they are quite happy although they do have the tank to themselves. I have yet to see an aggressive act from the BP. Infact hes very timid and shy. This is what began my thoughts that maybe the yellow labs werent so aggressive.
Any way im over the african cichlid idea. Someday i might start a African Cichlid tank, but not this one.

 

[Trickles]

As above, conditions outside their ideal range will make the fish loose their full colouration, but with careful aclimation, can still be maintained. If for example you placed Malawi cichlids needing a pH of 8 into a tank with a pH of 6.5, they would realy struggle, becomming suseptible to disease and with the extream difference in this example, they can die. A difference of +/- .5 of a point won't make too much difference though

Discus reading material.

Anything that isn't a book realy As with most fishkeeping books, the discus litriture available in paper form is usualy arround 30 years out of date, and 30 years ago duscus were theought difficult to keep even for the experienced. Now we actualy know more about them, even beginners have been known to be successful keepers. Read all the on-line sites and arround the forum and you will get an information overload that is up-to-date Once you get to keeping them though, scrap the research and replicate an existing set-up.

These are "advanced" fish and don't read out research They often don't like common methods of keeping them If the copy of an exising set-up isn't working, then tweak it according to the gut instinct the research will have given you. However, if it ain't broke, don't fix it Many on here recon that they need a low pH and hardness, with 2 30% weekly waterchanges minimum. Mine flake over with more than 1 20% change a week, and go into super-strop mode if the pH falls below 7.3

All the best
Rabbut

Awsome...Thanks!!!

 

[Faythee]

I am familiar with what fish are compatible with the Angel, but not the Parrot. Ask in the New World Cichlid section and someone there can probably help.

http/www.fishforums.net/category/28/New-World-Cichlids/

 

[Miss Wiggle]

as with most cichlids you won't see any aggression as juvi's, it's only when they get to around 1 yr to 18 months old and reach sexual maturity that you see any problems. peaceful now does not mean it will always be peaceful.....