Please A Cichlid Expert Help Me.

[doktor doris]

Hi,
Iam not lazy, its just that all the articles I read use latin names which, as of yet, mean nothing to me.

I am cycling a tank that is 3 ft long by 2 ft by 1.5ft.

I plan to just keep rift lake cichlids in it, mainly because they have a lot in my fish shop and Iam fed up with community tanks.

Could someone PLEASE give me a list of suitable fish, and the amount of them for my tank?
Or point me to a website which has that sort of info.

Thanks very much

Doris

 

[Ashy_]

Don't think you can go wrong with Yellow Labs, thats what i'm getting. Easy to get hold of apparently. My LFS has them at 3 for £12.95
Peacocks? Don't think they are that aggressive and should be alright with the labs. £15 each at LFS.

Look at the species guide on here, pick some that you like and see if they work for you. Mbunas? Haps? Auloncaras? Shell dwellers?

 

[andy d]

Agreed.
Yellow Labs are cool. "Labidochromis caeruleus"

This is the best website Ive found for to the point info on fish.

"LINKY"

 

[Ashy_]

Also look here if your going to buy them online
http/www.aquaticlifedirect.co.uk/Fish/Fr...alawianCichlids

 

[doktor doris]

Thankyou very much for your replies.

There seems so much to learn.

 

[doktor doris]

Also look here if your going to buy them online
<a href="http/www.aquaticlifedirect.co.uk/Fish/Fr...alawianCichlids" target="_blank">http/www.aquaticlifedirect.co.uk/Fish/Fr...alawianCichlids</a>

That website is brilliant!

An absolute godsend, thanks v muchly!

(in fact that website has such an amzing variety of fish, please someone talk me out of getting some longhorn box fish! I saw them at the deep in hull and fell in love with them years ago.)

 

[dthoffsett]

Actually the best thing I could recommend is to go to your LFS and write down all the names of the fish that you like the look of and then post them on here so we can help with stocking.

 

[Ashy_]

Thats a good idea, i said i was setting up a malawi tank and the lfs were offering me rams and some fish from that tangayaya lake. Maybe they will be alright in a malawi tank but i only wnt malawi fish.

 

[doktor doris]

Actually the best thing I could recommend is to go to your LFS and write down all the names of the fish that you like the look of and then post them on here so we can help with stocking.

That is a great idea, thankyou.

BRB!

 

[fifer78]

Actually the best thing I could recommend is to go to your LFS and write down all the names of the fish that you like the look of and then post them on here so we can help with stocking.

That is a great idea, thankyou.

BRB!

Your tank is about as small as you could go - with this is mind I would stick to some of the smaller dwarf species. It would make a good Saulosi species tank. Or Demasoni and yellow labs look good or possibly some of the Afras. As advised have a look and see what you like, I personally try to avoid buying from LFS - breeders/enthusiasts are usually a much better bet. You have a far greater chance of quality fish and actually getting what you asked for.

 

[doktor doris]

Actually the best thing I could recommend is to go to your LFS and write down all the names of the fish that you like the look of and then post them on here so we can help with stocking.

That is a great idea, thankyou.

BRB!

Your tank is about as small as you could go - with this is mind I would stick to some of the smaller dwarf species. It would make a good Saulosi species tank. Or Demasoni and yellow labs look good or possibly some of the Afras. As advised have a look and see what you like, I personally try to avoid buying from LFS - breeders/enthusiasts are usually a much better bet. You have a far greater chance of quality fish and actually getting what you asked for.

Hmmmm.

This is quite a suprise TBH.

I thought with a tank this size the whole world of african cichlids would lay before me.

I may have to reconsider everything. Pah.

My stepfather has an old 4 by 2 by 2 tank in his garage, would that increase my options to a degree which would make all the hassle worthwhile?



The checking out what the shop has idea fell flat.
They have a tank with about 7 different kinds of fish in it and they all are called 'lake malawi cichlids, £5.95 each, or 6 for £30'

So Iam going to go in tomorrow with my camera, take pics of them all and then use the guide on this site to ID them all.

 

[james41683]

Actually the best thing I could recommend is to go to your LFS and write down all the names of the fish that you like the look of and then post them on here so we can help with stocking.

That is a great idea, thankyou.

BRB!

Your tank is about as small as you could go - with this is mind I would stick to some of the smaller dwarf species. It would make a good Saulosi species tank. Or Demasoni and yellow labs look good or possibly some of the Afras. As advised have a look and see what you like, I personally try to avoid buying from LFS - breeders/enthusiasts are usually a much better bet. You have a far greater chance of quality fish and actually getting what you asked for.

Hmmmm.

This is quite a suprise TBH.

I thought with a tank this size the whole world of african cichlids would lay before me.

I may have to reconsider everything. Pah.

My stepfather has an old 4 by 2 by 2 tank in his garage, would that increase my options to a degree which would make all the hassle worthwhile?



The checking out what the shop has idea fell flat.
They have a tank with about 7 different kinds of fish in it and they all are called 'lake malawi cichlids, £5.95 each, or 6 for £30'

So Iam going to go in tomorrow with my camera, take pics of them all and then use the guide on this site to ID them all.

the 4x2x2 tank will give you alot more options for what you can keep, if possible i would try to get that one.

 

[dthoffsett]

I hate to burst your bubble, but buying from a "Mixed African Tank" is a really bad idea, unfortunately the vast majority of them are full of hybrids. Here's an article with more info.
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mixed_africans.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mixed_africans.php[/URL]

If you can, see if there are any breeders or clubs near you where you could source some pure species, or you could order online.

 

[doktor doris]

Oh dear.

Thanks for your advice, I didn't consider that problem at all.

I just assumed that the fish would have a sufficient turn over in the LFS to preclude that problem.
And it just so happens that I loathe hybrids, thats why I dont like flowerhorns one bit.

Bugger!

If I take pictures can the cichlids experts on this board discern whether they are hybrids or not?
Or are hybrids very similar to the 'proper' fish?

 

[dthoffsett]

If I take pictures can the cichlids experts on this board discern whether they are hybrids or not?
Or are hybrids very similar to the 'proper' fish?

It really depends on who the parents where, sometimes it's really easy to tell, sometimes not. You could ask the LFS if they come mixed from the supplier, or if the store just puts them together. If the store puts them together, you could ask how long they've been in the tank. Chances are if they are pre-mixed or if they've been in the tank for several months you'll have hybrids.