Setting Up

[discusmary]

Looking for some helpful info. on Cichlids. I set up a new tank 4ftx3ft. I would like to keep it as a cichlid tank. I have never kept these fish before so would be thankful for any tips you have. Just so you know I am not a newbie and have 2 other community tanks. I better go over what I have read about them and see if I am on the right track.

They like to have many holes, caves, hiding places as possible.

You can set the tank up almost as a marine tank without the salt. The fish like a hard water. (Does that include coral?)

They like shells along bottom of tank. (Any particular kind?)

They are not a community tank fish they like to be in with there own sort.

They like to be in a busy tank - slightly overpopulated?

What is the ratio for these fish?

They eat a combination of dried flakes and frozen food.

If there is anything that I really should know thats not there please let me know. I dont want to do this wrong. Many thanks

 

[discusmary]

Been doing a little more research, really like the look of the yellow labs what other fish can they live with?

 

[Ginge]

They will happily live with most other african cichlids but none that are very very agressive.

 

[Ferris]

Forget the coral, the sharp edges could easily cause injury to these active fish. Also forget the shells unless you are planning on keeping shelldwellers.

Yellow labs are Mbuna, which are the most commonly kept type of African Cichlid due to their bright colours and availability. They are however aggressive fish and you will need to do plenty of research, especially on compatibilty, have a look at the pinned article at the top of this forum as this covers a lot of essential information. Yellow labs are amongst the least aggressive of all Mbuna and are a good bet if you are new to African Cichlids. Pseudotropheus Acei, Iodotropheus Sperengerae and Pseudotropheus Saulosi make good tankmates.

Due to their aggression, Mbuna tanks are generally slightly overstocked but make sure you have plenty of filtration to cope with this. They like plenty of rockwork/caves but avoid bogwood as this lowers the Ph.

 

[mamafish68]

OOOOOOOO OOO OOOO
a tank full of sayyy 6-8 yellow labs and 8-10 acei would look soooo dam good!!!!
the whole yellow and purple theme going, very attractive!!!! not to mention lively!
acei are like puppy dogs, you'll love them, very happy fish, look like their waiting for you to give treats any time
not to mention if your tank is 3 ft high they will be in the top areas much of the time so it wont be so empty
I'd LOVE to see pics down the road if you decide on these 2