# Need help with new tank



## dtexan (Sep 29, 2008)

I recieved this tank from some friends recently and wanted to make sure that the fish would get along okay and not really sure on there true identity. Thanks for you help. Also an ideas on good tank mates. The tank is 150g with tons of lighting and filtration


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

Top to bottom
Bumblebee african cichlid
RedDevil/Midas cichlid
Firemouth (looks injured, rough)
Very hard to tell possibly a very young oscar or jd. The picture is at a terrible angle
Blood parrot cichlid

Weird mix, looks like it needs a different aquascape to avoid thrashings on the less agressive species. Bumblebees have a reputation to be plain nasty. I would remove him if he cases problems. If the blood parrot and midas/devil started to breed the tank would be a warzone, so keep an eye on it. If it was my tank I would install a backgroung and add a ton of rocks and wood. Don't add live plants. Plastic ones would look great. What do you consider tons of filtration? I only see 1 rena filstar?


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## shawntraviss (Sep 17, 2004)

Alright i see two Devils and two Blood Parrots. Theres an issue right there. First the Devils dont look to large. As they mature a male could become very agressive and just plain kill the other Devil as well as the Blood Parrots. They tend to not like other fish that look like them. Plus he could also kill the others just for the fun of it. Now you might get lucky and the Devils could be male and female and breed. If so great. But again by by other fish. Personally if your only looking for a 1 or 2 fish tank then keep the Devils. If not lose them fast. Theyre not the best fish for community tanks unless the tanks really large / long. And your tank doesnt look over the 4 foot long range. You could do alot with the tank, just lesser agressive new world Cichlids or an African only set up. Lots of possibilitys, just not many can include Red Devils.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

What are the dimensions of this tank?


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## dtexan (Sep 29, 2008)

The demensions - 48 x 24 x 31. I have a Rena XP4 running now and an extra one that just needs to be setup. Thanks for the help I'm new to this and dont want a bloodbath of a tank. Also the black one is a JD. I plan on putting a black background on the tank and adding more rocks and a few pieces of driftwood. I like the bumblebee he hasnt been really aggresive but things could change.


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## dtexan (Sep 29, 2008)

shawntraviss said:


> Alright i see two Devils and two Blood Parrots. Theres an issue right there. First the Devils dont look to large. As they mature a male could become very agressive and just plain kill the other Devil as well as the Blood Parrots. They tend to not like other fish that look like them. Plus he could also kill the others just for the fun of it. Now you might get lucky and the Devils could be male and female and breed. If so great. But again by by other fish. Personally if your only looking for a 1 or 2 fish tank then keep the Devils. If not lose them fast. Theyre not the best fish for community tanks unless the tanks really large / long. And your tank doesnt look over the 4 foot long range. You could do alot with the tank, just lesser agressive new world Cichlids or an African only set up. Lots of possibilitys, just not many can include Red Devils.


yeah I'm not a big fan of the red devils. I would much rather have a large community tank then just a couple of fish. So if I go with all africans will the bumblebee be okay? I think I got some bad advise at the local petsmart. I should have known better.


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## etcbrown (Nov 10, 2007)

> So if I go with all africans will the bumblebee be okay?


 The tank is big enough (although a 6 footer would be better) to accomodate Ps. crabro (bumblebees) if set up correctly and stocked with compatible Malawians. Keep in mind that crabro get larger than most other mbuna, about 6-7 inches. Basically provide plenty of cover, stock it with enough fish to make it look busy to spread aggression, choose other mbuna that are known to be able to handle themselves, get the other filter running.

I would start another thread asking about specific stocking levels and species if you are set on keeping the crabro.


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## tyrone (Mar 20, 2003)

Beautiful pics!!! What camera are you using?


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## dtexan (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks I used a Canon Rebel 300D with the 50mm f1.8


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## Reiner (Jul 17, 2002)

If you want a fish with a big personality kind of like a wet pet I'd keep the Red Devil. Not all Red Devils or Midas are evil. I used to have a 10" male RD in a 180 gallon tank that would breed with a female Salvini all the time and there were 5-6 other cichlids in there as well and even when there were eggs or free swimming fry the RD never hurt a single fish in the 1.5 years that I owned him.

The RD in the bottom right hand corner of the picture really looks like it has the potential to be a nice looking Brute 1 day. It already has a nice head shape.


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## MetalHead06351 (Oct 3, 2007)

If it were my tank, i would lose the devils and bumblebee. Then I would add a few more fm's(they like to be in groups) and a cleanup crew. Something like synos and maybe a pleco. If you want a tank with alot of personality I would stick to cs/sa cichlids, africans just don't seem to do as much.


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## dtexan (Sep 29, 2008)

I guess I dont really want any large fish just a large community of smaller Cichlids. I'm doing more research and trying to find out what best suits me. I like fish with a lot of color and personality.


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