# all male peacock/hap with other tankmates



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

has anyone tried bichir with this setup? what kind and experience on it? I'm thinking about ornate bichir as they require more similar water parameter as african cichlids, but they do grow big.


----------



## Michael_M (May 31, 2012)

fairly sure that peacocks and smaller haps would be food for such a fish.


----------



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

Michael_M said:


> fairly sure that peacocks and smaller haps would be food for such a fish.


when they're at full size, yeah probably. Any guys ever tried other species of bichir? perhaps the smaller ones?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Try a search in General Aquaria on bichir, I've seen posts over the years. Can't recall any long term success stories. It seems bichirs need pH=7 or under and haps/peacocks need pH=7.6 or over.


----------



## Michael_M (May 31, 2012)

Have you considered scrapping the peacocks and getting some larger predatory haps? Stuff like eye biters and Fossorochromis rostratus ect are very cool and large.


----------



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> Try a search in General Aquaria on bichir, I've seen posts over the years. Can't recall any long term success stories. It seems bichirs need pH=7 or under and haps/peacocks need pH=7.6 or over.


I did, but there really isnt much being said in those posts. I was hoping those who decided to jump on the bichir idea might have some new inputs. Most of the Bichir do need more acidic water than haps/peacock, but they're one of those hardy guys that can pretty much survival in the ****tiest environment. yes, survive, just not thrive lol.


----------



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

Michael_M said:


> Have you considered scrapping the peacocks and getting some larger predatory haps? Stuff like eye biters and Fossorochromis rostratus ect are very cool and large.


I do have them, I just want something that's kinda out of the cichlid family. I've seen couple ppl do the bichir thing, I just don't know how it will work in the long term.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I always assume if we don't hear the long-term results, it did not go well. I know if I had a success story that could disprove a popular aquarium myth, I'd post it.


----------



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> I always assume if we don't hear the long-term results, it did not go well. I know if I had a success story that could disprove a popular aquarium myth, I'd post it.


that, or ppl just dont care enuf to update on it. Cuz I know i prolli wouldnt =p. or another possibility, just not enough ppl who actually attempted it. None the less, on my local fish forum there r some with like a few bichir in their setup for about 2 yrs, I just wanted to see if there were any on here =/.


----------



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

has anyone heard of mixing them cichlids with fly river turtles?


----------



## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Malawian cichlids are best mixed with other Malawian cichlids. Not with birchirs, not with turtles, not with Tanganyikan cichlids.

If you want to keep your cichlids in less than ideal circumstances, you can try things and report back.

The best mixes for Malawian cichlids appears to be Synodontis catfish, bristlenose plecos, Clown Loaches.


----------



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

Fogelhund said:


> Malawian cichlids are best mixed with other Malawian cichlids. Not with birchirs, not with turtles, not with Tanganyikan cichlids.
> 
> If you want to keep your cichlids in less than ideal circumstances, you can try things and report back.
> 
> The best mixes for Malawian cichlids appears to be Synodontis catfish, bristlenose plecos, Clown Loaches.


It is ideal for some, but not everyone is going for a tank that resembles as close to their natural habitat. In fact putting them in a glass box is probably the most unnatural thing. Most of the malawis won't even see some other malawis in the wild even being in the same lake. For me I want to put stuff in a tank where they can co-exist, not only things that they can co-exist with in the wild. I do agree though they may not "thrive" being with some other tankmates, but we're trying to find a balance here like what we're justifying growing them in a glass box as oppose in the wild. I would try them, but isn't that what the forum is for? to ask questions? to attempt to seek out whether any individual have tried them before me?


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't know what a fly river turtle is, but posts in General Aquaria about turtles with cichlid report excessive pollution from the turtles and I've seen pics of a turtle with a yellow lab bitten in half in his mouth. So co-existence has been unsuccessful in many of the cases reported here.

Why would you not want your fish/turtles to thrive? :-?


----------



## sakurachan1 (Apr 7, 2012)

Well, the main reason I suggested a fly river turtle was because they are mainly herbavoirs with their main diets being veggie/fruits as oppose to turtles like red ear sliders which feeds alot on lil fish and what not. I also have seen people mixing them with malawi cichlids with success (to what degree i don't know), but I just wanted to see if anyone on here have seen or tried themselves to offer some personal experience. Oh and they do well in hard/high ph waters too so I've seen them actually kept with a colony of frontosas.

It's not that i dont want them to "thrive" but thriving is such a vague..and very personal term. I want them to be happy, but to what extend? like they're in the wild? HRM. Hence i mentioned it's like finding a balance where you feel you're treating them fine while satisfying your needs. If i only cared about the well being of them malawi's, I'd prolli try to bring them back to their lake as oppose to trying to keep them in my house lol. Also clearly i care about their well being enough for me to be asking around as oppose to throw in a red ear slider in a snap of a finger and watch my fish get major nipped by the turtle.


----------

