# Texas Cichlinds & African's



## Tiberian (Jun 14, 2009)

Does anyone know if a Texas Cichlid will get along with African's? Right now I've got a 75g tank with 12 African's as follows:

2 Kenyi
2 Peco's
2 Jewels
2 Zebra's
2 Auratus
2 Bumble Bee's
2 Acei

Being from Texas I feel somewhat obligated to get a Texas Cichlid. I'm new to the forum and this is my first big tank.


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## ABangtson (Apr 25, 2006)

The first problem you'll run into is that African cichlids need FAR different water condition compared to your Texas.


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Hi Tiberian,

Those are some of the more aggressive Malawi cichlids you've got there, have you had them long? I hope they work out for you, but you should know that all of those species (save the plecos) are harem breeders: you should keep multiple females for each male.

As for the Texas cichlid, it's usually not a good idea to mix new and old world species, as they often have different water requirements and diets (although I think your whole group is strongly herbivorous). Just because I'm from Toronto doesn't mean I'm putting Lake Ontario salmon in with my saulosi!
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=43


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## Tiberian (Jun 14, 2009)

Thanks for the advice.

ridley25 - I've had the tank for going on 3 months now and slowly added the fish in similar pairs of 2. Figured that would be a safe way to introduce new fish to the group if they had a similar friend joining the clan. So far the plecos have been left alone but the first day they were in the tank was very rough. They all get along just fine; for now.

This is my first real tank. All others have never gone over 20 gallons. My entire family is liking it so I'm now thinking of a 150 to 200g tank.


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## howajj (Apr 8, 2009)

yeah ya know the zebras and the kenyi are almost the most aggressive mbuna out there and will start to prove their worth at around 3 or 4 inches in length until then most people see no problems at all. but the water parameters are the first thing to consider which there is no way around it


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## Tiberian (Jun 14, 2009)

Thanks for the help/advice. I'm trying to decide if I should put more female's in the tank. Would that possibly help in the future?


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Tiberian said:


> Thanks for the help/advice. I'm trying to decide if I should put more female's in the tank. Would that possibly help in the future?


You definitely want more females! Here's the cookie cutter for a 75:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/c ... er_75g.php
Three groups of fish would be the best way to go. Some _might_ say four, but the only species you have there that could be considered mild mannered are the acei.
If I were you I would build around the Acei (Pseudotropheus sp. "acei") and Zebras (Metriaclima estherae) by adding at 3-4 females of each species. I can't vent a fish but hopefully someone at you LFS (or local fish club) can.
I would return ALL of the other species (keep the plecos if they are Bristlenose - if they're Common plecos, they'll get huge - return them too) and pick up a group of 6-8 from a third mild species from this list:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=713
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=2300 (my fave, but I've never had them)
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=707

Getting rid of fish is never easy, but you should be able to find a local fish shop (or list them in the Trading Post on this site) that will take them, and perhaps even pay for them.

Readjusting your tank in the right ratios with the right species will make you MUCH happier in the long run. I am only one of many posters on this site who thought they had it all figured out until their fish matured and started murdering each other.

Good luck no matter what you do,

kevin


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

The reality is that the water parameters of Lake Malawi and Many Central American collection locations isn't that different. However, there just isn't space in a 75 gallon to mix them very well.

You do have a very aggressive mix in the tank, and might end up with some aggression related issues. The jewels are substrate spawners, who can defend up to a 4 sq ft territory when spawning, to the exclusion or death of others.

I would bump up your numbers to 20-25, with overfiltering, and weekly water changes to spread the aggression around. Go with 6 acei total, get rid of the auratus and bumblebee (the most aggressive and largest)... go with 6 more kenyii (only keep the females) and 4 zebras... pick up another species that isn't as aggressive as what you have, perhaps albino socolofi.


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

You actually could mix all of those fish together....but you would need a MUCH larger aquarium.

The mbuna species you have are already likely to need at least a 6 foot tank, because you have some really aggressive ones. You will also need the tank to be "choking" with rocks/caves---2 to 3 areas per fish. A higher female to male ratio would also help.

To keep a texas, you would need the following: (1) Texas larger than the mbuna, (2) a more open area with a single cave/rock/driftwood site that the Texas can defend.

In your current setup, you won't be able to have enough rock work for the mbuna and still have an open area for the Texas. The mbuna are much faster and more agile than a Texas cichlid, but lack it's brute strength.


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