# African Cichlids



## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

I am very new to the world of cichlids..I started out with a 10 gal. community tank switched that to a 28 gal. Then I set up a 55 gal. I have what I think are 2 yellow labs and 2 aeci..I also have 2 cory cats in there...I would like to add more cichlids but I am afraid because I know of there aggressive nature and the ones I have are doing good...Should I add the same kind or can I add something different? Or should I leave well enough alone? ( My 28 gal. is not cichlids) :fish:


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

Well since you seem unsure about what your fish are the first thing to do is to get a positive ID on them. A good way to do this is to post pictures or a very detailed description to the unidentified cichlids section of the forum. If these fish are in the 55, chances are it would do you well to add more of each species because these types of African cichlids, if your correct about the IDs, are not pairing fish. They do better in harems of one male to several females but with more peaceful species like Yellow Labs and Acei this isn't as important and just having enough fish to spread out the aggression is what matters.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

The cories probably won't fare too well in this tank long term with the mbuna.

I agree on getting them identified for sure, and then you can decide where you want to go from there.

Would you like to have some breeding, or do you prefer to have one of this and one of that for alot of different species/colours?

If you'd like to breed a bit and want to keep a relatively calm tank, pick up more Yellow labs, more acei, and perhaps add a group of Iodotropheus sprengerae (Rusty cichlids). Nice colour and lots of fry will result from this mix, and your male/female ratios won't be as important as they will be with some of the more aggressive species.

If you want one of this and one of that, then you need to go with an all male tank, which can be quite difficult to do if you can't properly sex the fish. And, you'll only need one of each species, and need to try to stay away from species that look similar to each other.


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

Should I put the cory's in my other tank? That would make that one 4 cory cats, 6 neon tetras, 6 zebra danios and 6 long fin tetras.. (28 gal.) So far my cichlids don't bother the cory's. What would be a good bottom feeder for the cichlid tank? I really would not be real interested in breeding.. The aeci I'm sure, my yellow ones I also believe are electric yellow..This is what the tank says where I bought them...They are yellow with a little black on there fins...


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

They sound like Yellow labs.

You can keep Synodontis cats in this tank, and a bristlenose pleco would help control algae. (Best to add these while your cichlids are still small!)

IMO, a 55G with 2 or 3 good sized breeding groups is the most enjoyable. You don't have to salvage fry from the tank, but you would get to see their spawning behaviour, and with the species mentioned above, the aggression level would be very low for mbuna.

All male tanks (IMO) are best with peacocks and haps rather than mbuna, but they can be done with mbuna, the only problem is ascertaining which are males and which are females. The two species you have are monomorphic, so you would have to be able to vent them to tell who is who, and that's not even 100% accurate until they get close to sexual maturity.

Personally, I would go with the 3 breeding groups. If you go with too many different species, your chances for aggression will increase.


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

Should I put my cory cats in my 28g.? That would make 4 in there all together..Plus the other 18 fish I have...


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I don't know what else is in the 28G, but I wouldn't leave them in with the mbuna...They'll be missing fins once the mbuna start to mature and develop aggression. (I've tried it...)


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

why would you leave them if they will be in danger? 28g. has 2 cory cats, 6 zebra danio's, 6 neon tetra's, and 6 long fin tetra's...


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

sorry I thought you said leave them in...


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

No, I would move them to the 28G... :thumb:

You should have room if you've got adequate filtration on it.


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## cindylou (Oct 22, 2008)

Thank You. :thumb:


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