# New African tank fish compatibility



## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

Hi all, this is my first post...
I have a newly set up 46 gal bowfront, it's been through a week of cycling and now an additional week with my first 5 fish (all male, all about 2"- 25", hopefully 5 more this week.
So far
1) Red Shoulder Peacock
2) Hongi
3) Yellow Lab
4) Dragon Blood
5) Juli
So, the question, are these fish all compatible? I know I'm mixing Mbuana and peacocks as well as the Juli wich is from a different lake.
My observation so far: the Red Shoulder is king, he chases most others around, especially the Hongi, the Juli which I thought my be a problem doesn't get bothered at all, just happily swims along. No physical contact yet, just a lot of chasing.
Is this all good?
Thanks in advance


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## Leyshpunctatus (Feb 19, 2016)

Sorry not much input to offer really but I have seen Julidochromis sp. Kept with malawis' before without problem, and they're certainly no push over. Out of interest which julidochromis is it?


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## LeeAberdeen (Sep 4, 2014)

When you say it's "been through of a week of cycling", what exactly do you mean?


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

Leyshpunctatus said:


> Sorry not much input to offer really but I have seen Julidochromis sp. Kept with malawis' before without problem, and they're certainly no push over. Out of interest which julidochromis is it?


I think it's a Marlieri, but not 100% certain. I know the "bully" in the tank (and all others) don't bother with him at all.


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

LeeAberdeen said:


> When you say it's "been through of a week of cycling", what exactly do you mean?


One week with no fish, just daily additives of Prime and beneficial bacteria. Then one week with fish.
I currently (last night) have an ammonia reading of .25ppm, I've since done a 20% water change and added some prime. Is the ammonia reading at this stage acceptable, I know zero is what we aim for, but I'm wondering if it just has to settle in at this point?
Thanks for any help/advice.


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

Watch your water parameters daily, please. You have almost certainly not given your tank enough time to finish growing the requisite bacteria for stability. In the interest of a learning experience for future tanks, you should do a fishless cycle which does not mean that you let the tank sit idle for a while. You need to add ammonia to the tank and encourage bacteria to grow and multiply. This approach would be expected to take a month or so depending on tank size and a bunch of other parameters. I know you added the bottled beneficial bacteria... but two issues - 1. you did not feed it ammonia and 2. many people (myself included) have reported/had no luck with those things actually doing anything at all. I personally would not rely on it and when I did use that product, I tested the water to make sure I knew when the cycle was working properly.

All that means nothing for where you are now which is doing a cycle with fish. Since you have larger fish, they should be more robust than juvies to the ammonia and nitrites in the water so that is good. It is still not good for the fish, but if the fish doesn't die or get a permenant deformation then I guess it is an "acceptable" level. Your only recourse now is to watch carefully for the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates and change the water if you get measurable amounts of ammonia/nitrites. It is an annoying game to play because you need to encourage bacteria to grow so you need some in there but not too much that its an issue for the fish. Also if you have access to a fish tank that has been holding fish for several months then you could take some substrate from that tank to help the process. I would expect 2 months of fighting with ammonia/nitrites though unless you got lucky with the beneficial bacteria jar.


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

Aaron S said:


> Watch your water parameters daily, please. You have almost certainly not given your tank enough time to finish growing the requisite bacteria for stability. In the interest of a learning experience for future tanks, you should do a fishless cycle which does not mean that you let the tank sit idle for a while. You need to add ammonia to the tank and encourage bacteria to grow and multiply. This approach would be expected to take a month or so depending on tank size and a bunch of other parameters. I know you added the bottled beneficial bacteria... but two issues - 1. you did not feed it ammonia and 2. many people (myself included) have reported/had no luck with those things actually doing anything at all. I personally would not rely on it and when I did use that product, I tested the water to make sure I knew when the cycle was working properly.
> 
> All that means nothing for where you are now which is doing a cycle with fish. Since you have larger fish, they should be more robust than juvies to the ammonia and nitrites in the water so that is good. It is still not good for the fish, but if the fish doesn't die or get a permenant deformation then I guess it is an "acceptable" level. Your only recourse now is to watch carefully for the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates and change the water if you get measurable amounts of ammonia/nitrites. It is an annoying game to play because you need to encourage bacteria to grow so you need some in there but not too much that its an issue for the fish. Also if you have access to a fish tank that has been holding fish for several months then you could take some substrate from that tank to help the process. I would expect 2 months of fighting with ammonia/nitrites though unless you got lucky with the beneficial bacteria jar.


Thanks for the input.
I just followed the recommendations of the aquarium shop. My tank was used and had water in it when I bought it, I did however wash everything out.
Before adding my fish my water tests were always spot on, but since then ammonia is up but nitrate and nitrite are good


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## Aaron S (Apr 4, 2015)

What does "nitrate is good" mean? If it is 0 then you likely killed the bacteria along the way. If it is something then you likely have more poop than your current bacteria can eat right now and they will likely catch-up quickly so no large concerns.


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

Aaron S said:


> What does "nitrate is good" mean? If it is 0 then you likely killed the bacteria along the way. If it is something then you likely have more poop than your current bacteria can eat right now and they will likely catch-up quickly so no large concerns.


Zero, isn't it supposed to be at zero?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No zero is bad. Beneficial bacteria produce nitrate so if they are healthy, you should have nitrate.


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

Aaron S said:


> What does "nitrate is good" mean? If it is 0 then you likely killed the bacteria along the way. If it is something then you likely have more poop than your current bacteria can eat right now and they will likely catch-up quickly so no large concerns.


Just got home and checked yesterday's test results and I was wrong, nitrate was 15ppm.
Today's tests:
PH 7.8
Ammonia not quite .25 (maybe .2)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10 ppm
Thanks again for any help.


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## dledinger (Mar 20, 2013)

The problem with zero is that you cannot confirm that the beneficial bacteria is present, so a test result of zero when you're trying to confirm a completed cycle is not _helpful_. Other than confirming the cycle, however, zero nitrates is actually a _very good thing._

Most of us just try to keep them low, knowing that zero cannot be maintained.


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

dledinger said:


> The problem with zero is that you cannot confirm that the beneficial bacteria is present, so a test result of zero when you're trying to confirm a completed cycle is not _helpful_. Other than confirming the cycle, however, zero nitrates is actually a _very good thing._
> 
> Most of us just try to keep them low, knowing that zero cannot be maintained.


I'm trying to understand what these numbers mean and how they interact with each other, so if I have it right we strive for zero ammonia, but 10 or 15 ppm of nitrate is OK?


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## dledinger (Mar 20, 2013)

Zero ammonia, zero nitrite, and low as possible nitrate.

As far as a specific value, 10-15ppm nitrate is acceptable.

I apologize if my previous post complicated anything. I have a tendency at times to focus on minor details that don't really matter.


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

dledinger said:


> Zero ammonia, zero nitrite, and low as possible nitrate.
> 
> As far as a specific value, 10-15ppm nitrate is acceptable.
> 
> I apologize if my previous post complicated anything. I have a tendency at times to focus on minor details that don't really matter.


No need to apologize, I am very thankful for all the help


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

Back to comparability, how much bullying is considered normal? My Red Shoulder Peacock is pretty relentless, constantly chasing everyone else in to the corners (except the Juli). Is this what cichlids generally do, or am I potentially looking at future catastrophe. There hasn't been any contact yet, but the others must be stressing?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Chasing is OK. Claiming half the tank is not. Anyone lurking under the surface or behind heaters or filter intakes? How long has this been happening?


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## 6stringvince (May 26, 2016)

DJRansome said:


> Chasing is OK. Claiming half the tank is not. Anyone lurking under the surface or behind heaters or filter intakes? How long has this been happening?


I would say he's claiming 90% of the tank, the others (except the Juli) are confined to the corners behind some fake plants, I have plenty of rock's and caves but he chases them out of there. And tonight I've noticed for the first time some contact directed at the Yellow Lab.
They've only been in this tank a week now, and it didn't take long for the Red Shoulder to show his dominence. I was planning to add 4 or 5 more fish on Saturday, and I'm hoping this might change things a little. The bully is now the slightly larger of the fish, would it be better to add some a little bigger or is that a recipe for some blood shed?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Are they all male? I might add fish that are a little more aggressive than him, but size isn't always a factor. Timid species will just turn silver and cower.

Yes when the fish give up their caves the aggression needs to be addressed. What about swapping him out for a different individual?


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