# New to Africans!! advice needed



## Ihsaan (Sep 10, 2013)

Hi Experts.

Im new to african cichlids.
Currently setup a 65 gallon (250 litre) tank to the best of my researched knolwedge. Been stable for around 4 months now. Pics have been attached, i would like some critiscm if you dont mind.

My current stock list:

3 Malawi Eyebiter (males)
2 Melanochromis auratus
1 Melanochromis simulans 
2 Red Zebra	
1 albino Melanochromis auratus
1 Snow Cichlid
1 OB Peacock Cichlid
1 leopard Pleco

I have posted some pics of them up as well, please advise on gender, i think after reading up that all are males.

The question I have is that the 2 Red Zebra i have are becoming very hostile to each other. i know the species is aggressive by nature and that there is a dominance shake being done by one of them.
However it is becoming more hectic.
im not sure if the one Red Zebra is female though, since it does not have the blue coloration (pic RZ1), both have anal fin egg spots though the one has more of them than the other.
Any advice or assistance is appreciated.
The aggression between the rest of the fish is minimal even though they are male (assumption) but generally lasts for a single round of dodging in the tank every other day.
The RZ's however are forever at it and the slightly smaller and i mean slightly, RZ takes shelter behind the filter or heater.
PS: Please comment on the tank setup as well.

Thanks

RZ1: 
Aggressive RZ: 
Eyebiters Pic 1: 
Fish 1: 
Fish 2: 
Fish 3: 
Fish 4: 
Tank Pic 1: 
Tank Pic 2:


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## k7gixxerguy (Jan 12, 2012)

Could be a female RZ or a male thats toned its color down to try to protect itself. If its hiding by the filter or heater at the top then it will likely need to be removed or the aggressor will. What are the dimensions of this tank? It looks like a recipe for an aggressive fish disaster to me. Sorry.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Really you need to just pick the Red Zebra you like a remove the other.

This tank has lots of potential problems, but if it has worked so far... The Melanochromis species are some of the hardest to deal with, nasty buggers. The Compressiceps (Eyebiters) are rather large fish, maybe pick the nicer one and rehome the others.

Need to keep the tank crowded.


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## Ihsaan (Sep 10, 2013)

HI

Thanks for the advice, i have noticed that the more aggressive RZ has only 3 egg spots but the other has around 5 egg spots ? could this be that both are definitely male /
funny enough i fed more than usual yesterday and the 2 seemed fine, less fighting but still hiding....

k7gixxerguy, please elaborate on the 'aggressive fish disaster' for me? whats wrong and how do i fix ?

noki, please indicate what potential problems ? how do i fix it ? if i keep it crowded will the fish still grow to max size ?

dimensions of tank is: 1m (length) x 500 (Breadth) X 700 (Height)

thanks guys.


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## gverde (Mar 3, 2010)

I would also pick one of the eyebiters and rehome the other two like noki suggested. The single eyebiter will eventually outgrow your tank. They can get 8" and up in a couple of years and will need a 5'-6' tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Ihsaan said:


> the more aggressive RZ has only 3 egg spots but the other has around 5 egg spots ? could this be that both are definitely male.


No, females have egg spots too.


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## Ihsaan (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks guys, im going to my LFS today to discuss the options of swapping out some fish


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## ilm121209 (Jul 23, 2013)

the driftwood should probably be removed because it will lower the ph. replace it with a ton of rockwork. i wouldnt say you need to remove any fish just yet, i just dealt with aggression issues, buy more females and you should be okay. if not, remove the aggressive fish. if you really like it and dont want to rehome it, start a second tank. if im not mistaken, that tank is roughly 350L or 90G, assuming the measurements were correct at 100cmx50cmx70cm. in my opinion you need more fish. i have 10 adults in a 44g tank. and as much as everyone yells at me about it, they are plenty happy and healthy and i will be adding a few more. and its funner to watch. filtration filtration filtration. and the more waterchanges the better. i do 30-40% every weekend depending on the nitrate levels and i check my water parameters twice a week to be safe. i also keep my water at 6 ppt salinity and use the trace elements. again, more work but in my experience the fish are healthier. yes my water bill went up a few dollars, but the fish are great. a wave makes may not be a bad idea. i picked up a sun sun 800gph for like 12 dollars and they love it. it also keeps waste from collecting on the bottom of the tank. but DONT DONT run it all night. i left it on the first night and they stayed active all night. fun to watch but they need rest just like us. its now on a timer with my lights and i dont run it every day.


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## Ihsaan (Sep 10, 2013)

Hi ilm121209

Thank you for your feedback, i really appreciate it.
the problem i have is finding decent rock work, like holey rock is almost near impossible to come by, or perhaps im just looking in the wrong places.

Regarding getting more fish, i agree i do need more, yes will prob get a few females.
My only concern is that how much is enough for my tank?
sorry measurements were faulty, my tank is 250 litres
i currently have 12 in the tank, so how many females should i get ?
also with the more fish in the tank, will they all grow to full size ? or will they be stunted?

I would really like ur answers on this.

thanks


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## ilm121209 (Jul 23, 2013)

you don't have to use hollyrock or even limestone. regular river rock, slate, or even anything you find a local Creek will work fine if you clean it properly.

I would shoot for about 20. Maybe 23. as long as you have enough filtration. you should have at least two females for every male. But the more females the better, especially if you are hoping for them to breed.

they will all grow to full size as long as you keep the water parameters good. The old wives tale about fish not getting to full size because of the aquarium is wrong. It is because once they get larger the water quality diminishes very quickly. if you can keep the water quality great, they will all grow to full size and be very healthy


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

Ihsaan - we need the correct dimensions of the tank to offer proper stocking advice. Length x Width x Height.


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## Michael_M (May 31, 2012)

This tank is an accident waiting to happen if you ask me. Melanochromis too aggressive for the tank size, eyebiters too aggressive and too large. The tank is also neither all male or harems, in between just ends up with dead females and dead extra males.

The red zebra's and albino socolofi should work out IF this is a 4x18xY. I would get more of these two species and add a 3rd species; not a melanochromis. You want 4 females to every male minimum. About 20 fish total is fine.


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## Ihsaan (Sep 10, 2013)

Guys, thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

Michael, i here what you say, but i havent found the melanchromis to be aggressive at all ? 
the eyebiters as well, one of them is a little bigger than the other 2 and he kinda bullies them now and again but nothing compared to the issue i have with the RZ's.

In any event, taking into account what you guys are saying.

get rid of melanchromis? (-3)
get more female RZ's (6 females for the 2 males) = 12
get rid of Eye biters (-3)
get more females Socolofi (3 for the one male) = 4
add perhaps Yellow Labs as the other species? = 1 male and 3 females

Total = 20

Amcvettec, i will def be posting exact dimensions later on.


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## Michael_M (May 31, 2012)

The aggression ramps up significantly as they grow larger, especially when they decide they want to spawn. My Mrs recently attempted maingano a less aggressive melanochromis than the ones you currently own in a tank of similar dimensions. While the first 9 months were smooth sailing she ended up taking them out at the 12 month mark due to increasingly frequent problems.

You are making a wise decision if you change the tank as you outlined; saving yourself alot of potential and likely trouble later and getting a much easier to look after tank. Much easier to enjoy it when its all working nicely too!


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## Michael_M (May 31, 2012)

As an additional note, you may want to consider changing the aquascape to better accommodate mbuna. Some boulder type rocks would be excellent to help provide more distinct territory for the males and refuges for females. I also find they enjoy digging around sand on the bottom and it is quite interesting behaviour to watch and for me that is reason enough to not consider gravel anymore.

I'm sure you could still work the driftwood in.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What are the correct dimensions again? Not liters.


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## kathyryan (Sep 13, 2013)

Can I just ask what species the fish named "fish 2" please


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