# Help - New to Cichlids



## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

I am new to the site and new to cichlids. I have a 55 gallon octagon shaped aquarium with a SunSun HW-404B 5-Stage External Canister Filter w/ 9W UV Sterilizer, 525 gph 175-200 gal filtration system, along with 2 bubble strips running. The water, temperature and tank setup are great. I have 3 Texas holey rock structures as well as a large, holey twisted roots decoration, and live plants. The temp is 78. Good substrate. There are 2 pictus catfish already in the tank. Over a two week period of time I added the following baby/juvenile cichlids. I am feeding them once a day. They seem to be thriving well. Any other recommendations or suggestions?

1 archocentrahus nigrofasciatus
2 thorichthys meeki
2 pseudotropheus sp.
3 labidochromis caeruleus
2 melanochromis auratus
3 pseudotropheus socolofi
3 lodotropheus sprengarae
2 cyphotilapia frontosa
3 pseudotropheus crabro
2 pseudotropheus johanni
2 julidochromis transcriptus


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## Biciclid (Jan 27, 2016)

You may be in for some trouble... You have primarily carnivores from central america (firemouth and convict) and Tanganyca (Julies) together with mbunas that are omnivores but mostly vegetarian and some of them amongst the meanest fish ever put in aquaria (particularly the crabro/johanni/auratus) that as soon as they grow will probably stress/kill the others first then each other) I hope the small octagonal tank will not turn out like the octagonal rings they used for cage fighting years ago...


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

Biciclid; How would you organize the fish? I have multiple aquariums.


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## Biciclid (Jan 27, 2016)

I am no great expert so hopefully others will chip in, but I would start by separating the americans (convicts and firemouth) in a tank with sand and wood, maybe for now even a 75 cm long tank will be enough. Then I would put the Tanganykans in another (julies and the Frontosa, the latter can grow massive). The remaining are all mbuna from Lake malawi so in theory compatible but the problem will be those 3 I mentioned that are known to be the most belligerant species in that lake
I would probably get rid of the auratus (gets dull as they grow) and crabro (gets dull as they grow and grows big). That leaves you with the johanni (at least it looks good) lets hope the others learn to keep out of its way.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

Biciclid: Thank you for the feedback!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

pmorgan1829 said:


> Any other recommendations or suggestions?


1 archocentrahus nigrofasciatus separate tank for new world cichlids
2 thorichthys meeki separate tank for new world cichlids
2 pseudotropheus sp. what is the species?
3 labidochromis caeruleus Lake Malawi tank, what are the dimensions of your octagon?
2 melanochromis auratus Lake Malawi tank 48x18 rectangle or larger, stock 1m:7f
3 pseudotropheus socolofi Lake Malawi tank 48x12 rectangle or larger, stock 1m:4f
3 lodotropheus sprengarae Lake Malawi tank 48x12 rectangle or larger, stock 1m:4f
2 cyphotilapia frontosa 72" tank for Lake Tanganyika cichlids
3 pseudotropheus crabro Lake Malawi tank 48x18 rectangle or larger, stock 1m:7f
2 pseudotropheus johanni Lake Malawi tank 48x18 rectangle or larger, stock 1m:7f
2 julidochromis transcriptus 72" tank for Lake Tanganyika cichlids


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

DJRansome: Thank you for your feedback!


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

DJRansome: Also, for the 2 pseudotropheus sp., I only know that they are blue acei (Msuli). Is that enough info?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes...Lake Malawi tank 48x18 rectangle or larger, stock 1m:4f


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

DJRansome: Thanks, I see I have a lot of work to do.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

I have a 36 gal bowfront tank for the fish below. However, right now they are in the 55 gal with the African cichlids. I tried my best to catch just these three juveniles and it is near impossible. Should I wait until they are larger and hopefully easier to catch? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

1 archocentrahus nigrofasciatus separate tank for new world cichlids
2 thorichthys meeki separate tank for new world cichlids


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

A 30" tank might not work for thorichthys meeki.

But to catch fish I usually just remove all décor and drain half the water (during a partial water change). That and 2 nets will make things easier.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

DJRansome: Thanks for the feedback!


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

So this is what I've come up with. Please tell me what I need to change, if anything. Thanks.

In a 36 gal tank with wood and sand:
1 archocentrahus nigrofasciatus 
2 thorichthys meeki

Safe together in 55 gal tank:
2 pseudotropheus sp. 
3 labidochromis caeruleus
3 pseudotropheus socolofi
3 lodotropheus sprengarae
2 pseudotropheus johanni

Do I need a separate tank or can I keep in 55 gal:
2 cyphotilapia frontosa 
2 julidochromis transcriptus

Do I need to get rid of?:
2 melanochromis auratus 
3 pseudotropheus crabro


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I am assuming the 55G you reference is not the octagon you reference, but a 48x12 rectangle.



pmorgan1829 said:


> So this is what I've come up with. Please tell me what I need to change, if anything. Thanks.
> 
> In a 36 gal tank with wood and sand:
> 1 archocentrahus nigrofasciatus
> ...


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

I'm not good at this so I'll just describe my tank. It's a corner unit that has 3 sides in the front - sort of like stop sign with a triangle shape in the back. It measures 48 deep x 38 wide x 23 long. Does that make sense?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

How tall? And you say it is 55G?

Usually "long" or "wide" is side to side.
"Deep" is front to back.
"Tall" is top to bottom.

This may not be a good tank for African cichlids...depending on the length x width dimensions.

Do you have any tanks other than the octagon and the 36G bowfront?


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

Side to side is 38"
Deep is 48"
Tall is 23"

I have a 125 gallon tank and am getting a 60 gal and/or a 75 gal.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

Also these dimensions are for the 55 gal octagon tank


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would only put the labs and the rusties in the 38 inch tank.

So which fish are you keeping for the 125G (72x18) and the 75G (48x18)?

What are the dimensions of the 60G you are considering?


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

DJRansome: The 60G Tank: 12.75 in L x 48.5 in W x 25 in H

The 125G already has fish in it. 5 silver dollars, 1 angel, 1 mono sebae, 1 african leaf fish, 1 ghost knife fish, 4 rainbowfish, 2 twig catfish, 2 butterfly loaches and 2 clown loaches.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

So then in order to decide what fish you can keep you have to decide what tank you are going to buy and when.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

Yes, I have some work to do. I did find a buyer for the 1 archocentrahus nigrofasciatus	, 2 thorichthys meeki and the 2 melanochromis auratus. I need to move the frontosa to a larger tank once I get it.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

For frontosa you want a 72" tank.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

DJRansome: As he grows larger, I will move him to a 55gal for now, but my plans are to get a 75 gallon later on. Someone just donated a 55 gal to me so I'm hoping I have luck with a 75 as well. Research is what I should have done first instead of being on the panic end. After I get all of this together, it will be nice to focus on a completely finished project.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

DJRansome: I just noticed that you said 72" tank, not 72G tank. What size tank would that be? Will a 75G tank be large enough?


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## LXXero (May 4, 2016)

pmorgan1829 said:


> DJRansome: I just noticed that you said 72" tank, not 72G tank. What size tank would that be? Will a 75G tank be large enough?


72" tank is a 125, 180, 210.

if the fish need length, then a 48" 75G is not enough.


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## iamoraal (Sep 5, 2016)

Curently I have a single 5" convict in a mixed cichlid tank. Like you I'm a newbie, and I inherited all of my lager fish; 2"++ when I bought my used tank setup. Not sure what they all are. Since getting this I added 15 small juveniles. I have lots of hiding spots. It's been a week now and I don't think I've lost a single one. What I have read is that with multiple males you need to look for aggression so at some point I may have to move them. But for now, I am enjoying the diversity in size, character, and colour of my fish.

My understanding and limited experience is that you can keep a single convict with malawis and mbunas. 8) So you may not have to move it. It's one of my favourites.

Here's a vid of my tank:
Irvin.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

iamoraal: thanks for the feedback. What are the blue fish with the yellow fins called?


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## iamoraal (Sep 5, 2016)

I think they are Acei. The Pseudotropheus Acei originates from the Northwestern coast of Lake Malawi from Bandawe Point to Ngara in Zambia, Africa. They have a long slender blue body with striking yellow fins. There is little to differentiate males from females, other than the males bear egg spots on the back edge of the anal fin.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

I just wanted to make sure I had identified mine correctly. I have 2 but like you said, I can't tell whether they are male or female.


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Yes, they are Pseudotropheus acei, and the "Egg Spots" are not an indication of male or female. I have females in my tanks with egg spots.


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## pmorgan1829 (Sep 12, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback!


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