# New here..



## JPD (Sep 22, 2008)

Hey everybody, as the title says, I'm new here. I've got 6 small African Cichlids in a 10 gallon, that are about to be switched over to a 29 gallon(probably this weekend).

If anybody has any advice, let me know. I'm still kinda new to this, though, my fiancee's dad is an expert with cichlids(he has many tanks at his home). And, he has been giving me advice.

Here are some pics...








That's Bumblebee(my favorite), Dot(the newest), and Princess(I think, the only female in the tank).


















Princess in the center. Stripes, and Kenny on the sides.


















A good shot of Dot.









The little orange guy is Krush.



















Also, this isn't really the place, but, for anyone that cares, once I switch them to the 29g tank, I'm going to get a female Betta, some tiger barbs, and a couple cory catfish for the 10g.

Thanks.

JPD


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

I would wait off on the 29 and go straight to a MUCH bigger tank. I would say 55-75 minimum. Bumble bee's (ps, crabro)can get to be 8 inches in length and are very agressive. You have a female auratus in there, they are also very agressive fish. The spotted one is an OB zebra, they can be very agressive. You have a kenyi female in there as well, very agressive. The other may be a rusty?? Your tank is headed for disaster. I would either get a much bigger tank, or return them all. There isnt much you can do with a 29 gallons if your trying to keep african cichlids.


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

I largely agree with bac3492.

In my opinion you have the three top three most aggressive mbuna in that tank: auratus, kenyi, and bumblebee. People often have difficulty keeping even a single specimen of any one of these even in 55 gallon tanks.

There are however a few smaller more peaceful species of mbuna that would be ok in a 29 gallon called dwarf mbuna such as the pseudotropheus saulosi: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1

Its not fun to tell people bad news but its probably even harder for you to hear it. Your fish right now are most likely getting along fine, they are still small but as they grow so will their aggression particularly when in a breeding mood. Its kind of like how children fight on the playground with fists and states fight with jet bombers.


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## Gibbs (Apr 21, 2008)

Bigger tank, 6 foot would be best.
What are the dimension of the 29G


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

Hello JPD, welcome to Cichlid-forum.com!

I hope the expert advice you received wasn't that these fish are going to be ok in a 29 gallon. As everyone has stated, nothing less than a 75 gallon is suitable for these species. A 29 gallon just doesn't satisfy the territorial needs of hyper-aggressive mbuna such as the ones you have.

It's also a bit premature to decide the sex of the _M. auratus_. Juvenile males and females all look alike; it could be months before a male changes colour.

I would suggest having a look through our LIBRARYand read some the great articles on these fish and how they should be kept. If you're serious about keeping mbuna, I would start with a 55 gallon minimum and add species that will be a little less challenging.


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## jb1edlover (Mar 21, 2005)

Wow, that is the biggest 10 gallon tank I've ever seen.... unless those are fry...
I agree with everyone else, mostly. I've seen those types of fish work in a 55 gallon before but you must have plenty of rock or hiding spots for the fish, sometimes a crowed tank is a good thing because it can ease some aggression. That being said, bigger is better..... in this case. I'd go for at least a 75 gallon if not a 125. Those fish are going to get big and get big quick.
JB


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## sirmo (Sep 9, 2008)

If you knew why I had a friend coming over in 30 minutes to take a kenyi off my hands...You'd have never bought that thing.

opcorn:


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## Momster (Jul 1, 2008)

When I started keeping Africans I had 5 very cute Pseudotropheus Acei yellow tails and one orange thing that must have been a red zebra. Within 48 hours the orange one was gone without a trace. Those 5 yellow tails grew up very happily in their 20g long tank and multiplied to 12. They actually got along better in larger numbers, but they are very low on the agression scale. I would recomend that if you cannot get a bigger tank, switch to some "nice guy" cichlids. The info in the profiles section is just fantastic. (Before anyone yells at me, I ran an Emperor 400 on that 20gL.) Good luck, momster


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