# Mixed Tank need help.



## Electricyellow3 (Nov 11, 2017)

So I have had these fish for almost a year now and I'm wanting to separate them to keep down hostility. I bought them off of a friend that was moving so I did not intentionally buy this mix. I have a peacock cichlid, firemouth, 2 pink convicts, kenyi, electric blue acara, electric yellow, red zebra. My goal is to put them with the best tank mates. Would it be wise to put the convicts, firemouth, blue acara, yellow lab, red zebra together in one tank and then put the peacock and kenyi together and add some more peacocks? Any input is helpful. They have been pretty good with each other except I believe there is some jealousy going on. The lab is going for the zebra to try and mate and the kenyi is getting upset. Today the red zebra and kenyi were lip locking which I'm assuming they were fighting. Thanks for the help.


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## Cyphro (Mar 23, 2018)

Pretty much none of them are very compatible together. The kenyi, yellow lab and red zebra all have yellow females. The kenyi are also very aggressive, much too aggressive for the peacocks unless there's a lot of other fish in there.

Firemouth and pink convict just don't belong with any of these tank mates and the convicts are a crappy fish because they will endlessly breed and no one will want the offspring. I would get rid of all those completely and probably the red zebra and yellow lab. Yellow lab if it is a good one looks nice but being yellow they are incompatible with a whole lot of nice looking fish. Same with the red zebra.

So it is kind of a mess really.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Electricyellow3 said:


> So I have had these fish for almost a year now and I'm wanting to separate them to keep down hostility. I bought them off of a friend that was moving so I did not intentionally buy this mix. I have a peacock cichlid, firemouth, 2 pink convicts, kenyi, electric blue acara, electric yellow, red zebra. My goal is to put them with the best tank mates. Would it be wise to put the convicts, firemouth, blue acara, yellow lab, red zebra together in one tank and then put the peacock and kenyi together and add some more peacocks? Any input is helpful. They have been pretty good with each other


If your set on keeping most of these fish, I think you would be better off upgrading to a larger tank. Maybe something like a 6 ft. 125 gal. If your going to separate your stock into 2 tanks, you still need two 4 ft. tanks. It is not at all a given that the main hostilities will arise between different types of cichlids...... more likely it's the opposite: the more similar, the more likely to encounter aggression problems. That said, any cichlid can come into conflict over position in the pecking order, especially for dominance in the tank.
Some peacocks are not so mellow/wimpy and can hang with a tougher crowd, though many won't do well with mbuna. It's going to depend on the individual as well as the type. OB peacock is a hybrid fish that likely has some mbuna ancestory. It's often a lot tougher and aggressive and is more likely to do well with mbuna then some other types of peacocks, though it's going to depend on the individual and specific situation.
The new worlds you have are convict, firemouth, EBA. IME convicts will do fine with aggressive tankmates and may very well fit and get along better with these, then other new worlds. Firemouth , it's going to be very hit and miss. Pretty good chance, long term, it won't do so well with these sorts of tankmates. Blue acara, even less of a chance. The only thing the firemouth and blue acara might have going for them, is they are different enough they may not receive a lot of attention if there are enough fish in the tank and lot's else going on. Then again, in a rough atmosphere, convicts may very well end up bullying them.
Like just about any cichlid tank, eventually something is likely to have to be removed. An aggressor or a bullied fish. "If they have been good with each other", then I would continue on until you need to make a change.


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## morrismorris (Mar 21, 2017)

Cyphro said:


> Pretty much none of them are very compatible together. The kenyi, yellow lab and red zebra all have yellow females. The kenyi are also very aggressive, much too aggressive for the peacocks unless there's a lot of other fish in there.
> 
> Firemouth and pink convict just don't belong with any of these tank mates and the convicts are a crappy fish because they will endlessly breed and no one will want the offspring. I would get rid of all those completely and probably the red zebra and yellow lab. Yellow lab if it is a good one looks nice but being yellow they are incompatible with a whole lot of nice looking fish. Same with the red zebra.
> 
> So it is kind of a mess really.


I thought male kenyi turn yellow, not the female.


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## Electricyellow3 (Nov 11, 2017)

BC in SK said:


> Electricyellow3 said:
> 
> 
> > So I have had these fish for almost a year now and I'm wanting to separate them to keep down hostility. I bought them off of a friend that was moving so I did not intentionally buy this mix. I have a peacock cichlid, firemouth, 2 pink convicts, kenyi, electric blue acara, electric yellow, red zebra. My goal is to put them with the best tank mates. Would it be wise to put the convicts, firemouth, blue acara, yellow lab, red zebra together in one tank and then put the peacock and kenyi together and add some more peacocks? Any input is helpful. They have been pretty good with each other
> ...


Thank you for the advice. I definitely don't want to get rid of any of them. They are family lol the two convicts I have paired up and they keep to themselves mainly. Don't ever have any issues with them. Same with the blue acara. She pretty much gets along with everyone. These were all purchased as small juveniles so they grew up together. I know that may not matter. I just want to be able to lower any possible aggression the best way. That's why I was going to get another 60g to split them up. Just wanted s the best possible match without getting rid of any of them.mainly it's just the yellow lab chasing the red zebra then doing its shimmy in front of it.


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## Electricyellow3 (Nov 11, 2017)

Cyphro said:


> Pretty much none of them are very compatible together. The kenyi, yellow lab and red zebra all have yellow females. The kenyi are also very aggressive, much too aggressive for the peacocks unless there's a lot of other fish in there.
> 
> Firemouth and pink convict just don't belong with any of these tank mates and the convicts are a crappy fish because they will endlessly breed and no one will want the offspring. I would get rid of all those completely and probably the red zebra and yellow lab. Yellow lab if it is a good one looks nice but being yellow they are incompatible with a whole lot of nice looking fish. Same with the red zebra.
> 
> So it is kind of a mess really.


Well I can't just get rid of them. I don't believe in just getting rid of animals because they may not get along. I'm find a way to make them work in the long run. Like I said they have been fine so far just want to prevent anything in the future. Also what do you mean the females are yellow? I thought yellow labs are yellow even if male or female and the Red zebra is orange in color. The lab always dances and shakes in front of the zebra as they go in circles then he chases it. I don't think they are both female.


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