# Somewhat new to fishkeeping, Cichlid Questions



## Koaxke (Aug 24, 2014)

Hi everyone,

My brother has kept a fish tank for the past two years that I've occasionally helped take care of. He just went off to college, and I have been put in charge of taking care of everything. He has a pretty nice setup, which I will post a picture of at the bottom, but most of his fish died off over the last 6 months or so. He was increasingly busy and just never replaced any fish so he's down to about four now. I've always loved cichlids, so I've been reading a bunch of the articles on this site and others, but I figured I'd post what I'm planning on doing and y'all can give me some pointers so I start off as best as I can!

So the tank is a 90 gallon tank that has a Fluval 406 canister filter (I've been told this is pretty good, confirm/deny?) with two silvertip tetras, one head and tail light tetra, one bleeding heart tetra, and a bushynose pleco. As you can see in the photo, I have gravel for substrate, and have some fake plants, a rock or two, and some driftwood in there for decorations. From what I've read, this is maybe a decent tank for some Lake Malawi cichlids? If I'm wrong on that, please correct me.

I've looked at a couple of the recommended species for beginners and do kind of like Labidochromis caeruleus, Pseudotropheus saulosi, and Labeotropheus trewavasae. I really like the vibrantly colored cichlids! Do y'all have any other recommendations? 

Would these be suitable to go into the tank that I have at the moment? I've read that I need to keep at least two females per male with the mbunas. Also, as far as crowding goes, what are some good fish to crowd with?

Alright, I feel like that's a decent OP, but I'm sure I'll have other questions that come up!

Without further ado, here is a picture of the aquarium:


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## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

Any Malawi cichlids will kill almost all of his existing fish. If your brother is attached to these, I wouldn't recommend adding them at all.


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## Koaxke (Aug 24, 2014)

rennsport2011 said:


> Any Malawi cichlids will kill almost all of his existing fish. If your brother is attached to these, I wouldn't recommend adding them at all.


The only thing he is somewhat attached to is the pleco, so I'm not terribly worried about it. Would they kill the pleco too, or just the other fish?

Also, does that mean there are other African cichlids from different lakes that wouldn't kill them?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Koaxke said:


> Would they kill the pleco too


Especially since it is already established, chances are, it would probably do fine.
Though there are a few people that have had problems trying to house plecos with mbuna, so you can never say for sure.


Koaxke said:


> Also, does that mean there are other African cichlids from different lakes that wouldn't kill them?


Possibly.
In a 90 gal., kribensis or other _Pelvicachromis_ would probably co-exist with those tetras. I would even think a breeding pair would do OK with these fish, though there is definitely no guarantee of that. 
_Nanochromis_ or hump head cichlids (_Steatocranus_ species) would likely do fine with those tetras, if you can find these cichlids. There are probably a few others, though none that I am really familiar with. I would think _Anomalochromis thomasi_, though I have never kept them.


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## linda521dawn (Aug 12, 2014)

I have 2 plecos in with my africans and they are fine. never get messed with


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## Koaxke (Aug 24, 2014)

BC in SK said:


> Koaxke said:
> 
> 
> > Would they kill the pleco too
> ...


Iirc, kribensis are from Lake Victoria. Is my setup suitable for fish from Lake Victoria to live in?


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Koaxke said:


> Iirc, kribensis are from Lake Victoria. Is my setup suitable for fish from Lake Victoria to live in?


That would be "Rock kribensis". _Paralabidochromis sauvagei_http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2134
Most of the Victorians are fairly similar to the mbuna cichlids that you have listed in your first post, and some of these species could be mixed with mbuna dependant on which ones. They are usually fairly aggressive and would not likely mix with your tetras. Your tank is set up fine for these fish though more rocks, that form caves and hiding places would be beneficial.

What I was referring to is the common "kribensis". _Pevicachromis pulcher_http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1350 and other _Pelvicachromis_ species.
In terms of how your tank is set up with decor, it would be a closer match to how many people would set a tank up for these fish. However, that is mainly an aesthetic preference. Most cichlids do not care what there décor is made out of as long as there are sufficient hiding places and enough 'structure' to minimize aggression.


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## Koaxke (Aug 24, 2014)

So I talked to my brother, and he is more attached to the fish than I thought. What would be different kinds of cichlids that would work alright with these fish, or is that even possible to do?


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

How about buying a small tank to move his fish in to? Those could be kept in a 20g or less..and those setups are fairly cheap.
I think I would do that rather than trying to work Cichlids in around them,..especially in such a nice large tank like you have. Just a thought


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## Koaxke (Aug 24, 2014)

Ramseydog14 said:


> How about buying a small tank to move his fish in to? Those could be kept in a 20g or less..and those setups are fairly cheap.
> I think I would do that rather than trying to work Cichlids in around them,..especially in such a nice large tank like you have. Just a thought


I'd prefer to keep everything in this tank if at all possible.


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

In that case you might have to stay away from Mbuna all together. My first thought would be to start looking at..and asking questions about Malawi Peacocks, as they are much more peaceful than Mbuna. The good thing is, your tank is a nice big size for them (they get bigger and like more open water than Mbuna)..and their colors are awesome. I may be wrong about them working with your current fish,..I don't keep any peacocks, so hopefully someone else will chime in and advise you on those. I'm just speaking from what I've read


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

Try looking at some of the south american dwarf cichlids like Apistogramma, or some of the smaller west africans like Nannochromis species.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

Koaxke said:


> What would be different kinds of cichlids that would work alright with these fish,


If your also into considering South American or Central American cichlids, there are a fair number of cichlids that would work with your tetras.
The west African cichlids already mentioned: Kribensis and other _Pelvicachromis _ species, _Nanochromis _ species, Humphead cichlids (_Steatocranus_ species), _Anomalochromis thomasi_.Unfortunately, dependant on what kind of LFS you have, only kribensis are commonly available.

From South America, rams, Apistogrammas, Laetacara and other dwarves. Angelfish often do fine with these as well.
From South America, some larger cichlids such as severum, festivum and chocolate cichlid. Angelfish often do OK with these, as well.

From Central America, about the only cichlid I would recommend with those tetras would be the rainbow cichlid (_Archocentrus multispinosus_.)
I know some large adult Veija/ Paratheraps would coexist with those tetras just fine, but wouldn't be too practical for a few reasons---as young growing fish, they might eat them. And any smaller cichlid tankmates that one might consider keeping with them might not be compatible with the tetras. So, not really many options from Central America, IMO.


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