# New to African Cichlids



## mychel0620 (Aug 5, 2013)

Hi! I was looking for some advice on species compatibility for Mbunas. My husband and I have set up 2- 55 gallon tanks. One for tropical community and one for african cichlids. We were given 2 juvenile apistos, who incorrectly said they were africans, from a friend. The LFS identified them for us and said they were ok to stay in the community tank.

I've done some research before we decided on africans. LFS recommended a cichlid ph buffer salt to raise it some. Out of the tap, the water was 7.6. The buffer got it 8.2. I had read that crushed coral was a good way to raise ph as well. is one preferable over the other for cichlids?

We bought 3 mbunas and want to get more soon. Should be wait a certain amount of time since this is a newly set up tank? The lady that sold us the 3 recommended starting with a smaller # since it was a new set up. But I also had read you want to introduce them all one time if possible. So i'm a little confused on that.

i'll get some pics up later, but I BELIEVE what I have are juvenile Red Zebra, Yellow Lab and a Powder Blue. The red zebra has 2 egg spots on the anal fin. They are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long.

Are the 3 we have compatible? I'm reading mixed opinions on this subject. If so, what others would be relatively good to add? Thanks for any advice!


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

I don't tinker with my pH so I can't advise on that. My water out of the tap is 7.6 and I leave it that way. Were the tanks cycled before adding fish? What are your water parameters - Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate?

Mbuna are harem breeders so you will want to stock with 1M:4-5F per species. When buying juveniles the trick is to buy 8-10 and remove extra males as they mature. The way to identify sex in the species that you have is to vent them because males & females look the same and egg spots are unreliable.

The 3 species you have should be compatible but there is a high risk of crossbreeding between Red Zebras and Yellow Labs. If you don't save fry, then it's not a big worry. I would stick with these 3 species and add more of each to get to the right harem numbers. A 55g tank (assuming it's the standard 48" long) will support territory for 3 breeding groups.


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## mychel0620 (Aug 5, 2013)

ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were zero when checked yesterday. Thank you for the advice. I'm posting pics now. The blue one i'm not 100% sure which species it is. The tank was labled "assorted africans." I had read enough to remember the Bumblebee and Auratus were highly aggressive so I avoided those.


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

try not to get cichlids from the assorted african tanks due to the fat that most of the time they re hybrids. If you go to sponsor's at the top of this forum it has sponsors and some sell african cichlids. Those are probably better and you know that u don't have a hybrid. Also since its a 55 stick with those three species and get more females around 4-5 for each male for each species and you should be set. African cichlids will give you plenty of entertainment good luck.


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## mychel0620 (Aug 5, 2013)

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## mychel0620 (Aug 5, 2013)




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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

Your blue cichlid is actually a kenyi by the way note the 4 stripes. also its a female males are a yellow color.


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## mychel0620 (Aug 5, 2013)

Thanks. I wasn't sure on the blue one. That's what I get picking from an "assorted" tank.


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

No biggie, i used to pick from the assorted tank, and i got a brown cichlid that i never identified. keep us updated on the tank and new additions. You also could get a bristlenose pleco for algae and cleaning the glass, love them.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Welcome to C-F!!!

I would hazard a guess that your tank is not cycled properly due to the Nitrate reading of Zero. Please don't add any additional fish at this time and keep a close eye on the Ammonia, as you may see a spike in it.

I wouldn't mess with adjusting the pH of your water as it is fine though I would consider investing in a KH test kit for alkalinity.

What brand and model filtration are you using on this tank?


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## NestoJR (Sep 13, 2012)

Just wanted to repeat what others have said, i wouldn't try adjusting the ph with buffers or any chemicals. Your water is close to 7.8 and you could use crushed coral as you've said or other rocks that would bring up the ph. Its better to provide them a stable ph than try to mess with it, which could cause stress.


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## mychel0620 (Aug 5, 2013)

it's a marineland penguin 350 biowheel. 
You know my husband and I had aquariums years ago and did the typical "buy a tank, throw some fish in and go" . We did lose fish initially and I never understood why. This time around, we did almost the same thing, but now understand (after the fact) why the nitrogen cycle is so important. I read the same thing over and over, the pet store didn't explain any of this and they find out when things start to go wrong by going on forums to get advice. 
With my African cichlid tank, if the ammonia starts to spike do I need to be adding anything to the water, or do daily partial water changes? Thanks!


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

n the beginning you could use additives but now i think i would do 25% water changes weekly.


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## bobbo268 (Jul 5, 2013)

mychel0620, I'd really like to see pics of your entire tank. I too just started a tank, only a 29 gallon though. I jumped my cycle early as well, but in about 6 weeks (using a couple hardy tropical fish) my ammonia and nitrites were 0 and nitrates are about 10ppm. So now i'm ready and have 3 random fish. 1 female kenyi, yellow lab and gold mbuna. So far they get along, so I hope that lasts. But back to your tank, looks good so far, hang in there and wait for that cycle to complete. I bought a bag of BioMax ceramic media to speed up the bio process/cycle and i think it helped, you can always throw that in your filter as well.


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## mychel0620 (Aug 5, 2013)

This is pre-fish. I still need to add more rocks. I'm seeing what we have locally at the landscape supply that won't mess with ph. I have a few cichlid caves in the back buried in the gravel.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

If the Ammonia rises above Zero, I recommend 40% water changes and add the proper amount of 'dechlor' product. Or you can purchase a bacterial cycling product and follow the directions.


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