# new to forum and new to hobby



## freirefishing (Jul 31, 2008)

new to the hobby about 1 month in now...and i love it

i have 3 electric yellow and 3 orange african cichlids (juveniles) and 4 red tail sharks

i have a 35 gallon tank with 60 gallon worth of filtration.

i have been testing the water about every other day, which i think is fun to do anyways plus beneficial. *** been reading alot on this forum,and am not sure if the mix i have will work out in the long run. im already looking to upgrade to a bigger tank,lol

any tips,ideas,or probs that i may run into please let me know.

im 30 years of age,been an avid hunter and fisherman my whole life (catch and release) :thumb:

i put as much effort into my tank as i do my dog(and i love my dog)....but i dont want to run into a problem down the road with my mix if its going to be a problem.

the cichlids are juvies 1 inch long.....and they all get along well,even sharing the same caves with the sharks

i went into the lfs store the other day,and saw for the first time some tropheus dobois(spelling)....they were beautiful all black with white spots...but was bummed to learn that they loose there appearance with age


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

Congratulations, it sounds like you are eager to learn and enjoy your aquarium.
Welcome to the hobby and to this forum. :thumb: 


> I've been reading alot on this forum,and am not sure if the mix i have will work out in the longrun.


I would post some pics on the "unidentified" section so you have the appropriate names for your fish. :wink: 
Not that we get totally _scientific_ around here, it's just that sometimes the label at the lfs is misleading.
I'd assume the "electric yellows" are labidochromis caeruleus aka "yellow labs", but the "orange african cichlids" need identifying.
If you truely have red tailed sharks, there may be many negative comments about your current mix. :-?



> im already looking to upgrade to a bigger tank,lol


Again, welcome to the club, my friend, welcome to the club. :lol:
Alicem


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## kingpoiuy (Jun 9, 2008)

Sounds like the orange is a Red Zebra. They are often put togather but shouldn't be put together because they can cross breed.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1730

Metraclima Estherae


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## freirefishing (Jul 31, 2008)

the red tail sharks are about 2 inches long right now, black body red tail,little whiskers hanging off the front...at the lfs the label said red tail sharks...they dont seem vicious at all at least not yet.they dont feed on any floating flakes or pellets. they just feed of the bottom.

i definately will learn my scientific names which is way cooler anyways,lol...and definately post some picks.

the orange cichlids are all orange,and real cute to. some have a little black along the top of the fins.

i garden as well and was amazed to learn how related fish and plants are in certain ways....i wish i had started this umpteen years ago

*** read about some masacres on here,and want to have a happy stress free community like me.

probably wasnt a good idea for the 2 different types of cichlids to be mixed and bythe sounds of it the red tails as well. im all about colors and am amazed by the saltwater species.
so i want to get togeather a community of cichlids that can showsome colors and characteristics as well. thanks for the replys i was waiting to here from somebody.

ill be definately checking the forum out just about everyday.

paul


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

Well, you have to start somewhere and we are glad you are here!
If you are willing to do some research, the "Library" on this forum has some great articles and a cookie cutter section for aquarium communities.
The "Profiles" section can help you identify your cichlids.
You can click on kingpoiuy's link and see if that is your orange african cichlid. :thumb:

Some important specifics you will be asked about are: what is the pH, GH and KH of your tap water and in your aquarium.
Also, you will be quizzed on what your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are.
If you don't have a test kit, you'll want to invest in one. 
Most people say to avoid the test strips and go with the "drop and test tube" types.
Some have the lfs test their water, but they can be unreliable and not available right when you need to know.
Get your own tests, regardless of type, not just for this forum, but for your own personal information.
hth
Alicem


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

I googled "red tailed shark" and found a bunch of opinions about red tailed sharks.


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## freirefishing (Jul 31, 2008)

http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x38/ ... C01350.jpg
http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x38/ ... C01348.jpg
http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x38/ ... C01349.jpg
http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x38/ ... C01351.jpg
http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x38/ ... C01354.jpg
http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x38/ ... C01356.jpg
http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x38/ ... C01355.jpg

i put some picks up and let me know what you think about that red tail shark and cichlid mix...they all seem happy togeather sharing a little treasure chest together. im going to get some rock slabs and build some archs for them this weekend.

already looking to get a bigger tank and its only been a couple of months for me..lol


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

Good looking fish! When I first started out I had a 29 with some mixed mbunas and sharks (rainbow). I noticed a few things: 1) The mbunas can tolerate a bit more ammonia (0ppm is always best  ) where as the sharks are very sensitive and dies off quickly. 2) as the mbuna matured the sharks became punching bags and were killed.

I was bummed because the shark behavior was a nice mix with the mbuna.

The red tail is related but is not exactly the same and more agressive so results may vary.


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## Gibbs (Apr 21, 2008)

G'day mate, welcome to the forum

Both the yellow labs and red zebra will outgrow that tank eventually. The red zebra will grow fast and get very agressive.

For that size tank i would consider a single species colony of about 6 or 7 Ps. Saulosi consisting of only 1 or 2 males the rest females. Saulosi are a dwarf mbuna that only grow to about 4" and have a temperament better then most others. For this reason they seem do well in smaller tanks. Obviously bigger is better in any case.

Just a quick tip. The less colour you have in you tank in regards to your decor the better your fish look and they will stand out very well. "Mbuna" literally translates to "rock fish", This being their natural surroundings, they prefer alot of rock work for hiding from agressive males and setting up spawning areas.

Good luck :thumb:


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Welcome to the group. I'm sure you're gonna learn alot from it and love every minute of it. I've always loved hunting and fishing too but I don't release lol unless they're to small :wink: . I just catch what I want to eat. 
I'm about a year into fish keeping now (mainly malawi cichlids) and have fish fever :roll: . I started out with a 55g. tank then pulled a little 1.5g. out of the closet for an emerency hospital tank. I now use it for fry. Then I got a 10g. tank for the fry to grow out in. Then I found a free 29g. tank, stand, filter and lots of extras on freecycle.org. Now I'm looking for another 29g. tank because the stand will hold 2 and trying to find a 5ft. tank to exactly fit the wall the 55g. tank is on. Of course the 55g. will have to get squeezed in somewhere when I do find a 5ft. tank :wink: . It's like potato chips...you can't have just one lol.
Good luck to you and congrats on finding this group. It's sooooo helpful. :thumb:


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## algae eater (Jul 29, 2008)

Nice looking tank. Get some background paper at your lfs and it will improve the looks alot. Just measure your height and width of the tank and check out the paper they have to offer.


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

good start, i find that with young fish,if they grow up together the weirdest of combinations can live in harmony until old age creeps in and they die. A buddy that i work with kept a yellow lab and a green spotted puffer together, they're now about two years old and get along great. Yes puffers need salt in their tanks (brackish water) but labs are tough enough to tolerate small changes in salinity.

So, you should be alright with temperment, but eventually you'll need more space. by the way red tail sharks can have growth spurts, its weird.


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