# Does this make my butt look fat???



## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

So, I'm wondering...

I've been trying for a couple of months to get my cichlids the right weight, on average anyway... I've fed them too much, and I cut way back, and now I'm afraid maybe I'm feeding too little... I've been feeding a consistent amount for about a month or so.

Anyway, opinions appreciated!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Maybe the blueberry but the rest look OK to me. That's a lot of fish and quite a mix...maybe the blueberry can't compete?


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

He's right up there in the chow line, and he seems to eat quite a bit... feces look normal. I'll keep an eye on him, he might have something else going on... There are a couple more his size or larger that didn't show up in the video; they were in the "caves" in the back. Green Afra, Red Zebra I don't think made an appearance... there are currently 3 holding females, too... but yes, it's always on the verge of chaos. I set the tank up from above with "compartments" so the larger fish can have their own territories... bought these fish between 6-10 months ago before I started really learning about what I should be doing. And the "fry explosion" is pretty obvious, too. They're getting pretty big.
If I had it to do over again, I would pick one of the cookie cutter combos off the forum...  But I have them now, so I do what I can to make it work.
The feeding is always a balancing act. There are also 2 Raphael catfish and a large Pleco. The pleco doesn't get enough food for sure, and when I started trying to drop wafers for him specifically, one of the Raphs got to them and got so swollen I literally thought he was dead and bloated! I'm going to move the Pleco back with my Koi... he did better there... anyway, thanks for the input!


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

They look pretty good to me.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What are the dimensions of the tank and what is the stocklist? You may need to make some changes to make it work.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

It's a standard 75 gallon, 4ft x 18" x 20" tall.

Honestly, my stock list is _so _all over the map, I would be a fool to think there is much chance of this working long term... Which is why, for now, I've gone crazy with at least 10 complete line of sight breaks with broken pieces of black marble tile, all the driftwood, plants, holey rock, petrified wood, and caves...

I currently have 4, maybe 5, females holding right now, and as you can see, my fry survival rate awhile back was too high! (Raphael catfish keep it down now, although I just noticed a survivor the other day...) Most of the smaller yellow/orange fish are hybrids; so I can't rehome those...

With the exception of the fry which are younger, these fish have been together between 6 to 10 months. As you can see, the fish are in pretty good shape... so far, so good... saving for a 180 or larger, but it's going to be awhile.

So, buckle up! here is my stock list...

Qty	proper scientific name	Sex
1	Melanochromis Auratus	female
1	Metriaclima lombardoi	female
1	Metriaclima Callainos OB	male
1	Metriaclima Callainos	male
1	Psuedotropheus Demasoni	male?
1	Aulonocara stuartgranti	female
1	Psuedotropheus Elongatus Likoma mix	male
1	Metriaclima sp. Mbweca	male
1	Metriaclima Greshakei mix	female
3	mix johanni/red zebra (1.5")	unsexed
8	mix yellow lab/red zebra (1.5 - 2.5")	unsexed
1	mix green afra/grashekai (1/2")	unsexed
1	Psuedotropheus Johanni	female
1	Psuedotropheus Johanni	male
1	Metriaclima estherae OB	male
1	Pundamilia nyereri	male
1	? Petco Red peacock mix	male
1	Labidochromis sp Hongi SRT	male
1	Metriaclima estherae	male
1	Cynotilapia sp. Hara	male
1	Labidochromis sp Mbamba	female
1	Labidochromis caeruleus	female
1	Labidochromis caeruleus	female
1	? Petco greshakei mix	female
1	? Petco Elongatus Likoma mix	female?
1	? Petco Metriaclima estherae OB	male
1	Platydorus Armatulus (catfish)	?
1	Platydorus Armatulus (catfish)	?
1	Plecostamus (catfish)	?
38


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## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

I count 35 cichlids which is kind of crazy considering their sizes. I think people will disagree with me on this, but I say roll with what you have and remove problem fish as needed because there is no point in trying to alter this mix.

If you want a good compatible (recommended) tank I'd select 4 species and get rid of the rest and increase the numbers of the fish you keep to 5 to 6 individuals - female heavy.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Yes, Chester B, with the 12 fry that have survived, I now have 35 cichlids! 

5 of them are what I'd consider "large"; 5 inches. The 12 fry are 2.5" or less. The rest are between 3 to 4 inches.

I bought some at Petco. Only 12 fish were bought "pure" from a reputable vendor... So here I am - love them all. No way I'm going to kill them unless I have no other choice.

And from what I've learned here, I shouldn't rehome them (known hybrids or suspected hybrid from the "mixed cichlid tanks" at Petco) either... 

So, I just try to make it work and keep them healthy; which is why I did this post. Feeding is a real balancing act with this crew! Feeding too much keeps them mellower, it's a fact. And feeding too much started bloat in the tank, and I don't want to go through that again, even though they all came out of it.

So, that's why I did the video. I believe I've finally come close to the right amount of how much I feed, and I do one day/week with peas only. It's hard to "average" their weights and get a healthy balance with 35 cichlids, to be sure... :roll: And just because I think they look healthy doesn't mean others think they look healthy, so I do value the opinions!

But yes, at this point, I'm going to roll with it, and maybe I'll keep the peace until I get a larger tank... which I WILL get eventually! opcorn:

Thanks again!


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