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African Cichlid Stocking Question
How Many Tropheus 4/16/08
Good Day, I have a quick question. If I stock a 55 gallon (4 foot long) tank
only Tropheus duboisii, what is the minimum number I can have in the tank?
Thanks! Eric
<To answer your question as posted-(1). If you were to ask what is the maximum
number of Tropheus you could stock in your 55 gallon, then that answer would be
depends. Tropheus are aggressive territorial herbivores. They require clean warm
alkaline water and food with lots of vegetable matter. If you only had two in
the tank then one would become dominant and constantly chase the other one
around until it was dead or nearly dead. Tropheus breeders would then jam as
many fish into a tank as possible. The idea is that the dominant fish would be
so busy chasing all the other fish around that he would not be able to focus all
his attention on just one fish. Novice Tropheus keepers make an initial mistake
by not starting off with enough fish to form a colony. These fish are very
expensive so it becomes a serious investment to start out with a big group. I
have gotten by with a group of 12 in a 40 gallon. The sex ratio was about 50/50.
If you are interested in breeding then look for one male to about 5 to 6
females. It is best to start out with a group of small individuals and let them
grow up together to establish a pecking order. I would recommend starting out
with 20 small fish. This would give you 10 of each sex. When they mature you can
eliminate overly aggressive males a settle for two to three males to the 10
females. This would let each male to set up a territory at each end of the tank.
Very cool fish, the spotted babies are always big sellers,-Chuck>
Re: African Cichlid Stocking
Question
Stocking A Tank With Tropheus duboisii II 4/17/08
Chuck, Thanks for writing. That's a lot of good information. I knew about
the ratio of 1 male to 5 or 6 females, and hoped this would be the minimum
number that I could put in my tank, and get by with.. 6-7 total fish.. Mainly
because they are $25 each! 20 of them will add up quickly. And they are awesome
looking fish as juveniles and adults, for sure. I'll have to keep looking!
Thanks again! Eric
<Another trick you could try is adding smaller species of Lake Malawi Mbuna to
the tank to add as dither. They will have the same dietary requirements as the
Tropheus and can handle the same water requirements. When the Tropheus colony
gets set up you can always remove the Mbuna.-Chuck>
Re: African Cichlid Stocking
Question 4/18/08
Getting By With As Few Tropheus As Possible
Not to be a pain, but for clarification, do you mean trying 6-7 Duboisi with a
number of smaller Mbuna ? How many Mbuna should I add? And are there any
specific types you can recommend? I'm going to continue reading, but I'm not
making much headway.
Thanks again! Eric
<If I had only a few Tropheus to play with I would fill the tank with cheap
small Mbuna. The species does not matter. It is important that the Mbuna are
smaller than the Tropheus. If the Mbuna are the larger fish then they become
dominant ones and pick on the Tropheus. When the Tropheus becomes dominant they
will pick on the smaller but faster Mbuna. This spreads the aggression
throughout the tank. By the way, I would recommend that you look online for a
cheaper Tropheus source and find a breeder near you. Check out
aquabid.com-Chuck>
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Picking New Malawi Cichlids - 4-11-08
Hi there, I'm wondering if you could help me pick out some new fishies!
For the last few years we've had an African Cichlid tank: 4 foot, around 300L
(80 gallons) with lots of rock. The fish I have currently are Ps. saulosi, Ps.
acei (Yellow-Tail) and Synodontis catfish. The saulosi have bred (a lot) and the
Synodontis have used them as a host. I would like to keep the catfish, but want
to switch from lots of little fish to a simple colony of large fish.
I want to have 1 male and maybe 5-6 females. I would like them to be suitable
hosts for the catfish and would also like for the females to
be colourful/interesting too (ie not dull and brown/grey).
I like the look of say Frontosa, but not fond of the big-ugly-lump- head thing
and I also understand I'll need something from Lake Malawi or Victoria for the
catfish. I don't particularly like Yellow Labs as they're a bit too bright if
you know what I mean. And I had some C. moori once and they look a little pale
and boring, and then there's the lump issue with them too. Something with blue
would be nice though. I'm considering venustus...but not sure about the
females... Am I too picky? Any suggestions? I've been searching and searching
but can't seem to find anything. Just need some species names...happy to do the
research on how to care for them!
< If you like the N. venustus then look at them as well as the other species of
Nimbochromis like N. livingstonii or N. polystigma. They get about 10 inches
with the males turning blue when they area breeding. All the other times they
will be some sort of mottled brown.>
Also wanted to ask about the Synodontis and in-breeding...I started with 5 and
now have over 15 (that I can see). Should I introduce
some new stock and sell some old ones, or is it not really an issue?
Thanks in advance for your help! Cheers, Monica
< Not really an issue.-Chuck>
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6 fish too many or too few? –
04/1/08
Hello, I had a few questions about stocking fish. What is a good time frame
for stocking new fish after having a bout with sickness? All seem well now in
the tank and I was hoping to be able to stock a few more fish... but I want to
see what you guys think about it since I have had some trouble with sickness
around a month ago.
<Depends on the sickness. If Ick/Whitespot for example, once treated and cured,
you can add quarantined livestock safely a few days later. But if the problem is
something like Finrot or Fungus, then you need to establish the triggering
environmental issues first. Since those diseases are often caused by
overstocking, adding yet more fish could be a very bad idea. Much the same goes
for things like Hexamita/Hole-in-the-Head. Broadly speaking then, it's a good
idea to leave an aquarium for a couple of months after problems so that you can
be sure everything has settled down.>
Also, I have a 55gal aquarium housing 6 African cichlids. How many would you
recommend in a 55? I have what I believe to be, 2 Jewels, 1 Electric Yellow, 2
Aulonocara and 1 Nimbochromis. All the fish are small except for the Electric
Yellow and he is about 4 inches.
<Well, for a start these fish probably shouldn't be combined, and long term you
could have problems. Jewel Cichlids (Hemichromis spp.) are very territorial and
need soft/acid water. The other fish are from the African Rift Valley lakes and
need hard/basic water. Yellow Labs (Labidochromis caeruleus) are boisterous but
not overly aggressive. Aulonocara spp. vary but tend to be fairly easy going in
spacious tanks. In theory at least they work well with Yellow Labs. Nimbochromis
spp. are big and potentially predatory fish, so you need to choose tankmates for
them with great care.>
I really like these fish, but I am new to them. I am feeding them a Wardley
brand Cichlid flake food and was also wondering if this is a good food choice
for them.
<If they eat it, fine. But the golden rule is VARIETY! So mix things up a
little. Cichlids will typically eat anything if they're hungry. Chopped seafood,
frozen bloodworms, tinned peas, brine shrimps, all kinds of things could be
used. Plant material, live daphnia and live brine shrimps have a useful laxative
effective on cichlids and help to prevent constipation.>
Until I had a bout with illness I would give them a treat of freeze dried
bloodworms as a treat 2 times a week until I read somewhere that it wasn't such
a good idea due to unwanted parasites and it can cause some to bloat, is this
correct?
<I personally never found any point to freeze-dried bloodworms. They're
expensive for what they are. But they should be perfectly safe. The main problem
with dried foods is bloat, or more specifically constipation. As I say, use a
variety of things to prevent this. Wet frozen foods are my favoured food items.
Safe, inexpensive, and available in a huge variety.>
Also, I saw at PetSmart, there is a product of lighting for cichlids... is this
something I should purchase? The bulbs are a little pricey and the ones I have
now are fairly new, didn't know if changing the bulbs was a thing I really NEED
to do at this point or will the regular hood bulbs that I am using be fine
health wise.
<Sounds like a racket to me. No, cichlids don't need special lights. Yes, some
colour lights will make the blues or red stand out more. But it's an optimal
effect, and nothing to do with the health of the fish. Most cichlids don't care
about whether you even have lights on the tank or not!>
Thank you for your time and love your website!
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: 6 fish to many or too few?
4/3/08
Great to know! I think I will put the 2 Jewels in my daughters 10 gallon
tank unless you think that it will be too small for 2 Jewels. Its empty and was
just waiting on her to pick something out for it... Oddly enough she has been
wanting the fish in our big tank... :) If I give her the 2 Jewels, that will
leave the Electric Yellow, 2 Aulonocara and the Nimbochromis in the 55gallon
tank. I will just hold off on doing something with the Nimbochromis when he
starts fighting with the others, but can you give me some nice suggestions on
what cichlids would go well with the yellow and 2 Aulonocara as comfy tank mates
and color variety? And again thank you for your time and information!
<A 10 gallon tank is indeed too small for Jewel Cichlids -- Jewels can get to
8"/20 cm in captivity, though admittedly 5-6"/12-15 cm is more typical. They're
also territorial and quite waspish when spawning, and I'd recommend nothing less
than a 30 gallon tank for a breeding pair. A large tank than that would be
essential if you planned on keeping them in a community setting with other
species. Selecting tankmates for Yellow Labs and Aulonocara has been covered
elsewhere on WWM (see African Cichlid behaviour, selection FAQs) but the main
thing is you avoid Mbuna. Going with species such as Iodotropheus sprengerae
(Rusty Cichlid) and perhaps Pseudotropheus acei (but not with blue fish!)
usually works well. Avoid keeping species from the same genera or you'll get
crossbreeding. Both these species appreciate being kept in groups, three or
more. The Pseudotropheus acei should be one male to two females, but the
Iodotropheus sprengerae are not territorial so get as many as you want. Cheers,
Neale.>
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Peacock cichlid
Stocking A Malawi Peacock Cichlid Tank 03/15/2008
Hello all and thanks for what you do. Wondering if you could suggest
stocking level of an all peacock tank in a 90 gallon. Thank you.
<In the wild they only get about 3" TL, but they get much larger in the
aquarium. If you go with the blue varieties then you could go with about a
dozen. The yellow ones are not as combative and will get pushed around by the
more dominant blue varieties.-Chuck>
Cichlid ID
01/14/2008
Hi Crew, I have a person selling some Cichlids and does not know
what type they are and me either. Can you help me please? He needs to
get rid of all 9 fish ASAP and will give them all up for US$24, what do
you think about the price? I want to also add around 10-20 small (around
1 inch) Pseudotropheus saulosi in a few weeks when I get my shipment, do
you think its safe to add them after these other unidentified cichlids
are added first? My tank is 200 Gallons.
Thanks in advance
Ghulam
<Hello Ghulam. The fish with the orange/brown patches and yellow spots
on the anal fin is some sort of Pseudotropheus, likely Pseudotropheus
zebra. But do bear in mind standard stock is often hopeless messed up in
terms of genetics, and this fish may well be a hybrid. So fine as a pet,
but unless you can 100% guarantee it is one particular species, not
recommended for a breeding project, and DEFINITELY do not pass on any
fry produced by this fish to other hobbyists. There's too many hybrid
Pseudotropheus in the hobby already. The big orange fish with the huge
mouth is some sort of "Tilapia", possibly Oreochromis mossambicus but
equally likely one of the hybrids such as "Golden Tilapia" widely used
in the aquaculture business. A nice enough fish, but big, messy, and
fairly aggressive. Also potentially huge (20-30 cm) and very, very
messy. No-one in their right mind PAYS for a tilapia for a fish tank --
that's a fish you take off someone's hands as a favour! As for your
other question: NO, you NEVER, EVER mix two different Pseudotropheus
species. Only a lunatic would do that. The problem is you'll end up with
masses of hybrid fry that SHOULD NOT be passed on into the hobby.
Furthermore, the levels of aggression in the genus are high but
variable, and punchy species like Pseudotropheus zebra will often kill
males from less aggressive species. When stocking Pseudotropheus, you
choose a SINGLE species appropriate for your community, and then choose
species from other genera that it WILL NOT hybridise with, such as
Labidochromis, Labeotropheus, Cyrtocara, etc. Obviously do not mix
Pseudotropheus with fish from closely related (possibly identical)
genera such as Maylandia or Metriaclima; taxonomists may argue about the
differences here, but Pseudotropheus, Maylandia, and Metriaclima all
think they're the same thing and will freely fight/breed with one
another. Cheers, Neale.> |
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Madagascar export
11/13/07
Greetings:
I currently have a license from the US Fish and Wildlife to import fresh water
fish and I really want to import native Madagascar cichlids and/or rainbows for
personal collection. I know of an excellent aquarist in Madagascar but have no
exporter. Do you know of anybody interested on exporting fish from Madagascar?
Regards
Jose Gonzalez
<Will post your note. I would contact Paul Loiselle... is he still with the New
York Aquarium? As he has the most extensive experience here... and I'll send
this to our own cichlid expert, Chuck Rambo for further input. Cheers, Bob
Fenner>
A question regarding African
cichlids... sel.
.......again. I have a 75 gal Malawi tank and I have a slight problem with
my adult male cichlids coloring up. I have an all male tank and it's not too
crowded. If I do go ahead and overstock my tank like the forums suggest, will my
cichlids color up again (considering the focus is on several fish rather than
each fish individually)?
<Likely so... though there are going to be constant vigilance (on your part)
issues of watching out for too overt aggression... and damage...>
I have two HOB filters and one canister xp3 totaling 1,250 gph. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jay
<Books and Net reading. BobF>
Melanochromis
auratus 10/22/07
Sexing Mel. Auratus
Hello, I recently bought 5 Melanochromis Auratus African Cichlids. They are about 2 inches long. I am wondering when the males will start to show their male colors or at least the "dominant" male?
< Usually at around two inches the males start to darken up.>
On one of them I have noticed a small black "speck" that seems to be getting bigger on the lower part of its tail. Also on another I have noticed a little black coloration on the fin on the lower middle part of the fish. Could these be signs of a male growing into maturity?
< Male M. auratus males will usually change color in a couple of weeks when they are the dominant fish in the tank.
Certain areas may darken before others. Females usually don't change at all.>
If not when do you think I will start to notice the
dominant male colors. Any other suggestions on breeding these fish or determining the sex would be great! Thanks!
< In the wild males are usually fully colored by two inches. They grow slower in the wild and a two inch fish in the wild is actually much older that a captive raised fish the same size. Sexual maturity is usually a matter of age and not size. Raise the water temp. to 80 f and that should accelerate the change.-Chuck>
Less-aggressive blue-colored haps, sel.
7/21/07
Hi crew,
Thanks for the earlier reply on blue-colored Mbunas. Both the recommended
species are hard to find in the LFS around my area.
Are there any less-aggressive blue-colored haps to recommend for a tank that
currently houses electric yellow labs and peacocks? From my knowledge, the
electric blue ahli isn't too aggressive, but is there any way to distinguish it
from blue species of peacocks? I find that the color and body shape quite
similar, although the peacocks have greater likelihood of coming in more than 1
color. Is it possible or common for electric blue ahlis to come in more than one
color, or for peacocks to be pure blue?
Thank you.
<Greetings. I find it hard to imagine you *can't* find Cyrtocara moori -- it is
known as the Malawi Blue Dolphin and among the most widely traded Malawian
Haplochromines in the trade. If all else fails, ask your retailer to get some in
for you. Although big (around 20 cm) it is a gentle giant, provided you only
have a single male specimen. The problem for you is that Aulonocara and
Labidochromis are both at the low end of Malawian cichlid aggression. If you add
significantly more aggressive species to the tank, they stand a very good chance
of being killed. It's as simple as that. Pseudotropheus zebra for example will
usually dominate any Labidochromis caeruleus in the tank. Pseudotropheus
demasoni is *sometimes* kept in communities with more placid cichlids because,
while highly aggressive, it is [a] small (~8 cm) and [b] tends to be only
aggressive towards fish that are blue. Pseudotropheus demasoni is light blue
with dark blue vertical bands, so very pretty. So that's one species you might
want to take a gamble with, assuming your tank was sufficiently large (not less
than 150 litres). Sciaenochromis ahli is another fish that *tends* to be violent
towards other blue fish while largely ignoring other types of fish, but again,
this depends on the aquarium. Given the large adult size of this species (~20
cm) and its piscivorous habits, it isn't a fish for every tank. Allow at least
200 litres for this species. Both Sciaenochromis ahli and Aulonocara spp. do
have a somewhat similar shape and both come in a wide variety of colours. But as
a rule Aulonocara have a smaller, more dainty mouth reflecting their niche as
micropredators, whereas Sciaenochromis have much bigger mouths better suited to
their niche as piscivores. But any halfway decent aquarium store will keep them
apart and properly identified anyway, so this shouldn't really be an issue. Hope
this helps, Neale>
Stocking A Rift Lake Cichlid Tank
6/23/07
Hey WWM crew, hope all is well. I was doing some research on here regarding
the "appropriate" stocking of African rift lake cichlids... but still have a
couple questions. Hope you don't mind answer them. It seems as though the jury
is yet to reach a firm consensus on the "best" approach for ARL tanks.
Understocking, overstocking, biotope-systems, etc. I've read that ARL cichlids
are found in nature at a ratio of approx. 10 - 20 fish per square meter,
(cichlidrecipe.com states 12-18 I think.) Is that number more or less accurate,
and can it be responsibly applied to a captive setting? This translates roughly
to 5 - 7 fish for a 55g, 7 - 10 for a 75g. Sound appropriate, or is still too
vague without knowing specific lakes/genera?? Please assume that filtration
needs are met, rockwork is adequate and 25% weekly water changes are performed.
Chuck seems to be a big fan of overstocking ARL tanks, recommending 100 fish for
a 215g, 50 - 75 for a 90g. (I'm assuming that these would be 1" to 2" specimens,
specific ones removed later as they mature/pair?) Paul mentioned that he felt
that his 90g tank was barely adequate for 5 ARL cichlids. And Bob advocates that
it is "almost always better to understock." No surprise there. Thanks again for
your time, and sorry to be so general in almost asking for a "fish per gallon
rule."
-Tyler
< All of the above assumptions you have mentioned are correct. There is no wrong
or right answer here. What you are reading is what works for that particular
aquarist. A great deal of success depends on the number of species, sex ratio of
each species and age they are all introduced. No two aquarists have the exact
same tank set up. So each aquarist has a different version of what works for
them. Generally I would recommend that the tank be filtered at a rate of 5 times
the volume of the tank per hour. I prefer the hang on power filters over
canister filters because they are easier to clean. A 25% weekly water change
would be fine if the nitrates are kept under 25 ppm. As far as fish selection
goes, there may be as many as 1500 species of cichlids from Lake Malawi alone.
This depends if you are a lumper or a splitter. Unfortunately less that 1% of
the species available are found at stores. You usually find a dozen species that
are colorful and easy to breed. These common fish species usually are very
aggressive and very territorial. I would only put these fish together under
special circumstances. I have seen 100 gallon tanks with 300 adult Lake Malawi
cichlids in them. Not all of them are aggressive and there were probably close
to 20-25 different species. The owner did a 50-80% water change every week. The
tank was an explosion of color that rivaled many salt water tanks. Look into
books on Lake Malawi cichlids from Ad Konings to find out about specific species
and then start top put together you tank on paper. Almost all of the species
from the lake can be obtained through private importers or through the American
Cichlid Association's Trading Post. Once you have a want list together you can
write back and we will probably make recommendations to fine tune your set
up.-Chuck>
Cichlids... African... sel. mostly 4/8/07
Hi, really like thank you in advance for such great job been done so far.
This is my first e-mail to you in regards to my tank set-up.
I'm planning to have only a few species of cichlids in my 175 gallon bowfront
with a 30 gallon sump system. I would only have adults size of 5-7 inches
average in this tank. The type that I have chosen will be 8) super red empress,
8) blue dolphin, 8) albino Taiwan reef, 2)Wild Placidochromis phenochilus
Tanzania and 10 more different species in similar size.
Pls kindly advise
<... Umm, advise in terms of what? The overall likely compatibility of the
listed species? With adequate cover (likely rock caves, overhangs... these all
should fit here... and there's enough room/space for some agonistic, spawning
behavior w/o too much damage likely. I would place the more easy-going species
ahead of the more aggressive... likely in three "batches" with a few weeks
between... Bob Fenner>
for I shall be transferring these in a week.
Warm Regards.
John.
Help with Cichlid tank 3/16/2007
Hello-
<Hi there>
I need help figuring out what is happening with my Red zebra (even though he is
orange:-)).
<Okay>
First I have just set up a 29 gallon tank with Malawi cichlids.
<Dangerously small volume... with time, growth, behavior here...>
I have 2 Kenyi, 3 exasperatus, 3 red zebras, 3 Acei, 1krib and 1 cat fish from
lake Malawi he has spots on his body and striped on his tail). When I put my 3
Kenyi (all small1 inch to 1.5 inch) into the tank one seemed to come down with
something- he passed quickly. the other two seemed to have cotton mouth- one on
the mouth itself and one on his one fin. I treated with the antibiotic that
turns the water red can't remember the name)
<Likely Tetracycline... regular water changes...>
with M. green.
Everyone seems great and I did my first water change today to start taking out
the meds. My Red zebras have always had a black belly area (the pet store guy
said it was normal) but tonight I noticed one has a protrusion( it looks like it
is part of his internal area). The one side is slightly "swollen" and the other
has a distinctive "lump". He seems at this point to be eating and active. I am
thinking it is constipation, I was feeding some small cichlid pellets that float
and have switched to Spirulina flakes and tropical fish food with occasional
brine shrimp (frozen). Any help you can give would be great. Thank you so
much!
Christie
<What is your water quality? Do you use salt additions? If so, of what sort? Bob
Fenner>
Re: Help with <African> Cichlid tank – 03/18/07
My water is great-- Nitrates 0-5, Nitrites 0, Amm. 0, Ph 7.6-8. You are
correct with the Tetracycline treatment.
<Easy guess>
I have used salt additions ( aquarium salt) 1 tbls to 10 gallons of water. I
also (last night before this was noticed) added some natural rock with a hard
salt present on it... I could not even scrape it off with a knife with out
breaking part of the rock off.
<Likely not salts, but carbonates... lime...>
It is used to provide caves. I boiled the rocks for about 2hours.
Also last night one of my aceis was swimming erratically but other wise seemed
fine. This morning they both seem fine and the bump seems to be gone. I am
thinking I may be feeding the wrong food...
I would also like to touch on the comment of the volume being too small... I was
told by numerous people that this would work in my tank - is this not correct?
<Not IMO... I only keep African Cichlids nowadays... (just travel too much...).
I encourage all to start with nothing smaller than 55 gallon tanks if possible,
keep only one species per... two males max. and females as they develop from a
batch of younger individuals...>
I do plan on upgrading to a 55 gallon tank with in the next year.
<Good... do know though that many of the Cichlids hailing from the same "Lakes"
will cross- inter-breed>
But bought these fish based on the tank I have now (I feel that is the best
bet). I do have rock work, caves and numerous fake plants. Any thought are
greatly appreciated.
<Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind2.htm
The tray on cichlids, parts on Africans... Bob Fenner>
Lake Malawi Cichlid Biotope 2/19/07
First off, thanks for taking the time to read my e-mail. I apologize for
the length... :-)I am planning a 215-Gallon (or 210-Gallon, depending which
manufacturer you believe, hehe) tank (72"x24"x29") and I am CONSIDERING doing a
Lake Malawi biotope. First of all, I should mention that my past 10+ years has
been marine reef experience, but I'm trying to consider a more cost-effective,
yet still INTERESTING alternative. Anyway, to date, no matter what I start out
with, it becomes a reef again in a matter of hours during the planning process.
;-) I'm hoping that you fine folks might be able to open my eyes to some
successful communities that will captivate me. To date, the plans that have more
or less "made the cut" are either a SPECIES tank for P. saulosi, or a MIXED tank
of P. demasoni and L. caeruleus. Your thoughts on either of these? How many
dominant male saulosi are likely to be in a species tank that size? Then will
the rest be orange females and steel blue (no stripes) males? Or just the
orange females? Also, I've heard it said that demasoni and caeruleus impact one
another's' breeding and therefore, while "compatible" are not TECHNICALLY
compatible... Your thoughts? Also willing and excited to consider any other
mixes. I want activity, colour, and DEFINITELY NO CROSS-BREEDING. I don't want
to contribute to the growing numbers of "Malawi Mutts" in the trade. Thanks and
my apologies once again for the long e-mail
<Go with the Ps. saulosi. They are not very aggressive and you can have equal
numbers of males and females. Orange females and blue males with black fins and
bars are actually very attractive and pretty close to what they look like in
Tawani Reef in Lake Malawi. To pull it off you need good stock. Don't settle for
inferior fish. The Ps. demasoni are very aggressive and the L. caeruleus will
get pushed around and not thrive.-Chuck>
Re: How many Kenyi? African Cichlids Not On Hold 2/2/07
Thank you so much for reply and ref of book, will certainly look into
it. One more thing, I heard today they (Africa) was closing off all sales of
African cichlids and Florida as well because of breeding issues, would you know
if this is true and if so, how long do I have to get my other fish?
<News to me. Send me a reference and I will look into it.>
I don't like rushing into picking fish and like to have time to take back to
store if something should go wrong.
< Pretty unlikely. Too much money involved from the industry. Could be local
fish store BS for not getting anymore fish that they can't keep alive. I could
be wrong.-Chuck.>
Malawi Cichlid Tank Stocking 1/29/07
Your website is great. I love it. Let me tell you what I have then ask my
question.
Tank situation is:
55 gal, 48 in long. Over 400 gals of water per hour being circulated and
filtered. Temp is at a constant 78 degrees with a heater at both ends of
tank. Over 100 hiding spots with plants and caves etc. pH is 7.8, Nitrites are
0, and Ammonia is 0. I clean algae every other 3 days from glass and 1x every
two weeks off plants and rocks. I keep the light on a lot only shutting it off
at night. I do reg weekly water changes of 25 percent (from the gravel) adding
fresh salt only to the new water. I feed them Omega One shrimp flakes twice a
day, veggies mostly green beans and zucchini everyday. I know I should be giving
them pellets but they don't seem to eat it and it just goes to the bottom and
turns to mold. I also give them frozen shrimp brine once a week as a treat. I
have gone through a lot of fish trying to get the right combination. This
combination seems to work for now. My Auratus and Kenyi were constantly nipping
before I added the new sexes. They're very peaceful now. I have seen a lot of
talk about the Zebra's being very aggressive. I have not experienced that at
all. It's actually the opposite. Is there something wrong? I have had most of
these fish since Sept of 2006, slowly adding a new fish or taking away a fish
until all seemed fine. I think I have it now but worry about the near future
with the Johanni and Kenyi.
Fish in tank:
1 (m) 1 (f) Kenyi (Pseudotropheus Lombardoi)
1 (?) Electric Yellow Lab (Labidochromis Caeruleus) because of behavior tend to
believe its a male.
1(m) 1(f) red zebras (Pseudotropheus Estherae)
1(m) 1(f) Auratus (Melanochromis Auratus)
1(m) Johanni (Melanochromis Johanni)
1(?) Snow White Albino (Pseudotropheus Socolofi Albino)
I know half these fish are only an inch away from being full grown. I know I
need a female for my Johanni maybe two. He is full grown and the most dominate
fish of the tank for now. My male Kenyi is just now turning Gold and is in 2nd
command for the time being. I just recently got what I hope is a female, pretty
sure. How many more females do I need for him and the Johanni?
< When you have a single female in the tank, the male will continuously chase
her in an attempt to get her to spawn. Having many females relieves some of the
stress on a single fish. I would recommend at least three.>
Can my tank support these fish?
< Check the nitrates. As long as they are under 25 ppm per week in between water
changes then you can add more fish.>
I don't want to over stock my tank. As it is once a month I am changing stuff
around in the tank to prevent territory boundaries. In this case the Johanni
doesn't seem to care how often I change things around, he still has complete
control over the obvious hiding spots.
< Many Melanochromis are notorious for being aggressive. An exception is M.
parrallelus.>
Everyone keeps saying you can never have a peaceful cichlid tank. I don't
believe that. I think it just take some hard work getting the right
combination. I want to stick with the Lake Malawi fish. I have 9 fish all
together with the belief they wont get over 5 inches long, how many can I add to
help the sexes of these two fish keeping the size of my tank and water
conditions in mind?
< I would continue to add females. You are very smart for picking species in
which the female is also very colorful. Add at least three females per male.>
I haven't had any eggs yet but do have another 29 gal tank cycled if the time
should ever come. Right now it is holding my 4 dwarf puffers but they have a
smaller tank I can put them in when the time comes. Thank You R. Pagan AZ
<I would like to recommend a book titled "Enjoying Cichlids" by Ad Konings. Also
this July the American Cichlid Association is having their national convention
in Sacramento, Calif. Check out the association at Cichlid.org.-Chuck>
African Cichlid Recommendations 1/23/07
To the crew at wet web: first of all your site is very resourceful and has
helped answer many of my questions. I am new to African cichlids, as I'm used
to south American cichlids such as Oscars, Dempseys, and convicts. I have very
hard alkaline water from my tap about 8.3. I have been using a R/O unit to
create softer water for my O's and Dempseys. Well I have an empty 55 gallon
sitting in my room and decided since my water was ideal for Africans I would try
so I would have to mess with my R/O for another tank. So I was looking at a few
different Africans. I really like the color of the frontosa and the peacocks. I
know a 55 would eventually be too small for the front but I am flexible with
tanks. The peacocks, if I am right obtain a length of about 6 inches or so. Here
is the question, would you recommend a juvenile front tank? How many peacocks
would be suitable for a 55 gal? thank you for your time...Carl
< The frontosa from Lake Tanganyika will get big within a year. Look at
Neolamprologus tretocephalus instead. Don't get as big but have the same
coloration. Peacocks come generally in blues and yellows. The yellow ones don't
do well in mixed tanks. You could put about 6 blue type peacocks in a 55.-Chuck>
Af. Cichlid Beh., Sel. 12/28/06
Hello Bob, me again..........Jason. Hope the holidays were good for you!
<Thus far...>
I have a question regarding the sex of a blue dolphin African cichlid. I've
read through the forums and all over the internet and the literature says it's
very hard to distinguish between male and female.
<Mmm, Cyrtocara moorii is best sexed... by allowing a mix of individuals to
"sort themselves out" in a large setting>
I have a blue dolphin that is rather aggressive against my other peacocks
and Mbuna, he/she chases constantly.
<Not atypical beh.>
The anal fins are more rounded (but not incredibly short) and the color is a
nice sky blue.
<Could/can describe either sex when small, perhaps in poor condition...>
He/she is only under 3.5" therefore there is no apparent hump on the
head. Between the aggression and the light, yet vivid sky blue color, do you
think this is a male?
<Possibly... but not able to tell decidedly here>
I am trying to create an "all male" African tank to avoid breeding and dull
coloring.
<Mmm... where's that Chuck Rambo?! This can be an unrealistic goal... that is,
your fishes will not show their "best" color, behavior w/o the presence of
females... and may still be overly agonistic>
I think I might run into some trouble if this is the ONLY female in the tank.
Thanks again
Happy New Year!!!
<Again... I would keep a close eye on all your stock... for signs of too-overt
aggression here... and remove the most damaging individual/s as these problems
evidence themselves. Bob Fenner>
Tanganyika community tank 11/8/06
Dear WWM crew, I love your site and appreciate the down to earth approach of
your question answering. I was wondering about suitable stocking levels for a
55 gallon aquarium. I have 2 Julidochromis marlieri (originally purchased 3 but
one was picked off), 1 tropheus duboisi, and 2 Neolamprologus brevis. I know I
should get more Marlieri's to get a group and stunt aggression, but was
wondering if maybe some more Dubois's would be too aggressive, or possibly some
Neolamprologus brichardi?
<Mmm... well, in a system of this volume and shape, I myself would keep just
three species... and "good" mixes of genders of these>
I have heard that overstocking/understocking is best,
<Mmm... re the over-stocking option... not a pan-goodness approach... too often
results in troubles... aggression effects, losses if/when something additionally
mal-influences social dynamics, the overall physiology of a/the system>
but would like to know the minimum recommended group for each species.
<Here... given what is offered re the system, current species make-up... a trio
of the three species. Can/might still be troubles given a reproductive event...
or two>
I would also appreciate any suggestions on other desirable species to stock.
<Perhaps some other non-cichlid indigenous fish groups... Mochokid catfishes?>
I want to do a tang. tank but am not bound to this idea.
Would Neolamp. lelupi's, Labidochromis' be ok?
<Again...>
Also I am interested in becoming an aquarist and would like to know what I can
do to possibly help myself along the way before I finish college.
<In what ways?>
I would also appreciate any recommended reading for fish keeping.
Sincerely,
Matt Tompkins
<See the names Ad Konings, Paul Loiselle... and in turn seek out these venerable
writers in-print works, their further reference, citation. Bob Fenner>
Medication That Will Stain Silicon - 10/11/06
Thanks Chuck. Will the malachite Green permanently discolor my decor or
just the sealant in the corners?
<Different brands of ich cures have different strengths of malachite green. I
have seen aquariums that have been stained with Malachite Green so when you use
this medication it is always possible it will stain objects.>
I have plastic and fabric type fake plants in the tank along with plastic rocks
and caves. One last question Chuck........I really enjoy my yellow lab's
personality and it seems a lot more active than other types of cichlids, which
species is most like the yellow lab as far as being active and personality
goes? I would like to fill my tank with other species of cichlids that mimic
the yellow lab. Thanks again
< Your Yellow Labidochromis swims among rocks looking for little invertebrates
to feed on. Other cichlids to consider as take mates would be Melanochromis
johanni, Ps. saulosi, Cyno. afra, Cypt. moori, or almost any open water utaka
type.-Chuck>
Re: Malawi Tank Recommendations 10/11/06
Hey Chuck, I did some research on the fish you recommended
to me. They look very much like the Zebra species, are they as
nasty and aggressive as the Zebra?
<Most of the Mbuna or rock dwelling Lake Malawi cichlids are
aggressive. This is because the guard a territory or rock on
which their food, algae, grows. If they don't defend it then it
gets eaten by the other fish. The fish I have recommended are
not as aggressive as these zebra types and don't get as big.>
The Africans I have in my tank right now seem to be
more passive. Will these that you recommended do well with
mine (yellow lab, peacock, Dimidichromis compressiceps, and a
couple of clown loaches)?
< The compressiceps will get big but generally won't bother fish
he can't eat. The clown loaches actually prefer soft acidic
water but I guess are doing OK in your tank.-Chuck>
Thanks, Jeff
Re: Ice Blue Zebra Cichlid With A Yellow Lab 10/11/06
Thanks for all of your help Chuck, your leading me in the
right direction. One last thing, what about the "ice blue zebra", is he
less aggressive than the other in the family and can I mix him with what I have
now (yellow lab, peacocks)? Thanks
< The Ice Blue Zebra is one of the most aggressive cichlids there is from Lake
Malawi. As a smaller fish he would be OK. But he grows up to 5 inches plus and
has a mouth full of teeth that can inflict a lot of damage very quickly.-Chuck>
African Cichlid Tank crowded time bomb - 09/14/06
Dear Marina and volunteer crew,
<Hi there... Marina's long since absent>
First off, I would like to compliment you on all the valuable
information available on your website. Last night was my first visit
and I learned a lot from a hour reading and a little searching. I
have a few questions and if you can help, that's great, if not, I
learned even more putting this together. Some background:
I, my wife and daughter are first time aquarists.
We have 58 us gal. Hagen aquarium
Commenced set up July 25, 2006
Cycled the tank with limited seed stock (no fatalities but lots of
learning)
Tank settled down after about three weeks and we started buying
Malawi cichlids We have 19 fish
<Mmm, going to be trouble/crowded in time...>
to date and are struggling a bit with species and male or female We
have attached some photos and kept each one under 70kb
<Not here unfortunately>
We run two canister filters (Fluval 305 and EHEIM 2215) One power
head with filter for cleanup after feeding Water change 40% per week
now that tank is settling in (gravel is vacuumed during the water
change) Lights are Aqua Glow / 12 to 14 hours per day Ammonia is
zero Nitrite is zero Nitrate is less than 5 PH is 7.8 to 8.0
Temperature is 78 to 80F Buffer is good Small amount of green algae
starting to form
Our questions are as follows:
Can we reasonably sustain this amount of fish in the aquarium?
<Not indefinitely... even w/o a description of species... "African
Cichlids" can be crowded when small (not sexually mature), and with
very regular maintenance, feeding and possible removal of "alpha
types" kept for a while... but... eventually mayhem, reduction in
population here>
Our goal is
a community tank, did we choose a good mix for the community?
<Once again... you don't state species... and there is a huge range
of easy-going-ness to not...>
Any advice on potential problems based on our fish stock? Do we have
any natural mating pairs? Our OB zebra seems very energetic when
lights go off and she swims back and forth
and up and down through the bubble stream of the air stone for
almost an hour each night then settles down. All other fish take
their places and settle down as soon as lights go off. I know we
have two jewels and these are River origin but so far are handling
the chemistry, any comments?
<... need more data>
We feed two times a day, morning and evening. The food type is
Nutrafin Max, spectrum grow and spectrum Thera + A, is this
adequate?
<Yes>
We are just trying to do the best we can for our fish and appreciate
any advice.
I am constantly amazed at how the time passes, our family has a new
48' wide live color screen. We get so much enjoyment out of watching
our community grow and every cichlid seems to have a distinct
personality. One thing we
are finding out is that aggressiveness is part of who these fish
are, we are learning to accept that.
<Need to keep a sharp eye... and remove real troublemakers... Likely
the Zebra first here...>
Thanks in advance for your advice and comments.
Finding Nemo.......
Sorry, one correction. Water change is 20% per week not 40%. Its
late
Miles
<Do consider another tank... at least for "time outs" and the odd
fish that will need to be removed enroute to being shipped out
permanently. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Ways to avoid breeding? 8/25/06
Hello, and thanks for a very helpful site!
< Howdy! Bob and the crew do a wonderful job! >
I have set up a 20 gallon tank, which is cycling now (no fish yet).
< Good idea. >
I'm considering stocking it with some small varieties of cichlids. This is
not a hard and fast choice, but I am considering them because my tap water is
hard (about 120ppm total) and with a high pH (about 8.4).
< It is wonderful to see you have researched your water source before purchasing
the wrong types of fish. >
My concern is primarily this - I keep reading about their breeding habits, and
while it sounds fascinating, I simply do not have the real estate at my disposal
to accommodate the resulting fry.
< Quite understandable. >
Is there a configuration I can keep that will be less likely to breed (like
all females)?
< The idea is sound, but unfortunately, they are not easy to determine sex at a
young age. >
If I did find myself with lots of offspring, what could I
feasibly do with them?
< Most fish stores will gladly accept locally grown fish as trade for food and
supplies. >
And are there any other varieties of fish I could keep in my present water
conditions where this would be less of an issue?
< Possibly some brackish water fish? >
I want whatever fish I end up with to be happy and comfortable in their home,
but I don't feel like I can support an endless baby factory either! Any advice
would be greatly appreciated - thanks!
< Consider some cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. Most of them stay fairly small,
and if you chose members from different genera, they would not be as likely to
breed. Good luck, and best wishes, RichardB >
-Tara
Fish Flashing and Stringy Feces in Some Tanks at LFS - Is this Common for
LFS's or Should I Buy Elsewhere? 8/2/06
Hi Crew,
<Cindy>
I have been fish keeping African Cichlids a little over 3 years now. I've grown
from one 50 g. tank to a total of 6 tanks. I get my livestock from a local high
end independent retailer. As my hobby has grown, I find myself spending more
and more time at my LFS buying supplies. I'm there once or twice a week. I
enjoy looking at the fish and visiting with the fish guys while I'm
there. Every time I've been there, over the past 6 months, I've noticed
problems in a few of their fish tanks. I'll see several tanks that have fish
flashing, maybe a tank with fish rocking, and I always see a few fish here and
there with stringy feces more than triple their size that
won't seem to detach. Is this common of all fish stores?
<Way too common, yes... There are myriad, continuous health issues in retail and
wholesale settings in the aquatic livestock business... too much "mixed" life
that goes un-rested, un-quarantine, untreated and mis-treated...>
Am I just becoming more aware, or should I be looking for another store for
future livestock?
<I strongly encourage you to "shop around", to take on all aspects of providing
preventative measures wherever you purchase new livestock>
I see this store occasionally take back large fish that have outgrown someone's
tank and immediately after temperature acclimation, release them into tanks with
breeder livestock. I realize they only have a limited number of backroom
quarantine tanks, but I would expect fish coming from someone's unknown tank
conditions to be quarantined before introduction to other livestock purchased
from distributors.
<This source of trouble pales in comparison with the weekly coming and going of
shipped wild and distant-cultured stocks... there are seasonal and permanent
pandemics that one can identify in our interest...>
I heard it can even be dangerous for a LFS to mix livestock from multiple
distributors.
<Yes>
The fish from one distributor have been exposed to and built immunity to
certain bacteria while the fish from the other distributor have been exposed to
different bacteria.
<One way of viewing, stating this... it's more "their" systems that have
expressed immunity if you will... akin to "A boy in a bubble"... Realize that
almost to a one, more than 100% of all the stock goes through any given
wholesaler/jobber/distributor's systems weekly...>
When you combine the fish, and the bacteria they carry, you risk illness as
they cross contaminate each other with bacteria
they have no built in resistance to.
<Nor much chance/opportunity to develop/acquire such>
What should someone look for when selecting a good LFS to purchase their
livestock?
Cindy
<The bazillion dollar question. Please read here: