Re: Pseudotropheus socolofi albino holding?
Mixing Lake Tanganyikan Shell Dwellers With Malawi Cichlids 1-11-2008
Hi Chuck, Thank you very much for your note last week.
I am pleased to report my albino survived Bloat. I treated him with medication for five days and he is much better! (This leads me think it was pathogen related.) I am going to keep him in the 10 gallon hospital tank. I've already begun to convert his new 10 gallon to a home with crushed coral substrate. I have some holey rock on the way also. I'm wondering if Cracker will get along with four cichlid shell dwellers?
< In the wild they don't encounter each other. The shell dwellers come from Lake Tanganyika while your Ps. comes from Lake Malawi. If the shell dwellers are attacked they will simply retreat into their shells. You may not see them very often but they should be safe as long as they can get their entire body inside.>
Cracker is about 3 inches in length and I don't foresee further growth esp. in small housing quarters. I understand the Dweller's suitable companions are Danios and a small Pleco (Corys and Otos are dinner for them).
< Shell dwellers come from hard alkaline water. Danios and domestic Plecos can usually handle the water requirements as long as they are not too extreme.>
Do you think mixing Cracker with the little guys is asking for trouble?
< Cracker may try and get them but they will just hide if they feel threatened. Not much to look at.-Chuck>
If so, I will just have to add my six tank for the Shell Dwellers...Hope to hear from you and thanks!
Lisa.

Planning a 55 Gallon African Cichlid Tank  1/7/08
Planning to revamp my 55 gallon tank with new fish. Have completely cleaned it out, have tested the water for three days straight, pH is coming in at a 7.0, nitrates and ammonia etc. seem to be in order and temp is at approx 76-80 degrees.
I would like to have a cichlid tank and noticed the Aquarium store in my area has a very strong selection of African Cichlids which are quite beautiful. Could you please advise how many fish I can purchase, what types of Cichlids would mix well together, and what non Cichlid fish I could also have that would mix well. Thank you, Eric
<Lake Malawi cichlids do make an attractive and active tank. They like hard alkaline clean water. Water should be between 75 and 77 F. The pH needs to be up around 7.4-8.0. The filter should run at least 150-300 GPH. There are approximately 1000 cichlid species from Lake Malawi. Most of the cichlids in the hobby come from the rocky habitats and are referred to as Mbuna. They eat algae off of the rocks so they require a diet high in vegetable matter. Generally these fish need to very densely populated because they can be very aggressive and have lots of sharp teeth. By keeping them crowded the aggressive males are able to chase all the fish and not just a selected few. Generally I would recommend getting all the fish as juveniles and let them grow up together. I would get about thirty. As some of the males mature they can be traded back to the store. This would leave you with about 20+ adults. A good book would be "Enjoying Cichlid" by Ad Konings. It covers most of the available cichlid species in the hobby. Good fish to go with them are Australian rainbows and Synodontis catfish from Lake Tanganyika.-Chuck>

Cichlid Compatibility with other Cichlids and other type fish 1/6/2008
Hello,
<Hello,>
I apologize beforehand as I know this type of question has been answered; but I have looked through the site and other sites and being new to cichlids still I am not sure on some compatibility issues. Your help if you have time would be most appreciated.
<No problems.>
I have a 46 gallon aquarium. Mostly sand, some small gravel substrate.
HOT Magnum filter with BioWheel. Plenty of rock with caves and hiding places. A small quantity of plants, mostly broad leafed variety.
Currently, I have two (2) male blue ahli (Sciaenochromis ahli) in the tank. Both are about 5 inches long. No other fish are currently in the tank. These have been in the tank for approximately one (1) week.
<Hmm... Sciaenochromis ahli are notoriously aggressive, and one of those two fish will likely kill the other eventually. A 46-gallon tank is simply too small to expect two mature male Sciaenochromis ahli to coexist. Do bear in mind also the maximum size of this species, up to 20 cm/8" for males, a little smaller for females. A single territorial male will easily hold your 46-gallon tank as its private demesne, to the exclusion of any other fish you add, including females. As a "community" tank resident, Sciaenochromis ahli is (realistically) a species for the 200-gallon tank.>
I would like to add additional fish to the tank at this time or near future as all parameters are looking good; e.g. pH=8.0, Temp=76F, NH3=almost 0, Nitrate and Nitrite= almost 0.
<Water quality does need a little clarification. While aquarists new to the hobby often focus on pH because it is easy to understand, it actually isn't all that significant beyond the fact it needs to remain stable. What matters more to Mbuna is carbonate hardness (measured in degrees KH, usually). To a lesser degree, general hardness (degrees dH) is also important.>
I plan on setting aside time to perform maintenance on the aquarium once every two (2) weeks including vacuuming, filter change-out, and 30 percent water change.
<Not nearly enough. Mbuna are very intolerant of old water, and you need to be doing 50% water changes WEEKLY.>
These would be my expected typical maintenance items. Any upset in water conditions, which I test daily, would result in earlier maintenance being performed.
<If you do big, regular water changes, you shouldn't need to do water tests anything like as frequent as daily. Once a month should be fine.>
<<Mmm, weekly would be better. RMF>>
Please feel free to let me know if I need to expect to do more to keep optimum tank conditions as I am open to any advice.
<Have done so, above.>
Now, my questions.
1. Can I place two (2) electric yellow lab (Labidochromis caeruleus) and two (2) blood parrot (unknown scientific name; believe to be hybrid)
with the two (2) blue ahli's?
<Not a chance. Labidochromis caeruleus is a small (~10 cm/4") relatively peaceful Mbuna only marginally more aggressive than something like a Krib. As such, it's a good resident for robust cichlid communities alongside things like Lamprologus and Aulonocara of similar size. But when kept with aggressive Mbuna, it tends to get hammered, and at the very least will spend more time hiding than swimming in the open. Blood Parrots are weak, deformed, large hybrid cichlids formed from some type of American cichlid cross. Not sure anyone knows for certain. In any case, because they can't swim properly they can be easily bullied by "proper" cichlids. They are best kept on their own or with big but peaceful things such as Tinfoil Barbs and Plecs.>
Additionally, I assume these fish would need to be of a similar size; correct?
<Nope. When mixing cichlids, you add them all when relatively young and ideally pre-territorial, but with the least aggressive first, and the most aggressive last.>
2. Is this too many or too few cichlids for my 46 gallon tank?
<Yes.>
3. In addition to the cichlids in question 1; I would like to add a Synodontis catfish and a black ghost Knifefish. Is this possible? What is the probability they would coexist peacefully? Or is that dependent on each fish's "personality"?
<You could possibly mix a really robust Synodontis with the Sciaenochromis ahli. Something like Synodontis nigrita or Synodontis njassae for example. But that presupposes the tank is large and filled with abundant hiding places, and do remember you won't see the Synodontis catfish. Ever. They are very, very nocturnal and shy, and when kept with aggressive tankmates simply don't leave their hiding places. Knifefish require completely different conditions to your cichlids, and cannot be combined.>
4. Finally, I have read much on your site related to plecostomus having their eyes removed by cichlids. Are the types I am considering or the type I have ones that would do this? Could I put a Plecostomus in the tank and expect a peaceful coexistence?
<Nope.>
5. Finally, if I purchased a large enough shark (be it red-tailed, rainbow, etc.) could this be placed in the aquarium with the cichlids?
<Nope.>
Thank you very much for your time and help.
<Hope this helps. Sciaenochromis ahli was, unfortunately for you, a poor choice for a first cichlid, and in all honesty you should consider replacing it with a species more amenable to the sort of tank you have in mind. A 46 US gallon tank is not large, and works best when stocked with fish around the 5-10 cm/2-4" mark. Dwarf Lamprologus for example would offer you a much better range of opportunities, as well as the ability to stock the upper layers of the tank with things like livebearers and halfbeaks. Similarly, West African dwarf cichlids combine brilliantly with barbs and small oddball fish such as African Butterflyfish. Cheers, Neale.>

Mixing Rift Lake Cichlids  12/18/07
Dear WWM, Hi have a cichlid tank of multiple kinds from different lakes. (warned but worked out fine)
In there I have a brichardi which has no problem swimming with the big fish. I believe its a male since their not to hard to sex and it has the longer fins and that ugly bump on its head. I would like to breed them since their small and I've read that they take good care of themselves. The problem is that its recommended to buy them as fry and let them pair off but I already have one. If I were to add a female in there would they pair up or not at all?
< Very risky. If they are not compatible the male may kill the female right away. Some aquarists have been successful by placing a glass divider between the pair and waiting to see how they react to each other. On a weekend when you are home you can lift the divider and see them interact. If he turns on her you can always replace the divider and try again later.>
Or if I added 2 females and try to get them somewhat smaller then the male so less of a threat?
< Giving the male a choice can be better than a forced pair. The female that is not chosen will be killed or driven out of the tank.>
Also since I have other more aggressive fish in there like a yellow zebra will that stop them from mating even thou it doesn't ever bother it and the brichardi has hiding spots that the zebra cant get into?
< The brichardi may breed and get a batch of fry going in your community tank. When one of the fry ventures too far away from the safety of the rocks it will be chased or eaten by the zebra.>
I also have a Tropheus red or moori whose only stress comes from a my Firemouth which is the same size 3 inch. I would like to add other Tropheus in there of different colors but will that work since I've read that they are highly aggressive towards each other?
<If the new Tropheus is a similar color to the existing Tropheus then the bigger fish will chase the smaller one around to the point it will be wounded or killed. The bigger the differences in the color the better the chance that they may get along.>
The Tropheus I have now has never chased or bothered another fish so I would say that its not mean. I'm interested in the duboisii, plus would it be better to get 2 of them at once of the same kind or it be fine to get 2 at once that are different types of Tropheus? I rather have a variety.
<Add the fish you want at the same time. This will prevent a single fish from getting chased too much.>
I also might turn my 75 tank into a tangy lake tank and just add a divider for the yellow zebra so I don't have to give it up since its gorgeous haven't seen another quite like it. If so do you think a frontosa and will be compatible with my Tropheus, brichardi, Firemouth (American I know..)? Cause I don't want the frontosa to eat my others while they sleep as I heard. Plus how rapidly do they grow? I like the fish but not the bump, is there a specific type of frontosa which doesn't have such an extreme bump but still have the nice blue and white markings?
< Go look at the N. tretacephalus. Gets about 5", has the markings but not the bump.>
Thank you for your time I know I had a lot....Chris
PS I can't fine nice white or light tan silica sand anywhere, can you help me out on a website or places I should look at locally. I checked my Home Depot and Lowes and pool shops but they had nothing nice looking.
< Try Caribsea for substrates.-Chuck>

African Cichlid... and Neotropicals (Firemouth) systems  12/7/07
Dear Crew,
I have a few question please. What temperature range is best for the African Cichlids? The thing is that I have a Teco Conditioner (Chiller, Heater & UV built all in one) and it does not keep a constant temperature. If I set it on 24 Degrees Celsius, the unit only starts chilling at 26 until it reaches 24 then stops, and it does this very slowly, not quick so it should not shock my livestock. So is it ok for the temperature to be between 24-26? If not then please specify the best range.
Cichlids I would like to house in one tank (200 Gallon with Wet/Dry Filtration) and hope I can also breed.
2-4 or more Pseudotropheus demasoni (Pombo Rocks)
2-4 or more Labidochromis caeruleus
2-4 or more Firemouth
Also what about using a RO/DI Unit?
Thank you.
Ghulam
<Hello Ghulam. The temperature variation you describe will not cause any problems. Firemouth cichlids (Thorichthys meeki) are not Malawi cichlids and I personally wouldn't mix them. Mbuna are quite violent animals; Thorichthys meeki are mild and have quite specialized jaws unsuitable for fighting. That's why they flare their red gill covers instead. Only rarely will Thorichthys meeki actually "lock jaws". If Mbuna and Thorichthys meeki get into a fight, things might turn nasty. Pseudotropheus demasoni is incredibly nasty towards other blue fish of similar shape and pattern, though yellow and orange Mbuna like Labidochromis caeruleus and Maylandia estherae are said to work well with it. So by all means replace the Thorichthys meeki with another Mbuna, but choose the species carefully so that it isn't blue and doesn't have vertical bars. Using RO water in a Malawi cichlid tank is a good idea. It keeps the nitrate levels low, so the fish are healthier. But you will need to add minerals to harden the water. You can buy "Malawi Salt" mixes, or you can make your own. A common Rift Valley salt mix is as follows. Per 5 gallons/20 litres
1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)
Stir in the bucket, and then when dissolved, add to the aquarium. Make changes to water chemistry in small steps so as not to stress any fish.
Cheers, Neale.>

"Fixing" my Cichlid Tank
Malawi Cichlid Tank With Aggression Problems  10/26/07
I currently have two Zebras, three Yellow Labs , one Kenyi (small, and submissive), 1 Blue Hap, and an Upside Down Catfish. in a 29 gal tank.
Realizing that the tank is too small, I'm considering moving them into a 55 gal.
< Good idea.>
Right now, the tank is very tense, and one zebra terrorizes all fish.
There were actually more fish in there, but the problem zebra has reduced the numbers. I am considering moving everyone into a 55 gal. tank. I was also considering adding 5 more zebras, another Kenyi, and eventually 4 Yellow Lab fry, (now in a grow out tank),
but they won't be ready for quite some time.
The cichlid selection is not great at my LFS (only one in the area). So my choices are limited. I can get the zebras, Kenyis, Yellow Labs. (Also
Auratus, Venustus, Convicts, and Jack Dempseys., which I'm assuming are not suitable). I'd like help with what species and what numbers I should add. I don't want to have a 55 gal problem tank!!! Also considered just using the cichlids that I have, and adding Tiger Barbs or Rainbows??? Can you make a suggestion, please? J Ken and Sharon J
< Moving up to a 55 gallon tank is a very good idea. The zebra and Kenyi can get very big and are very aggressive. Considering what your local store is offering I would skip the convicts and Jack Dempseys. The Malawi cichlids have teeth, are heavily scaled and are too fast for the New World cichlids to defend themselves. I would recommend six of all the rest of the Malawi species. This will give you thirty fish in a 55 gallon tank. You need lots of rockwork and a couple inches of fine sand. Keep the water temp at 75-77 F. I recommend keeping these fish crowded to disperse the aggression from a single fish. This means a powerful filter that will turn the water over at least 5 tank volumes in an hour, and lots of water changes. As the fish get bigger you can remove some of the larger more aggressive males. In the end you will have about 20-24 fish that should get along fairly well. A very good book to consider would be "Enjoying Cichlids" by Ad Konings. There are 100's species of cichlids in Lake Malawi and this book may expose you to some of the other less aggressive species.-Chuck>

Tilapia snyderae  6/6/07
Dear crew,
I love your site! I refer back to it for almost everything. I currently breed blue and gold rams and Hemichromis lifalili. Due to the recent acquisition of several tanks I have decided to start a new breeding project, which is when I happened upon Tilapia snyderae. I have searched and searched but the only thing I could find on these guys is that they are on the IUCN Redlist.
(Sorry if I missed anything, I did try your cached search) I was wondering if you had any information on these guys such as adult size, tank requirements, etc. Also, I plan on using separate breeding tanks for pairs, but I also want to do a large show tank. Would they be compatible with the Hemichromis
lifalili? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you for all your time and help.
Stevie
<Mmm, Am going to place this query in Chuck Rambo's in-box, as he is our resident "all-cichlid" expert... On fishbase.org this species max. size is given as a mere 5 cm... I suspect it might do poorly with Hemichromis (Please check your spellings... particularly of scientific names)... Do see the ref.:
http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=10678&genusname=Tilapia&speciesname=snyderae
and use the other species of this genus names given to seek further info. of use. Bob Fenner>

Tilapia Snyderae Info – 06/07/07
Dear crew, I love your site! I refer back to it for almost everything. I currently breed blue and gold rams and Hemichromis lifalili. Due to the recent acquisition of several tanks I have decided to start a new breeding project, which is when I happened upon Tilapia Snyderae. I have searched and searched but the only thing I could find on these guys is that they are on the IUCN Redlist.
(Sorry if I missed anything, I did try your cached search) I was wondering if you had any information on these guys such as adult size, tank requirements, etc. Also, I plan on using separate breeding tanks for pairs, but I also want to do a large show tank. Would they be compatible with the Hemichromis lifalili? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you for all your time and help. Stevie
<This cichlid is only from Lake Bermin in Cameroon. It gets a little over 2" long in the wild ,but I have seen captive specimens almost 3"long. They come in three color morphs, green, red, and a light brownish grey. In the wild they get lots of vegetable matter like algae and live plants. I would recommend a diet with lots of Spirulina in it. They also will eat insects and other invertebrates. I would stay away from "wormy" foods. They can handle a wide range of temperatures and pH values. They are substrate spawners that can spawn as small as 1".They form very strong pair bonds. If you wanted to set up an West African dwarf cichlid tank, I would recommend adding Anomalochromis thomasi, a Pelvicachromis species, a Nannochromis species and Hemihaplochromis multicolor. All of the Hemichromis species are pretty much bullies. I would try H. cristatus instead of the H. liffalilli. They are smaller and may be somewhat less aggressive.-Chuck>

Adding Cichlids To An Established Lake Malawi Tank – 05/05/07
Hi Chuck-I am hoping you can help me round out my 75 gallon Mbuna tank.  
I currently have 3 Acei (pretty sure one male and two females), 1 experatus ( male only the two females didn't make it through the tank upgrade for unknown reasons), 2 Kenyi( only females), 3 trewavase(1 M, 2F), 3 red zebra(1 M, 2F), 2 jewel (pair) and 3 auratus( 1M, 2F).  My tank conditions are good- Amm.-0, Nitrite- 0, Nitrate-5.  My pH is 7.8 and the temp is currently 79 F.  I am wondering how many more fish I can add to the tank? Right now everything is fine but they are all 3" and under. I was thinking of adding 2 or 3 more Kenyi, a male and two females, my females are the only two fish that get into real fights in the tank- so far no permanent damage.  And maybe one more set of mbuna but want to know if I will pushing the overstocking thing?  Also I don't know if I should re-home the experatus or get him some females? Last question-Do you think my Jewels will be OK?  It was the one fish I
purchased on the word of a store person and now researching I don't know if it will work. Your advice is great and helps me to have a quality home for my fishies:-)
thank you soooo much!! Thanks again!! Christie
< Some aquarists stock Malawi tanks on the light side. I prefer to keep them over stocked. Your basic question of "How Many Fish?" depends on water chemistry, filtration and maintenance. If you can keep the nitrates under 25 ppm between water changes then you can add more fish until it starts to exceed this number. With these cichlids you need to take into account aggression and territory. Now that your fish are three inches long it may be difficult and expensive to find and buy larger fish. first try and buy fish slightly larger than the ones you currently have. When you bring them home you need to rearrange all the rocks and decorations in the tank. Add the new fish and turn out the lights. The next day, all the fish will be fighting with each other over new territories. Reducing the water temp to 77 F will help calm things down a little. Eventually as you get more fish, the jewels will run out of places to hide and probably can't compete with the Lake Malawi cichlids. If the like the M. exasperatus then get more, unless you like another fish better.-Chuck>

Other critters with African Cichlids   4/22/07
Hi, I have a 65gal with African cichlids and one crazy crab. She is bright purple and tentatively identified as a Thai Devil Crab (or maybe Mangrove, or Soapdish).
<Well, the Thai and soapdish crabs are the same thing, Clariosoma camifax. Anything sold as a "mangrove crab" could be literally any one of hundreds of estuarine crabs.>
An Aulonocara tried to take a shrimp away from her and she ate him too.
<Repeat after me: fish and crabs do not mix.>
The other fish keep their distance.  I am curious about other critters I could add. I have not been able to find much info on spiny eels. Are there any small ones?  Would there be a bloody showdown? I have lots of hiding places but that might not make a difference. Do you know of any good resources on this subject?
<The Tanganyikan spiny eels do turn up very occasionally in the trade, and some can be kept in aquaria with cichlids. Do bear in mind two things though: firstly, they are rather territorial, and secondly, they are very predatory. Most of the African spiny eel species in the trade are also rather large. Mastacembelus moorii (formerly Afromastacembelus moorii) is very typical: over 40 cm long and has a large mouth capable of eating quite large prey. In the wild young cichlids are an important part of its diet. In terms of additional info, there are a couple of species in Baensch's Aquarium Atlas vol. 2, and you can find information on size and diet easily enough on Fishbase. Large spiny eels are all much of a muchness in terms of care, and your main problems are [a] stopping them from escaping and [b] making sure they have enough food to eat. They *do not* scavenge whatever the guy in the shop might suggest. Worms, particularly earthworms, are a favourite, as are things like river shrimps. If you breed your own feeder fish, then those are an option too, but spiny eels are *exceptionally* sensitive to external bacterial infections and under no circumstances should be fed cheap feeder fish from the aquarium shop. Once settled in, they usually eat frozen foods such as whole cooked prawns.>
Thanks- Jay
<Cheers, Neale>

Oysters in aquarium   4/22/07
Hello!
I have a 75 gallon tank with African Cichlids( Malawian).  I am wondering if it is OK to put some oyster clusters in the tank with them.
<Should be fine. What looks great is siliconing the oysters together to make a great big reef. You can pick up silicone sealant cheaply from any DIY store. Follow the instructions, as it's pretty noxious stuff while curing. The fish will appreciate this complex habitat, and in fact many fishes (though not cichlids) exploit oyster reefs as homes and nesting sites.>
I have read about crushed oyster shells, but not about the whole oyster cluster.  My concerns are that they have such sharp edges.
<A valid concern, but cichlids are usually fine about this. They use their lateral line system to "feel" their way around, and being very maneuverable swimmers, don't normally bump into things.>
My second concern is the best way to clean them.  I have a lot of other rock work and caves for hiding but really like to look of these clusters.  Any advise is great!  Thank you!
<Rinse, rinse, and rinse again is the best way to clean things. If these are collected from the beach, then you need to "cure" them, perhaps in the sunshine for a few weeks, to allow anything organic to die off and decay. (In museums they use insects to speed this up, so why not put the shells near an ant colony and let the ants do the work!) Afterwards, it's just a case of washing away any dirt left behind. It's actually pretty unlikely anything in the shells could cause harm to your fish, particularly if the oysters were sold as food or collected from a clean, unpolluted beach.>
Christie
<Cheers, Neale>

Compatible Ornate Bichir and African bumblebee cichlid   4/21/07
We have a Ornate Bichir (dinosaur eel) in one tank and we are thinking of getting rid of that tank.  I have a African bumblebee cichlid in a really large tank all by himself.
<Not sure what an "African bumblebee cichlid" is. Do you mean Pseudotropheus crabro, http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2359 ? Always a good idea to use Latin names, saves confusion.>
I was wondering if they can be in the same tank??? I think we are just tired of having two tanks.
<If the cichlid is Pseudotropheus crabro (maximum length ~9 cm), and given that the bichir is Polypterus ornatipinnis (maximum length 60 cm) then absolutely not. The bichir is a piscivore, and sooner or later will view the much smaller cichlid as a snack. Bichirs hunt at night, when cichlids are (generally) at their most vulnerable. If the cichlid is something else entirely, then provided it is ~30 cm or so on length, i.e., big enough not to be viewed as prey, then non-territorial cichlids and bichirs can be kept together without problems.>
Thank you
Lisa Brooks
<Cheers, Neale>

Mixing Dempsey with Frontosa   3/22/07
Hello, I am picking up an electric blue jack Dempsey today (abt 1 inch). He is going to be in a 10 gallon tank by himself until he gets big enough. I have a number of tanks and will move him into bigger tanks as he grows. I was curious if I could put him with a blue Zaire frontosa that is the same size. I understand that both fishes have aggressive behaviors but this is only a temporary thing until the Dempsey grows since I believe that the frontosa grows at a significantly slower rate. They are both pretty mellow when they are this size. Would you advice against this mix?
< Water wise they have about the same requirements. The Dempsey will be much more aggressive than the frontosa. The frontosa is an ambush predator that waits for its prey. the Dempsey will be more active and probably push the frontosa around.-Chuck>

Mixing Lake Malawi Cichlids  - 03/20/07  
Hey, I recently bought four P. lombardoi and one M. chipokae. I was just wondering if these fish are compatible? They seem to be doing fine and are growing surprisingly fast.
< All of these cichlids come from the same lake and have the same water and food requirements. As long as these stay about the same size they should get along just fine.-Chuck>

Figure eight puffer... comp. with Af. Cichlids   - 03/20/07  
Hi,
I have two cichlids, one electric yellow and one zebra (both about 1.5"), I was wondering if these two fish could live in a 55 gallon tank with two figure eight puffers? The puffers I'm interested in buying are very small and one of my cichlids is kind of a jerk so I'm a little nervous about adding him to a tank with the little puffs, although I've read they can hold they're own.
Thanks for you help,
Meg
<No, for multiple reasons. Firstly, this species of pufferfish needs slightly brackish water, and brackish water causes harm to most freshwater fish, including Mbuna cichlids (specifically, it is linked to something called Malawi Bloat). Secondly, puffer fish rarely mix well with other fish. It's simply easier for everyone to keep puffers in their own tanks, in most cases on their own. A 20 gallon brackish water tank with a figure-8 puffer would be a fun project in its own right. Finally, while puffers can defend themselves (not least of all by puffing up!) it doesn't follow through that they can 'tame' aggressive tankmates or reach an armed truce with them. Mixing aggressive cichlids with potentially easily damaged pufferfish is just asking for trouble. Cheers, Neale>

Discus With Lake Malawi Cichlids...NOT!  – 2/26/07
Hi. Thank you for your earlier help. Have another query....
I have 2 female Metriaclima lombardoi maylandia (Blue Morph I think they are called). Are they compatible with Discus? Thanks, Vishal
< Discus come from the warm soft acidic waters of the Amazon River in South America. The M. lombardoi come from the hard alkaline waters of Lake Malawi. They are also very aggressive and have sharp teeth. Your discus would not last too long mixed with these fish.-Chuck>

Tank Compatibility With Mbuna  - 1/18/07
Hi all just have some questions with compatibility
I have A 55 GAL Mbuna tank. I currently have
3 blue zebra 2,M  1,F will be trading in the 2nd male for a  female soon
3 red zebras  1,M  2,F
3 yellow labs 2,M  1,F  also trading in the second male for a  female soon 1 African butterfly fish ( are they a type of cichlid? One guy told me they were but I don't think so.)
I know butterflies usually have the less hard water but mine is doing just fine is happy and  growing fast.
<The butterfly fish is not a cichlid and actually comes from slow moving swamps in Africa. They like to eat floating insects. Over time he would be  best in another tank.>
I got all of these fish as juveniles so I wasn't sure of sex until a few months ago. I am not planning on keeping any of the fry my fish have started producing.  There has only been one aggression problem towards the second blue zebra male  that started a week ago. The subdominant male will be going to someone  else for a female. When I finish the tank I'm planning to have 10-12 cichlids. The tank is planted with Java fern and a few other plants I can't  identify. It has coarse sand substrate and lots of rock caves. I was wondering if there any  species of Mbuna/ Lake Malawi  cichlids with a dark/black color/pattern that will get along with my fish  in a single /pair or trio?
< Dump the BB zebras and get a trio of Ps. saulosi. Smaller, less aggressive and females are prettier. Ps. Demasoni is a very pretty fish but very aggressive.>
Also a friend of mine is starting a tank. It's a 38 gallon. She is taking 3 of my yellow lab fry and wants a female blue zebra and maybe 1 or 2   colorful cichlids from other species. She likes the yellow ones with  the black stripes and the blue ones that look similar. Any others that may work?  perhaps ace i (sp)?
< The female BB zebra is vey plain looking and will still be aggressive towards the other fish. The Ps. acei is a fairly peaceful Mbuna that eats algae off of driftwood.>
Also she wants tiger barbs and glass fish I've herd of tiger barbs being kept with some cichlids but glass fish?
< Glass fish will be bothered by the tiger barbs and I don't think will thrive.>
Perhaps they won't be seen? My  cichlids don't bother anything that looks like it's not alive/food/other  fish, like my African butterfly.
< Your cichlids are more interested in other cichlids. Your butterfly fish looks like a floating leaf and at the top of the tank where cichlids usually don't hang out. Glass fish will wander into the cichlids territories and be chased away.-Chuck>

Cichlid Compatibility    1/21/07
I think I just said blue zebras in my last message but they are actually cobalt zebras. Male and female both have striking colors. They don't  bother any other fish. I have had no aggression problems except for a scuff  between the two blue zebra males. The subdominant male is being traded for a  female.
The king of the tank is actually a red zebra male not the cobalt. Ps. saulosi is very hard to come by in my area as well being extremely over priced so don't plan to switch my cobalts out with the Ps. saulosi, but thank you for the suggestion. My butterfly has been in with the Mbuna for almost a year with no ill  effects. It takes food out of my hand a wonderful little fish! Why do you suggest  that he be moved to another tank?
<If the cichlids ever discover that this little fish is actually a fish and not a floating leaf it will soon become a meal for them. Right now they are fooled into thinking that it is not alive. Cichlids are pretty smart and may figure it out one day.>
I'm not sure if I read your reply right but I wanted to know about a  darkly colored Lake Malawi  cichlids with a dark/black color/pattern that  will get along with my fish. If you meant the Ps. saulosi as a possible  solution to this then it's a no go for me unless you can suggest some one that  sells them in singles or pairs at a good price and ships them to slight rural  areas in the U.S (I live so far out I can't even get cable) It's hard getting  good fish when you live so far out. Not many people here even sell cichlids.  Except at Wall-Mart, and I've given all the Wall Mart fish the nick name of  Typhoid Marys.
You never know what's riding in with those fish. I think the johanni is a rather dark blue/black species. I have seen it in  my area. Could it be compatible with my fish? I think it's a Malawi isn't  it?
< Melanochromis johanni is a mildly aggressive cichlid from Lake Malawi that may get along with your other fish if they are all the same size. I would like to recommend a book called "Enjoying Cichlids" by Ad Konings. It can be purchased at Cichlid Press.com. You can get almost any fish you want online. If you can get FedEx, UPS or USPS that you can get fish shipped overnight to your front door. Look on Aquabid.com for Malawi cichlids that are available. I think you will be surprised.>
Thank you for the Ps acei suggestion for my friends tank. She likes the coloration and should be happy to know that it's compatible with the yellows.
Now  I just have to break it to her that she can't put the glass fish in with the  other ones. Thank you so much for your prompt reply and sorry to bother you again.
< Between the book and the website I think you will have no problem getting new fish. Write anytime you have a question. That is what we are here for.-Chuck>

Keeping Assorted Cichlid Species in a Small Tank  1/8/07
Hi, My name is Dylan
<Hi Dylan, Pufferpunk here>
I have 2 questions
1: Can I keep 2 Malawi blue dolphins, 4 electric yellow cichlids and 2 yellow regal cichlids in a 120 litre aquarium with 3 clown loaches and 1 bristle nose catfish?
<Whoa!  120L equals a little under 32 gallons.  Have you done any research on the adult sizes of these fish?  The Malawi blue dolphin, can grow to impressive size in aquaria with males reaching over 11 inches and females smaller at 8 inches or so.  Large tanks of 75 gallons or more would be a good idea if you plan to house several adults.  Minimum recommended tank size for the electric yellow 5 inch adult is 50g.  The 6 inch Yellow Peacock Cichlid does well in an aquarium that is at least 50 gallons with plenty of rocks for territories and a sandy bottom.   Clown loaches can attain 1 foot (sorry, I'm from the US, you'll have to do the conversions yourself).  Fish like cichlids, are extremely aggressive & need room to escape each other.>
2: Can I keep a black ghost knife in a aquarium with the above fish?
<Absolutely not.  You'd need a tank 3x the size you have now to keep this 18 inch fish.  They are difficult to feed, as they only accept live worms as food.  I think you need to do much more research on the species you are interested in & find smaller fish for your tank.  Be sure to also research the importance of cycling a tank, before adding fish (just in case you are new at this hobby).  Fishless cycling is recommended.  Please, the next time you write us, be sure to use the proper capitalizations in your letter.  I corrected this one, so we can send it to our FAQs.  ~PP>

New 125 set up    1/5/07
Hello Gentleman,
<And some gentle women...>
Thank you all for the service you provide. I've learned a great deal about freshwater and specifically African Cichlids but still have a long way to go. A copy of Barron's Malawi cichlids by Barron's was ordered today.
I have successfully kept a marine aquaria for over 20 years however new family has placed demands on time that do not permit constant monitoring and maintenance of salt tank. Sooo....
Setting up 150 gallon African (Malawi predominately) tank.
I bought two new Aquaclear 110 filters and an Professionel 2 Eheim 2028.
Filled it with around 1" of "live Cichlid sand?"
<Do monitor your flow rate every time you glance at the tank... to assure this isn't getting too clogged here>
and piles of rock.
Lighting will be 4 foot fluorescent tubes that I saved once they aged beyond the recommended spectrum output however still power up.
<Ahh, a good save, use>
What is the minimum number, yea different huh? Fewest I can keep in a 150 with this filtration and proper maintenance without "encouraging" aggression. I was thinking this combination:
16 fish 1-3 inches at introduction. 8 different species one male and female of each. Hope that at least one pair will hook up.
Labidochromis caerulens  1.5-2.5"  $6
Labidochromis Mbama  2-2.5" $8
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi  Undu Reef 1.5-2"  $8F $12M
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi Carolinae swallowtail 2-2.5"  $5F $8M
Aulonocara stuartgranti Codue McClear or Nagara 1-1.5"  $8F $12M
Aulonocara? German Red Male 3.5" $30M $12F
Metriacima estherae Red Zebra 2-2.5" $6F $12M
Cynotilapia Afra Jako Reef 3-3.5" wild $20M 18F
<Good choices... "pairs" or trios of these would/could all go here>
Here are some questions that I have:
If these species will coexist could you recommend an introduction schedule based on temperament/
Will I be having trouble with aggression because I am not crowding them?
<I would place them in the order presented... the Labidochromis first, the Kaiserfishche/Aulonocaras next...>
Just trying to keep maintenance time down.
Will the Spirulina flake and dry seaweed foods I fed the marine tangs provide adequate nutrition for cichlids?
<Mmm... I would add at least another staple dry food that would provide a bit more bulk/nutrition... I use (and plug unashamedly) Pablo Tepoot's "Spectrum" fish foods... of appropriate pellet size... almost exclusively for my African Cichlid tanks>
Can you recommend a skimmer box that I can place the Eheim drain pipe in so I skim the surface?
<Mmm... I'd take a look at Eheim's product itself for doing this. Please see their site, or search the Net re... a few etailers carry this>
I tried using a leftover from my WD however too many bubbles. Yes I know I should have kept WD but I really needed to simplify the system with little ones around.
Okay here's a silly one. For years I vacuumed around coral rock but always could pick out waste. Also had many crabs and scavengers to clean. The new set up has so much rock I'm not sure how I will clean in all the crevices and caves?
<I encourage you to do as I do... with (weekly in my case) water changes, I pick up, re-build the various rock formations to one side to the other... bigger rock on the bottom, with an eye to preventing falling down problems... and vacuuming about, under... Helps to disrupt a good deal of territoriality as well...>
I know there is an obvious answer thanks.
Hope you and yours had a great holiday season. I really appreciate any assistance you can offer.
Sincerely,
Mike ph
<Thank you for writing, sharing Mike. Bob Fenner>

Holes in a Paroon shark. African Cichlid, Pangasiid incomp.  12/30/06
Hello! I have a Paroon shark
<Pangasius sanitwongsei Smith, 1931... a REALLY big catfish>
that has been in a tank with cichlids for about 5 months now. I had a Moray Eel
<...>
for about 3 days and after researching it (should have done that before I bought it)
<Yes>
I decided to give to my cousin's saltwater fish store. In the morning the day I gave him up, he was belly up in the tank, then when I came home, his head was by my sharks spot in the tank and it was obvious that they were bitten.
I put medicine in the tank and tried to nurse them to health. It was apparent one shark would loose
<lose>
his eye because it was bloody then just turned black like his skin. It was almost like his skin grew over the eye.  Well my cichlids picked on the sharks and would bite his eye and his side fin (in front)
<Incompatible...>
so I put the shark into my 10 gal feeder fish
<... dismal>
tank with some medicine so he could heal in peace. He has been in the tank for 3 weeks and where his eye was started to turn pink. Silly me I thought it might be regenerating. Well, now there are holes where his eye and fin used to be. It appears like its rotting or something. I have no clue what is going on. Can you help and let me know what it is and how I can treat him? Thanks!
Jennifer Mercer
<What re water quality, testing... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwdis3setsfactors.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Tankmates for Shell Dwellers?   12/28/06
Hello Crew, and thanks for your help in the past!  I have a 20g tank that was populated by four Lamprologus ocellatus, two Meleagris and a Pleco.  I'm sorry to say  that one of the Ocellatus basically bullied the others to death one at a time, and my two Meleagris died quite suddenly after a water change (pH fluctuation?) so I'm left with the Pleco and one really feisty little shellie.
I plan to introduce some new shell dwellers (haven't decide which kind), but I'm wondering if there's any type of fish I can keep with them to occupy the middle to upper regions of the tank.  It's a small tank, so I know that my choices are limited, but with them all living on the bottom the whole thing looks rather sparse.
<Mmm... yes>
Is there anything I can keep in such a small space that won't eat them and that they won't also pick on?  Thanks a bunch!
-Tara
<I would look into whatever species of mid-sized African Tetras you can... likely Alestes species... Bob Fenner>

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>

Freshwater tanks - African Knifefish question, cichlid in/comp.    12/28/06
Hi there.
<<Hi, Stacy. Tom here.>>
Can I put a Black African Knife Fish in with a couple of African Cichlids? Just starting a new tank and am not sure of this.
<<It depends a great deal on the size of the tank that you’re starting, Stacy. Less than a 50-60 gallon tank would be too small. These fish can grow to a foot in length.
Factor in the size of the fish you want as tank mates as well. Compatibility-wise, they need to be with large fish since smaller fish might look like “lunch”. (Tank size again.) You’ll need to provide cover, i.e. hiding places, for them since they’re not particularly active during the day. Beyond this, your question is a bit difficult to answer without more information regarding what I’ve already mentioned and the species of Cichlids you’d like to house your Knifefish with.>>
Please help.  Thank you.
Stacy
<<You’re welcome even though it’s only a start. If this isn’t enough to go on, you know where to find us. :) Happy Holidays to you. Tom>>

Pairing Up Cichlids   12/21/06
Greetings! An aggressive catfish made stealth attacks, including a lethal one against one-half of a pair of jewel cichlids we had introduced into our 12 gallon tank.  We got rid of the catfish and the surviving jewel finished off the rest of the garden-variety tropical fish.  So we have one jewel now about 4 inches long and it appears quite healthy.  Perhaps a Garbo-esque existence is what this fish desires, but we think the aquarium would be more interesting with a pair of fish.  If we were to introduce a new cichlid, should it be a young one or a fish closer in size to the original fish assuming a larger fish can be located?  Any other suggestions regarding the introduction of another fish? Thank you, Neil
<This jewelfish now "owns" this tank. Any new cichlid would be considered a threat and would not survive 24 hrs. I can understand you wanting to get a pair of cichlids since they are very amusing to watch, but a 12 gallon tank would be asking for eventual problems. Trade the jewelfish back to the store and ask about getting a half dozen dwarf cichlids. Let a pair develop naturally and the others can be traded back to the store. They will breed and take over the tank guarding there fry.-Chuck>

Adding Ps. Saulosi To A Malawi Tank  12/5/06
Hi, I have a 30 gallon with 3 Eureka Peacocks and 2 Electric Yellows. All 5 are males as I do not want any breeding in this tank. One of the peacocks is dominant in the tank and does chase the others a little. I would like to add 2 Ps. salousi's to this tank because I like the blue color and I figure stocking more would reduce the aggression a bit. Do you think this would be okay? Thanks for your input.
< This is a great fish. I saw them in the wild while diving in Tawani Reef a few years ago. They do not get too big (3"max) and are relatively peaceful compared to other Mbuna.-Chuck>
 

Ps. Acei Being Attacked By OB Peacock  11/20/06 Heya crew, I have a problem with an Ps. Acei in one of my tanks.  The 46 Bf has an Emp400(2 act. carbon cartridges) and a Pen 330(2 sleeves of crushed coral) 100 lbs of various stacker rock, 78-79°, 7.7 pH, <.3 nitrite, 0 ammonia, 4.5KH, 21GH. 10 gallon water changes every two weeks. In the tank are 5 yellow labs, 3 acei, 2 OB Peacocks, 2 adolescent ail. Peacock (hansbaenschi), 3 Brichardi (planning to move to a 15 soon for pairing and breeding). It's been my belief that the OBs have been aggressive towards other fish. I've seen them nibbling on my moorii when I had them, bless their little hearts...  neither of them have survived, even in med tank(10 gallon with Whisper30/60-which have 19 fry at the moment). One of my acei, a smaller one, has apparently been attacked by a fish... if you have the picture, you should be able to see (only after magnification of the picture can I now see the damage) only about 5-7mm of fin remaining on it's right side. Now my real concern is the whitish and grey area all along it's neck around the fin.  Since the med tank is being occupied, I've put the acei into a brooding net.  It's eating, moving around a bit...  But it just looks like there's... mold? maybe... under the scales.  I've a few pictures to come along with this letter...  I hope we can get this figured out, you're help would be most appreciated. SDB - S.Car. < The OB peacock is really a cross between a peacock and an OB Mbuna. Probably an OB zebra. This makes it a more aggressive fish than the regular wild peacock and probably the trouble maker. Your acei probably has a bacterial infection. If you treat the entire tank with Nitrofurazone then the bacteria will be killed and you tank will probably have a problem with the biological filtration. This may cause an ammonia spike. Treating in a hospital tank would be best.-Chuck>

Wrong Cichlid for Mild Mannered Cichlid Tank  11/21/06
Thanks again Chuck.  I must be doing something wrong because I  followed your advice regarding mild-mannered Mbuna (or ones that aren't as  aggressive).  I purchased the mainagano or something like that, and he's  destroying my cichlids..............even my large ones over 5".
< The genus Melanochromis in general is very aggressive except for the M. parrallelus. All others are very dangerous to other fish. Don't substitute! I don't think I recommended the mainagano. The M. chipokee or M. vermivorous would be a total disaster.>
I  currently have 8 cichlids, 3 tiger barbs, 3 clown loaches, 1 Synodontis cat  and 1 Pleco.  Am I overstocked enough to relieve some of this aggression or  do I need more cichli