yep exactly right. you see I have an all african 60 gal with one 5" female convict. shes pretty beefy and she fits in just fine, cause she is an aggressive fish by nature. severums are peaceful and slow. I´m pretty sure a bunch of africans would have no trouble killing a severum. plus they arent known for being the fastest growers (although some do grow pretty quick)
Mixing south American and African cichlids
- Thread starter fish042099
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My Severum is not peaceful and slow. He glides througtout the tank in not really a slow, but medium pace. Also, he is aggressive with my blood parrot that is only 2" less than him. Do you think he would get crushed with the 3 rainbows, some tiger barbs, and around 3 4-5" African cichlids?
From what i've seen blood parrots aren't that aggressive and when they are they have such... peculiar mouths that all they can really do is chase and flare. african cichlids are built to do damage to other africans. they have effective jaws and loads of chisel like teeth to skin their opponents alive. Also take into consideration that african cichlid color signals are different then american cichlid color signals. When an african cichlid is dominant it will become bright and vibrant, the losers tend to darken up and display bars. with american cichlids the symbols are the opposite, with the top cichlid becoming dark to display the spangles vibrantly while the lessers will bleach out. If an american looses to an african cichlid then when it tries to say i surrender to the african it looks like it is saying "is that all you got wuss" and vice versa. the other issue that is against you is that africans generally scrap it out constantly aside from a few exceptions. this is why people overstock african tanks, the dominant fish will be constantly changing targets and will be unable to focus on one individual for too long before someone else requires a reminder about who is king of the tank. Americans tend to be a little more leaniant until they snap and go on a temporary rampage, meaning it is better to let them establish their own territory and minimize incursion opportunity. I wouldn't try mixing new world cichlids with africans, especially if they are timid or known for starting a genocide at the drop of a hat.
if i were you i'd get some tough, but not nippy, barbs or tetras and maybe a red tail black shark.
if i were you i'd get some tough, but not nippy, barbs or tetras and maybe a red tail black shark.
they can be mean. its in their nature. you could always try it, but if you really do like your severum I wouldn´t do mixing unless you have a bigger tank.
but like I say, they are your fish you can try it if you like.
but like I say, they are your fish you can try it if you like.
all africans will show aggression one way or another, and mbuna are the worst of these. Labs are popular because they are relatively less mean then many mbuna such as m. auratus and p. demasoni. Some are so mean you need only one or at least 10-12 individuals or the dominant will kill them all. the big issue is that the labs will constantly harass the severum if it starts anything and possibly even if it doesn't it will still be chased if it intrudes into a lab's territory. Once that happens it if someone wants to give up the only option is to hide, hence the extensive rockwork in most african tanks, this goes double for your fish since the severum will likely not even be able to surrender due to the mixed signals.
You are 100% right wantokeeptrout!! I wanted to add also, that, although I am relatively new to keeping cichlids myself, it has been my observation that they can also be "Moody" fish. I have a gorgeous Electric Yellow Lab Male we call Aries and some days he's just a laid back fellow with no major beefs..but other days he can be as tough as they come! They are personable fish and I'm of the opinion that fish, some more than others, are much more intelligent than they get credit for. That being said, while the Lab can be a more docile cichlid than many others, I think most people would agree, it really just comes down to the individual fish. As long as you observe the basics, take good care of your tank & give your fish a proper diet..you should be ok. My best advice is to do what we did..buy some books that explain the natural habitats of these fellows & then model your fish selection & aquarium environment around what mother nature can teach us about each one. There are Reasons they come from different areas, after all. Many fish occupy Lake Malawai, for example and yet there are specific regions they each primarily occupy. It's a very GOOD thing to ask questions if you are uncertain. I do all the time. The Absolute Worst thing you could do is to just blindly go out and purchase a bunch of fish based on what the kid at Petco or whatever, told you. I mean no disrespect to that or any store, as I have found some very knowledgable people in some of these places who genuinely love the fish..but I've also met some complete idiots who will sell you anything and know Nothing. The internet is helpful and overall confusing as you get conflicting information from one site to another. I credit this site with having some good members who are helpful and experienced & genuinely want to see others succeed. It makes me NUTS to go on youtube and see some moron bragging on his "great new tank"... and you see texas cichlids mixed with south americans & a mixed pot of Africans..occasionally something he caught from the neighbors pond...all grossly over stocked with 2 fake logs and a treasure ship in the middle. lol Just don't be that guy!!
Because myself and others, I'm sure, still access these threads for information. That's how I found it in the first place and I'm sure, why they are archived.
