African Cichlids for a 55 gal. tank
- Thread starter JIENKINZ
- Start date
Oh they are? my bad i didnt kno. But i looked up African cichlids on http://www.cichlid-forum.com and i came up with these fish. i know not all of them will work but these are the fish i like in particularash54876;4082351; said:
Metriaclima sp. "aggressive bars"
Metriaclima barlowi
Metriaclima sp. "dolphin"
Metriaclima fainzilberi
Metriaclima sp. "mbweca"
Metriaclima pulpican
Metriaclima pyrsonotos
Metriaclima zebra
Melanochromis interruptus
Melanochromis labrosus
Melanochromis melanopterus
Melanochromis parallelus
The thing is a lot of fish on that list will be hard to find.
Here are some suggestions:
Metriaclima sp. "aggressive bars"- Perhaps instead you could look into a cynotilapia afra species or an Pseudotropheus Elongatus. Both have species with similar barring and will be easier to find.
Metriaclima barlowi-Labidochromis caeruleus is very similar and easy to find.
Metriaclima sp. "dolphin"-Also known as giant demasoni. Can be hard to find and might get too big for a 55 gallon.
Metriaclima fainzilberi -Again many cynotilapia afra species have similar coloring depending on location. They are also smaller which is good for your tank size.
Metriaclima sp. "mbweca" -Pseudotropheus flavus has almost identical coloring. They are super nasty though.
Metriaclima pulpican-Cynotilapia sp White top hara, looks just the same. I have a group of these myself (male in avatar) and they are fantastic.
Metriaclima pyrsonotos- Look into Cynotilapia afra jalo reef for a similar colored cichlid.
Metriaclima zebra- This is really too broad to give a good recomendation on an alternative
Melanochromis interruptus-Nice looking fish. Melanochromis johannii look pretty much the same and are more common. Metriaclima msobo are also the same color combination.
Melanochromis labrosus- can't help you with this one
Melanochromis melanopterus- Hmm a Melanochromis chipoke is similar BUT they are pretty much the most aggressive mbuna you can find so I would say avoid them.
Melanochromis parallelus-Similar to johanniis but the females are white with stripes. Could be hard to find.
Here are some suggestions:
Metriaclima sp. "aggressive bars"- Perhaps instead you could look into a cynotilapia afra species or an Pseudotropheus Elongatus. Both have species with similar barring and will be easier to find.
Metriaclima barlowi-Labidochromis caeruleus is very similar and easy to find.
Metriaclima sp. "dolphin"-Also known as giant demasoni. Can be hard to find and might get too big for a 55 gallon.
Metriaclima fainzilberi -Again many cynotilapia afra species have similar coloring depending on location. They are also smaller which is good for your tank size.
Metriaclima sp. "mbweca" -Pseudotropheus flavus has almost identical coloring. They are super nasty though.
Metriaclima pulpican-Cynotilapia sp White top hara, looks just the same. I have a group of these myself (male in avatar) and they are fantastic.
Metriaclima pyrsonotos- Look into Cynotilapia afra jalo reef for a similar colored cichlid.
Metriaclima zebra- This is really too broad to give a good recomendation on an alternative
Melanochromis interruptus-Nice looking fish. Melanochromis johannii look pretty much the same and are more common. Metriaclima msobo are also the same color combination.
Melanochromis labrosus- can't help you with this one
Melanochromis melanopterus- Hmm a Melanochromis chipoke is similar BUT they are pretty much the most aggressive mbuna you can find so I would say avoid them.
Melanochromis parallelus-Similar to johanniis but the females are white with stripes. Could be hard to find.
JIENKINZ;4082281; said:
I have a Demasoni right now (3.5in). Was keeping him with a 18" Jardini. It was aggressive enough that he would bite the Jardini on a daily basis.
The only other Mbuna, I have owned that was as aggressive as this Demasoni was an Auratus. My Auratus took claim to more than half my 60gal.
These fish tend to become hyper-dominant, and may have all your fish cowering in the corner in no time.
Not a beginners cichlid IMO.
A peacock tank as mentioned may be a better choice. Some varieties are very pretty. They also tend to be more mildly aggressive, when compared to most Mbuna.
Well whatever it is you decide to choose, i'm sure it will look awesome. be sure to take some pictures to share once its all set-up and stocked!
