African ciclid help

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
so you think i should get rid of the 2 kenyis????, which both change colors so im assuming there both female, and the pet stores around here arent that great(much less knowledgable), so my selsection is very limited. I also went out and got some more structures for the tank, and a few tall plants. this is my first with ACs so im kinda in the dark about it, so i really appreciate any and all advice. heres a pic with the new structures/plants/heater---- i wanted to get some flat rocks to stack and what not but they had just run out

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males are Yellow, the opposite of most mbuna. SO if they are changing they are male, and that is even worse!!!!!!!! I would clear out the tank, get some lace rock or slate or clay pots and slate whatever, get a bunch. Make a lot of caves and then get a group of dwarfs, or go shellies...
 
Well like i said i dont really have much of a selection, and i really havent seen any dwarf ciclids, but those 2 yellows ones although they dont really bother anything but each other, when they eventually run into each other they go into for a sec, is there anyway i could just get rid of one or are they just not a good idea at all?
 
A while back, I had a 55. I had two kenyi and a lot of other mbuna. They other mbuna never came out after the two sexually matured. Then one kenyi killed the other kenyi. Then the fish never came out! He then killed a few other mbuna off... I removed the kenyi and took to the fish store to trade in. When I came home from the fish store to find out that all 15 of the other fish were out and swimming. I did not lose another one until I was moving house!

Just my story, there are a ton more like them. To be honest I have learned just to buy fish online, from breeders, from other fish hobbyists, and at auctions. You can get on aquabid and buy a group of any of the dwarf and have them shipped for less than buying them in a group at a good size at your local LFS...

Not to feel bad, I gave away a super nice peacock today that was almost 7 inches long and amazing. He would not let a single fish in his tank relax. Despite he was a show stopping fish, I had to get rid of him. He was stressing all the fish out to no end. Sometimes you will get rid of fish to get a better setup going.
 
well now that i know id like nothing more then to clear tank and start over, but i don't think that's an option anymore at this point. I think i might be able to get rid of the 2 yellows one but i wont know until tomorrow. what other fish would be okay with the remaining 3, keep in mind i will upgrade as the fish grow, i haven't actually put a pic op yet of the 5th, but it has a blue body with a really dark blue on the edges of its fins,(i was told its suppose to be really colorful as it matures) and price wise it cost more then all the other fish in the tank

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Im not an expert by any means, But id like to point out that in your orignal post you made a comment about 7 african cichlids. And that overstocking is good for them. First of all, Over stocking is never good, it raises the ammonia levels in the tank and creates a more stressfull environment. Secondly in a 29 gallon tank unless you are going with guppies or another fish around the same size as them it is going to be to many unless you are only using it as a growout. they say that as a basic rule to have one gallon for each inch of fish, In all honestly it should be more like 1.5 gallons for each inch of fish. and when they are as aggressive as african cichlids are you should add even more space/inch
 
only other africans , i like the livingstoni , they look awesome . and they arent to bad
 
Hdeuce;2018674; said:
they say that as a basic rule to have one gallon for each inch of fish, In all honestly it should be more like 1.5 gallons for each inch of fish. and when they are as aggressive as african cichlids are you should add even more space/inch
Click to expand...

If I had a quarter for every time I heard this "rule" I would be a rich man. That rule is pure myth IMO. The tank size here is way to small, but overstocking for africans cichlids......ecspecially mbuna is very popular. Overstocking means over-filtration if done right.

I'm not sure how the whole 1 inch per gallon rule started, but I wish it would go away.

And lastly...I really don't mean to be rude here....but why would you put your tank specs for everyone to see easily and make a comment on this thread? A 29 with an oscar, convict, gouramis and silver dollars?
 
Hdeuce;2018674; said:
Im not an expert by any means, But id like to point out that in your orignal post you made a comment about 7 african cichlids. And that overstocking is good for them. First of all, Over stocking is never good, it raises the ammonia levels in the tank and creates a more stressfull environment. Secondly in a 29 gallon tank unless you are going with guppies or another fish around the same size as them it is going to be to many unless you are only using it as a growout. they say that as a basic rule to have one gallon for each inch of fish, In all honestly it should be more like 1.5 gallons for each inch of fish. and when they are as aggressive as african cichlids are you should add even more space/inch
Click to expand...

Other than what was just said above, over stocking does not mean less filtration. You overcrowd to add more targets to spread aggression. This is almost a rule for mbuna. 29 is great for a dwarf mbuna tank. You could easily breed them in it. Livingstoni hunt and eat mbuna...
 
so should i stick with mbuna and only mbuna??? cause i think the fish thats blue with dark blue edges (fish on bottom right of pic above) is a malawi or at least thats what it said on the tank i bought it out off now that i think about it
 
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