Anyone used Mbuna Cichlids as dithers for American Cichlid Aquarium?

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Murrayt

Murrayt

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 3, 2014
180
2
18
California
Hi all!

I am fully aware of the different aggression levels and water parameters which makes the two an unfavorable combination. This question is for those of you that have been successful with mixing the two.

I have a Male Managuense, Female Festae, Male Green Terror, and a Red Devil dominant Blood Parrot in a 135 gallon (US). The goal is to somehow add some colorful dithers to go in with these beasts. All Cichlids are currently around 6-8 inches.

Just would like to hear some feedback that is not solely based on the given strict principals to see if anyone has had any luck with this. I have seen it online and am curious as to whether it is at all worth a shot.

Thanks in advance!
 
Yes, it is worth the shot. Just make sure they can't be swallowed. I have a couple 4-5 inch africans with my Jag, Red Terror, Red Parrot, even a 9 inch Odoe Pike. They don't get bothered at all, just give them places to hide. They are much more territorial then my new world cichlids. You have to just try and see...it also depends on how aggressive your current fish are as well.
 
I have used some mbuna in the past, and am using Tilapines at present.
Central American rivers, and S American waters west of the Andes are not the far away from rift lake waters as far as water parameters go, so I don't see a water chemistry problem at all. Most Central American rivers are on the alkaline side, like the rift lakes.
And it seems many new world cichlids do not recognize the mbuna type Africans as cichlids, or competitors. As long as you don't use predatory types like Nimbochromis or others which look similar to Parachromis, aggression may be minimal.
I believe it is harder to keep Centrals that resemble each other in the same tanks.
In nature, you would very seldom find one Parachromis species in the same habitat with another species of Parachromis, or one Vieja with another.
 
I used some as dithers for my flowerhorn. It worked a good while. Then they started to get eaten. I think it depends on the species and the size. Make sure they aren't too small.


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According to a lot of other threads and what I've read all Mbuna sp. are way more aggressive than any CA/SA cichlid. People even say little Mbuna can be a problem. I haven't kept them myself, so I can't speak from experience. In theory I would say it should be ok. I typically use larger tetras and live barers. Right now I have two spot astyanax tetras which are 5-6'' in TL. These guys school and really do a good job at defusing any aggression. They are very bold and even nip at my large cichlids like a syn or loisellie. It is funny when the loisellie gets pissed off. The cichlids of course can't catch these guys.
 
I tried it long ago with an Oscar, he found it unsettling and pouted most of the time surrounded by mbuna. They left each other alone, but it ultimately didn't work out because he was too shy, but a festae should be more boisterous. As far as water quality is concerned, most of them are bred in captivity which does not resemble wild parameters. If you aren't trying to breed the Africans and aren't trying to get maximum color out of them most keepers use the "close enough" mentality with Mbuna. Like stated earlier the parameter of some sp. aren't that different anyway.

Try it and see what happens, but be ready to split them up.
 
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