First AC tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

JTRG05

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2009
251
0
0
Northwest Ohio
Well, in 9 months I am moving, and have decided to give away all of my cichlids, which I am very sad about, but fear they won't make the trip, and wouldn't want to put them through it anyway. I've only kept CA cichlids and my water only allows me to keep certain fish.

I have a 55 gallon tank with fairly hard, alkaline water, and a relatively high pH. Its currently a planted tank, but I'm willing to give that up. I have access to lots of rocks, mostly limestone and granite. I'm used to slightly overstocked tanks so constant WC's are something I've come accostomed to.

I've always loved Frontosa, but will they get to large for a 55?
A community Mbuna tank always sounded fun, but how many and what kinds can I stick in a 55?
Is there anything you guys would recommend? Any suggestions or things to be wary of? I'm not new to cichlid keeping, but am new to AC's.
 
Frontosa will be too large for your tank. Keep 3 groups of different species of mbuna in your tank. Stay away from Metriaclima lombardoi(Kenyi), Melanochromis auratus or Melanochromis johanni as these species can be very aggressive. You are right to want to overstock your tank. This will prevent any one fish from being singled out by a dominant aggressive male. Stocking quantities depend on what species you wish to keep. Stock 1 male to several females for each species. More than 1 male of a species tends to lead to fights to the death. Stock only 1 species for each genus of fish to avoid hybridization. These fish are maternal mouthbrooders. They will have fry survive in your tank. If you plan on keeping any fry, you will have to set up a grow out tank. If not I would get a Synodontis catfish since they are an efficient fry predator. Mbuna need large rock structures to feel comfortable anf thrive. Make a list of the mbuna that are available at your lfs and I could get a better idea about stocking specifics.
 
Well, I did research at the most local petshops, but still have yet to check out Jack's, which may be the best option but it's a bit of a drive (For better selection AND cost), I'll see what you guys have to say about my City's stock first.

I can easily obtain:
Labidochromis caeruleus
Pseudotropheus elongatus
Aulonocara rubescens
Pseudotropheus zebra (also albino)
Pseudotropheus socolofi
Cyphotilapia Frontosa
Kenyi
-There also was a cichlid I was unable to identify in the Kenyi/Firemouth/Yellow Lab tank that looked like an off color Lab that was a very faint orange, is this a female, hybrid, or a mislabel?

From your suggestions I know to stay away from the Kenyi and Frontosa, I was wondering however if I wanted to just keep one Front, would that still be to large since I hear they are rather lathargic?

I already keep a Synodontis Nigrita in my CA tank (currently 2.5" and will have another 9 months to grow before being placed with the AC's)

From what I've heard so far I will have to forsake my Amazon Swords, but will my Anubias live through the Herbicidal rampage of these fish? They have so far survived the wrath of the CA's.
 
JTRG05;3371636; said:
I can easily obtain:
Labidochromis caeruleus
Pseudotropheus elongatus
Aulonocara rubescens
Pseudotropheus zebra (also albino)
Pseudotropheus socolofi
Cyphotilapia Frontosa
Kenyi
-There also was a cichlid I was unable to identify in the Kenyi/Firemouth/Yellow Lab tank that looked like an off color Lab that was a very faint orange, is this a female, hybrid, or a mislabel?

From your suggestions I know to stay away from the Kenyi and Frontosa, I was wondering however if I wanted to just keep one Front, would that still be to large since I hear they are rather lathargic?
Click to expand...

The front being lethargic won't be a problem for the other fish, but it will fail to thrive itself. Most people who keep these fish keep them as the main attraction in a dimly lit large tank. These fish occur in very deep water in the wild. They prey on pelagic cichlids during low light periods when they become less active and go to the bottom to rest for the night. This is why they are slow feeders. They definitely don't need or have the skills of an ambush or pursuit predator-just a different set of feeding skills that doesn't mesh well with your standard Africans.

The unidentified fish you speak of may be a male kenyi that is in the process of coloring up. Adult males of this species are orange/yellow and adult females are light blue/black-barred.

Try to seek other sources of fish to get more variety of fish to choose from. You have the same problem with your LFS that I have-they don't stock enough different varieties to allow you to make your best decision. Ask for people on this forum from your area where they acquired their initial stock. Most people on these forums will be eager to assist you in this regard. Best I could do with this list would be to tell you that the only mbuna that the Auloncara species would mix well with is Labidochromis caeruleus. Neither of these species would mix well with the other mbuna. Keep in mind that only the male peacock would color up-females are dull. P. socolofi should not be mixed with P. elongatus as they are in the same genus. Either would probably be OK with P. zebra. Zebras are no longer classified as pseudotropheus-but as Metriaclima/Maylandia. Kenyis are also in this genus but they seem to be the most aggressive of this type of fish by far.
 
Thank you, you guys have been really helpful for me, I have so much reading to do on these things, seems like they are very different than the cichlids on this side of the pond.

About the Front though, I meant a single male Front with no tankmates except my Synodontis in the 55, or would it still fail to grow properly? Frontosa are some of my fav fish, but if I'm not going to be able to own one properly, I'm not going to make one suffer for my enjoyment.

And one last question for now, I went into Petco and they Yellow Labs in one tank for like 20 dollars a head, but they had mixed african cichlids in another tank....that looked exactly like yellow labs....Are these yellow labs or are they something different because they look identical?
 
I know exactly what you are talking about as far as the tank at petco with unlabeled fish. We as hobbyists should try to put pressure on retailers to properly label all their livestock. I would say they are most likely yellow labs but cannot gurantee it.

As far as keeping only 1 male front with a syno in your 55 I would think it would be ok-but not forever. Male fronts do grow to 16" long sometimes. At least he could eat and not be harassed by aggressive tankmates this way.
 
How much time would I have before I would have to upgrade to a bigger tank with 1 syno and 1 front? 12+ inches is to big for a 55 IMO as well, what size of tank would it take to house the 2 fish for life?
 
I would ask someone who has more experience keeping fronts. If you can wait until you get the bigger tank, you probably could stock a group of fronts. There is a thread on this forum that titled "Frontosa discussion thread-ask your front questions here" Check it out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom