Is there guide line for stocking multiple cichlids?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
As one of the mfker with one of the most overstocked mismatched tank here i would say the easiest way to form a community is to raise fish together. Some people get fish even though they know they can never house them for ever in my opinion is because there ate certain fish that you can safely enjoy for years before they reach rehoming size or a size that you can keep it in a large enough tank without stunting. This doesnt apply to all fish like red tail cats (extremely fast growers) but some fish grow a decent rate where sometimes the joy of raising and watching a fish grow is worth the fact that you might have to rehome it in the future if you never get to upgrade.
As for cichlid communities its applying aggression lowering techniques and trial and error and a little bit of common sense and knowledge. Knowing what you might get away with and worth a try vs are you nuts!? Example (and ive said this before)i have midas oscar dovii and gars all at 8-10" in a 125. I have added in this tank 5" fish and they have been fine. Of course these fish have to be able to hold their own, not act like prey, and not be weak and act like a pansy. I added a 3" red devil once no problem, 5" fenrstratus, 5" flowerhorn, 5" jaguar. All are fine now would i add a 5" severum? 3" angelfish? 5" arowana? Heeeck no! Lol those fish are too and cannot hold strong against the others. Trial and error works to a point. Im The kind of person that has never seen why a midas is this vicious killer everyone makes them to be that must be housed alone but thats my experience. :)


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I find its a fish by fish basis. Somehow my jewel gets along fine with two mbuna but not a large johanni I had. My jewel is just mean as sin

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+1 to trial and error. Only problem is: successful trial and error takes an experienced hobbyist. You have to learn the difference between fighting

Also, I dont think your nuts to put a convict in with 12" fish. Convicts are pretty good about holding their own against bigger fish. If you lose a convict or two, they can easily be replaced.
 
Personally it really depends on the situation. A "cichlid community" it all comes down to putting equal matches in the same tank and giving them enough room to figure it out themselves. You will always have fighting with highly aggressive fish, you just have to match the personalities. With CA cichlids I like having a large severum or a Pearsei to be the dominant fish. Theyre not overly aggressive, so if they lead the tank (which they can with their size, thats the trick here) you will have a fairly non aggressive tank.
 
When I visited w/ Gage and Donn Conkel, Conkel told me as a rule of thumb if you want to keep multiple cichlids together it is better to start them ALL out really young together. This way they develop a picking order within a schooling type situation. He also said once they get up to 6 inches or so and you try and add new fish it becomes a crap shoot because they are becoming sexually mature an territorial and will not take well to new comers. I've been using this method w/ good success. Tank size and Individual fish personalities will always play a role though.

From DJ/MC Decker
 
Good stuff guys! I have a few other questions I think could use more clearification:

- Say you get your fish over the period of 1-3 weeks but rearrange the tank each time a new juvie (1-3" fish) is added, does that still count as raising together? I am assuming yes, but I don't know at the same time.

- How much do lower temps, within your fishes range, and full bellies curb aggression?

- What qualifies as a line of sight break? Standard issue rocks and drift wood? Caves/pots? massive tree stumps?

- How long does a fish need to disappear from sight? I've always thought a few seconds, but maybe im underestimation a fishes brains or lust for blood...
 
krylos said:
I find its a fish by fish basis. Somehow my jewel gets along fine with two mbuna but not a large johanni I had. My jewel is just mean as sin

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Click to expand...

Johannis are mbuna and there not nice ones my neon jewels get along incredibly well in my fully stocked mbuna tank but I stay away from the aggressive ones ie Johanni Kenyi and stick to the nice guys like yellow labs and rustys!

Anyways tons of awesome advice in this thread I am new to fish keeping and just stocked a sa/ca 60 (currently watching my ebjd and tro geo fight over a small r pile). Anyways I just picked up A 90g and was thinking oscars, Texas, green terrors, maybe a couple convicts. So I'll be going through this trial and error thing soon.

Woofy you seem to have a lot of knowledge on cichlid community's what would be over stocked in a 90 g tank with those kind of fish. I could pm you if you'd rather chat there!
Thanks!
 
I agree w/ trial an error. Usually longer and wider tanks allow for more territory, but it doesn't guarantee it will work. It comes down to personalities and conspecific aggression.
Right now I have a female nic, HRPs, male JD, male salvini, female syn, female a. Robertsoni and a. Rostratus in a 150g. There is no aggression (other then the breeding pairs of HRPs). The robertsoni and rostratus should not be getting along, because of conspecific aggression, but they are fine. I hope it stays that way, but doubt it will work in the long term.
Bio load is another important thing to watch. Just test water regularly.


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Yes it still counts as raising together but regardless if you change your min later and switch fish later you should try to stock at once. I get asked all the time how i introduce aggressive fish and simple answer is no one in my tank is dominant. Because the tank has always overstocked no one fish has been able to claim themselves boss.
And line of sight will be tall thing that are taller vs wider. Driftwood, and tall plants place in uneven levels work.

Also wouldnt you be in a bad mood when your hungry? I dont know the exact reason but my theory would be that when there is a lack of food fish might start getting into survival mode and since the food is scarce they need to thin out competition.

Line of sight works best in long bigger tanks. In a 6ft tank the other fish just needs to runaway for a few secs to lose the one chasing him. In small spaces that fish would run out of room and have to turn around and get cornered which allows the aggressor to not lose his sight on him. That fish could dart around a small tank for an hour it wouldnt make a difference the aggressor would never lose its sight on the fish no matter what obstacles you put.


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you never know with cichlids, some say all male, some say lots of hiding places, some say grow them up together but in the end even that could not work and you need to be prepared to rehome
 
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