Mixed Centrals and Africans tank

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dougjeffries

dougjeffries

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 16, 2012
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St Louis
I posted this in the African forum, but got no response. I thought I would see if the New World keepers had any input.

I have a mix in my 125 gallon. So far, so good. Bifasciatus, convicts, firemouth, electric blue hap, nimbochromis venustus, OB mbuna, clown loaches, giant danios. All cichlids are male. I call it the United Nations tank. All fish are adults and I have no aggression issues at this point. Just wondering if anyone else is trying this approach and would like to know your results. Thanks in advance.


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I have mixed Africans, Madagascans, South and Central Americans for decades, some work well, some don't.
At the moment, I have Herichthys bocourti with Paratilapia and Paretroplus, the tanganikan Ctenochromis with S Americans, xCichlasoma ornatum, Acarichthys heckelli, and Guianacara, and the African Barombi mbo species, Saratherodaon linnelli as dither/targetswith xCichlasoma festae.

 
I have had problems with mbuna aggression in a mixed tank before, but have no experience with an OB Peacock. I think the best you can do is just observe the tank and see if any aggression pops up.
 
Thanks for the replies and pics. I am always looking for any sign of aggression and have several other tanks to move anyone if needed.

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Once upon a time I mixed mbuna of various sizes (1-7 inches) with my all my juvie (less than 3 inches) CA cichlids I had at the time in a 180 gallon. A red devil, a midas, both of my flowerhorns, a blood parrot, a jack dempsey, and a raphael catfish. The mbuna picked on them constantly. One day, about a month after adding them, the bigger flowerhorn (4 inches by then) snapped and decided to fight the biggest mbuna (a 7 inch blue zebra). They locked lips, and he proceeded to rip the lips off the mbuna, then gut it. I caught the flowerhorn and put him in the sump, then pulled the dead blue zebra out. Everybody was hiding in the rocks from me moving the stuff around. Came downstairs the next morning to find the central americans all sitting on the bottom with morbidly obese looking guts and every single mbuna floating without a gut... They learn fast...
 
You are not alone. I keep a 125g and 75g mixed CA/SA and African tanks that include bifas, synspillum, fenestratus, melanlurus, Green Terror, Malawian peacocks, Julidochromis and lamprologus colonies. The mix is more interesting than an all blue hap tank as they present contrasting body shape, color, size difference from 14 inch to 1 inch. Even though they came from different continents, they share similar water requirements and get along well as I chose only gentle giant species from CA/SA to mix with more aggressive but smaller Africans. It won't work if I pick super aggressive Midas or Mbuna species. Here are videos of my mixed tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnnIfhjjULk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPePOAvdrw4
 
fishfreak2009 said:
Once upon a time I mixed mbuna of various sizes (1-7 inches) with my all my juvie (less than 3 inches) CA cichlids I had at the time in a 180 gallon. A red devil, a midas, both of my flowerhorns, a blood parrot, a jack dempsey, and a raphael catfish. The mbuna picked on them constantly. One day, about a month after adding them, the bigger flowerhorn (4 inches by then) snapped and decided to fight the biggest mbuna (a 7 inch blue zebra). They locked lips, and he proceeded to rip the lips off the mbuna, then gut it. I caught the flowerhorn and put him in the sump, then pulled the dead blue zebra out. Everybody was hiding in the rocks from me moving the stuff around. Came downstairs the next morning to find the central americans all sitting on the bottom with morbidly obese looking guts and every single mbuna floating without a gut... They learn fast...
Click to expand...

Wow. I know that is a possibility. I appreciate your input. Thanks.

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Thanks, tiger15. Great video. I especially like the compressiceps and the Tang colonies. Way outside of the box. Glad to see someone who has made it work. Subscribed!

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Wondering if I can get away with putting an Alto Comp in with CA's myself. I have just one in my Tang community who is the red headed stepchild. Shunned by my calvus pair, I'd like to keep him, but he cant stay in the tang tank. My CA's though are classed as fairly aggressive though all tiny at the moment. The comp would be larger than all of them to start (he/she is 3") my ca's are no bigger than 2" with the exception of a 4" ellioti who will be coming out.
Oh its a 180g, with 2 cubans, 1 bleekeri, some swordtails, and RTM and Festae to come eventually (singles)
 
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