planning your cichlid tank

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A

angryamygdala

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 18, 2013
15
0
0
New York
hello everyone,
I was just wondering what steps you take before you decided to add a new fish to your tank, and how you come up with suitable tank mates. These are the largest growing fish I've ever kept so planning like this is a bit new to me.

How strict is the african/CSA/new world limitation? I know there are differences in pH and micronutrient requirements but how stringent are these?
what other fish do you like to keep with your cichlids.
how do you balance your feeding to account for your different species requirements?

Thanks!
 
angryamygdala said:
hello everyone,
I was just wondering what steps you take before you decided to add a new fish to your tank, and how you come up with suitable tank mates. These are the largest growing fish I've ever kept so planning like this is a bit new to me.

How strict is the african/CSA/new world limitation? I know there are differences in pH and micronutrient requirements but how stringent are these?
what other fish do you like to keep with your cichlids.
how do you balance your feeding to account for your different species requirements?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I stock my tanks around a main fish and what it gets along with. Adding fish is possible but difficult in a existing setup.
For me I never mix continents,only time I've ever done it is with Buttis and that's it. I've always kept catfish and usually either a schooling Fish like sliver dollars or larger tetras and some form of oddball wether it be knife fish,poly,etc. as for feeding i a mixture of food so everyone can at least get something to eat.


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It seems a lot of people have luck mixing some SA, CA and African sp. because of the similarity in water conditions and aggression. I personally haven't tried it. I basically stock in the same way, but only have CA cichlids.


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Maybe I'm too "into the hobby", but I just don't like seeing aquariums with New World and Old World cichlids mixed. Has that nails on chalkboard effect on me lol

In regards to aggression, fish do have personalities so keeping certain species together is a lot of trial and error. There are rules to certain species co-habitating, but I've seen a lot of those rules broken.
 
xraycer said:
Maybe I'm too "into the hobby", but I just don't like seeing aquariums with New World and Old World cichlids mixed. Has that nails on chalkboard effect on me lol.
Click to expand...

Agreed cant stand it! Only thing I understand is butti being in with some aggressive fish in a large enough tank


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I don't usually mix either but I have done it in the past. I keep a featherfin and sun cat in w my ca/sa. I usually build around two or three main fish. I always keep silver dollars w large cichlids. A catfish or two. I regret buying plecos although they are often used w cichlids. Other than that I keep cichlids w cichlids.


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richkid said:
I don't usually mix either but I have done it in the past. I keep a featherfin and sun cat in w my ca/sa. I usually build around two or three main fish. I always keep silver dollars w large cichlids. A catfish or two. I regret buying plecos although they are often used w cichlids. Other than that I keep cichlids w cichlids.


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Click to expand...

As far as the mixing I'm talking about mixing like haps and Oscars or something like that

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