suggestions for compatible tank mates for cichlids?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I would go with some electric yellows and some dwarf mbuna like the cynotilapia afra\ hai reefs or something along those lines. Mabye kenyis or socolofis, but they are all aggressive types so it's good too overstock a bit as long as your filtation is good enough. You also want to have more acai I think they do better in groups but some mbunas do terrible when you have 2 males of the same type and they will fight constantly so be careful of that, an all male mbuna tank is very unlikely to work so I have heard so you should try for one male and a few females of each.
 
go with a poly palmas bichir if you get a bigger tank
 
i hear alot of people who keep plecos with their africans, but it didn't work out for me, i had to throw him in with my oscars (they almost tore his fins off)
 
ericifish;3518847; said:
i hear alot of people who keep plecos with their africans, but it didn't work out for me, i had to throw him in with my oscars (they almost tore his fins off)
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same thing with me! it's only the largest of the three, the red zebra, who gives him a hard time though, none of the others. i've seen them fighting over the hakari pellets and the zucchini i leave out (intended for the pleco) or it's a dominance thing or what. hopefully this new tank will help sort things out.
 
greenearthlawns;3518195; said:
I would go with some electric yellows and some dwarf mbuna like the cynotilapia afra\ hai reefs or something along those lines. Mabye kenyis or socolofis, but they are all aggressive types so it's good too overstock a bit as long as your filtation is good enough. You also want to have more acai I think they do better in groups but some mbunas do terrible when you have 2 males of the same type and they will fight constantly so be careful of that, an all male mbuna tank is very unlikely to work so I have heard so you should try for one male and a few females of each.
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awesome advise, thank you. at what size will i be able to sex them you think?
 
No problem, I just realized you live in Boston thats not too far from me so if you want to pick up some fish I can sell you some at a very low cost compared to the lfs's I have a ton of mbunas... I breed many different types... usually you can sex most mbunas by 2 inches but it can be difficult with certain types unless you try venting them which I don't do because I honestly have just never bothered to try but it is fairly easy to vent them... I just go by the color, fin extentions and sometimes you can tell by their behavior... You can also keep a pleco or a synodontis catfish with the mbunas, I really love the albino brushynose plecos I have one of those in one of my tanks and it's done well and keeps the algae of the sides of the tank~ BTW alot of people suggest just keeping mbunas because sometimes if you put in peacocks or haps with mbunas the mbunas will nip at the peacocks long beautiful fins but I keep some of my mbunas in a mixed tank but I would only advise that if you had a bigger tank...
 
Bobtastic6;3518851; said:
just throwing it out there, any reason you recomend just mbunas?
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When dealing with cichlids from Lake Malawi, mbuna can be the most active and aggressive of them all. You should try to stay with just mbuna in the tank so that there is not overly aggressive fish in the same tank as non-aggressive fish.
 
Very short lived in the 35. Mbuna are aggressive. The 35 hex will be good for a pair of Angels after you move the mbuna's.
 
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