Who has had success keeping CA/SA with Rift Lake Cichlids?

[HybridGS]

I know many people do it with Jewels, Kribensis etc, but for some reason it is frowned upon to keep Cichlids from Lake Malawi or Tanganyika etc with CA/SA's.

Now most Mbuna...this i can agree with, but a lot of other Malawis seem to mix very well.

I currently have a tank that mixes E.B Haps, Yellow Labs, Dragonblood Peacocks, Livingstonii with a few adult Blood Parrots, Pink Convict, EBJD and currently growing out a couple of Red Severums in there to ready to go into my 180g.

I use argonite sand, ocean rock and pebbles and feed the normal....Hikaris/flake/blood worm etc.

So in my opinion with the right selection of fish (size,diet and temperament), this works really well.....and i have a really colourful tank as a result...with absolutely no fighting (the only squabbling i had was my male peacock killing off other male peacocks)

PS:

I am not talking about cramming a load of juvis together and saying 'it works' there is a lot of adult fish in the tank, one of my E.B Haps is hitting 7" tl (as a example)

 

[HybridGS]

ttt

 

[aclockworkorange]

I just don't know WHY you would do it, never been a fan of mixing stuff like this, even if it works.

 

[HybridGS]

Colour and wanting to keep 2 sets of fish.

Tell me WHY not to do it?

 

[flowerpower]

I'd like to see pics if you have any.

 

[HybridGS]

Heres a video of my 100g living room tank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ6IS813_ak

 

[VRWC]

I think the majority of new/ uneducated/ basic fish keepers do it.

Theres usually no longer problems with diet issues etc anymore because most africans you can buy are so far removed from their wild ancestors and have been raised in conditions different from their ancestors.

The few people I know that keep fish (that dont frequent here or care enough about them to study in depth) buy whatever looks pretty at the local chain store and put them all in a tank thats too small together...then get pissy with me when I tell them the tanks too small, the fish will grow too big, change the water more than once every 3 months, you need more filtration etc.

Basically noobs do it because it looks pretty and they dont know any better, or people (like you I assume) that dont care they are from different continents and arent trying to go for a regionally correct tank, for the most part.

I dont do it because I dont like african cichlids (aside from butti's). If I did, Id keep them together if I didnt mind the unrealistic situation of them cohabiting.

Its only a personal preference, unless youre getting wild caught or F1/F2 of each species. Around here, most pet stores all work off one or two large sumps for all their tanks (usually) and all the different continental species survive in it just fine.

 

[Otherone]

There are purists in every forum, If it works, you like it, the fish are healthy, and your being responsible to the fish, thats all that matters. A big argument is the PH - Africans in the 8. range, Americans at the 7. range so long as the PH is stable between 7-8 it really is a NON issue. Most problems that will occur are space related esp. if females are present and this goes for both continental cichlids. A 10" Eyebitter wants 2-3 feet of bottom space for his pit just the same as a 12" Red Terror and they defend it exactly the same. Mbunas and Convicts prefer smaller cavernous spaces and act the same. Shouldn't come as a suprise after all they are cichlids. Another issue that is also Continental is size and stress. Aulonacara(Peacocks) stress easily, much the same can be said about EBJDs. When Haps get large they can be just as much a bastard as any large SA/CA cichlids can. So pretty much excatly What size and Type of continental cichlid mix you choose will determine if it is successful. Trying to mix a Dovii with Mbunas would be stupid, the same can be said by mixing Malawi Trout with Firemouths. Although American Cichlids do tend to get more robust there are plenty of both that aren't overly aggressive and do mix with other cichlids irregardless of their continent of origin.

 

[HybridGS]

I think the majority of new/ uneducated/ basic fish keepers do it.

I stopped reading there, 11 years of experience doesn't make someone uneducated.

I have done it by the book, and i have broke the rules....simply because it always works, you just have to be selective.

 

[VRWC]

I stopped reading there, 11 years of experience doesn't make someone uneducated.

I have done it by the book, and i have broke the rules....simply because it always works, you just have to be selective.

I wasnt implying you were any of those, which youd have known had you read the whole post, which included the following:

Basically noobs do it because it looks pretty and they dont know any better, or people (like you I assume) that dont care they are from different continents and arent trying to go for a regionally correct tank, for the most part.

Ahhh the irony...