Ok I added the fish

[FishyPastor]

Ok I bought 6 new fish a African Lace cat,I added the fish today, a Ahi male, one Jewel, a pleco and two kribensis. My male Kenyi is bullying all of them I begining to wander If i need to get rid of him?

[Dixie]

I'm not sure any of those fish as compatible. I'd do some research.

[FishyPastor]

One correction the kribensis is two Auratus.

[rangur1]

Ok I bought 6 new fish a African Lace cat,I added the fish today, a Ahi male, one Jewel, a pleco and two kribensis. My male Kenyi is bullying all of them I begining to wander If i need to get rid of him?
the ahi ,kenyi and auratus WILL fight and kill each other till there is one left . i do not think the jewel will stand up well to these other bruisers. the pleco is out of place. [amazon vs alkiline rift lake ph]
can't tell about the lace cat.
how big is tank?
what is PH? i'm curious,thanks

[William]

Some pleco species does well in alkaline water so that isn't necessarily a problem. Do you know which pleco species it is?

The other fish might work together (allthough not an ideal mix) if the decoration is designed to reduce aggression and the aquarium is big enough. How big is your tank?

[Algenco]

Rift lake cichlids have been known to go for a pleco's eyes

[bushwhacker]

not a good mix imo..the auratus in particular are some mean sob's

[Red]

Agreed the jewel is one mean fish too.
Auratus are one of the fish that should not be sold in the hobby, they are very very mean and will likely kill anything in the tank with them. They have to be the lead, alpha male of the tank, and if there not they will harass the rest of fish until this happens.

[hari-goshi]

Ok I bought 6 new fish a African Lace cat,I added the fish today, a Ahi male, one Jewel, a pleco and two kribensis. My male Kenyi is bullying all of them I begining to wander If i need to get rid of him?

One correction the kribensis is two Auratus.


Mbuna(your kenyi and auratus) should really only be kept with other mbuna and syno cats. There are a few exceptions , but its generally a great rule if you plan to keep these fish. It just so happens the mbuna you have are two of the more aggressive species. Alot of mbuna experts recommend a 75 gallon for these species due to their aggression. The m.auratus can be nasty! The m.lombardoi(kenyi) arent the friendliest bunch either. Id return the jewel cichlid. How big is the Ahli? If he is significantly larger than the mbuna , it might work for a short while. Of course he might just kill the mbuna before they grow up to terrorize the tank. Ahlis grow big and are a very active fish. They require a large tank(75+). If youre going to keep the plec , watch closely for any aggression. They work with some of the less aggressive types of mbuna(L.caeruleus, P.acei, I.sperengerae) but will probably become a victim when the auratus and kenyi start to mature. The best way to house these beautiful fish(mbuna) is 1 male to 3-6 females of the same species , with ALOT of rockwork for them to take cover in.

[FishyPastor]

The Pleco is a hi fin versions approximately 4 inches in size, I was thinking about getting two more femle auratus for the male, and to add a leaf fish. The goal was to make this tank a 55 gallon a African community tank. The Jewel hides alot but seems to be doing ok, but the female kenyis (2 of them are always on the right side of the tank, the male will not let them go anywhere else. The Ahi died and I got a replacement and that also went to fish heaven. Could the Kenyi male have killed them?