Ideas For New Tank Mates

[lovingmyclown]

at the moment i have 2 snow white cichlids 2 convicts 1 purple blood parrot 1 jewel 1 kennyi mbuna 1 blue zebra 2 yellow morphs i put 2 yellow tailed violets in that got destoyed in 10 mins i have seen some williams mbuna and blue dolphins i like

any ideas

[skullduggery1]

What ,huh... all in what sized tank?African lake cichlids with this and that and those...:ssuprised:

[Lady Hobbs]

Idea! Keep either a south american tank or a mbuna tank.

[lovingmyclown]

yeah there all happy in my 700 ltr tank

[lovingmyclown]

i wasnt asking for critisism but advice i thought thats what this forum was for as im new to cichlids

[skullduggery1]

well here's the thing,blue dolphins(cyrotocara moori)are more apt to frequent sandy open areas,and mbuna are rock/structure dwellers and can be very aggressive.Is your blood parrot dyed purple?A personal preference is not to support dyed fish.No one is judging you as we all can learn things from each other,as i have combonations of fish that some would say couldn't or shouldn't be done.cheersthumbs2:

[lovingmyclown]

my parrot isnt dyed as far as i now i w am a manager in a fish farm we breed koi mainly but have a tropical shop aswell all are fish are checked at customs by oata so they would not let us have modified fish

[eroc1085]

No one is trying to criticise you. sorry you felt that way. The problem is that they're "not all happy" like you say. The issue is that south american and african cichlids have WAYYY different water parameter needs. And while one of the species is "happy" in your conditions the others are secretly miserable... They may have adapted to the parameters somewhat, but that doesn't mean they're thriving. There's high potential for harm also.

Honesly, you asked for help with tank mates. You should really serperate your species then ask for help with tank mates. There's lots of species you could add to either tank. SA or african. For instance.

My South american tank has: 2x rainbow cichlids, 1x jelly-bean, 1x salvini, 2x angels, 4x clown loaches, 2x red/blue columbian tetras and 1x dimond tetra (125g).

So, there's an example of a South/Central American Tank. I don't keep mbuna's unfortuantely so i wouldnt be able to list a reasonable tank or tank mates.

Lastly, when dealing with cichlids its really trial and error from what ive learned. Some cichlids are fine together when you least expect it. And just the oppsite. You think they'll be fine (for whatever reason, forum, books etc) and then WHAM, they kill each other.

Thanks,

[Lady Hobbs]

You asked for idea's and my idea was to keep a tank of africans and separate them from South American species due to the different needs of both. I couldn't suggest more fish when those two different types are kept together.

[lovingmyclown]

thanks for the responses i have a spare tank what would you remove to make a happy tank

[skullduggery1]

Well,how about taking out the blood parrot,maybe the convicts.But convicts do live in a variety of habitats in central america,one is freshwater mountain lakes that are very much like the water parameters as african rift lakes.Not to mention convicts and jewels for that matter are tough as an old pair of leather boots,and could handle mbuna aggression.I just wouldn't like to picture(In my head)a very personable blood parrot,with it's deformed physique,having to put up with fast swimming, aggressive mbuna.The tank is definately large enough to house more fish.

[Lady Hobbs]

I agree with skull on the parrot, for sure. They are very social fish and like to be with their own kind, too. Not sure what size this spare tank is, tho. I have 5 in a tank together and they're like a pack of puppies.

If those convicts are a mated pair, everything will pay if they spawn. They are junk yard dogs with their young and not afraid to attack Oscars.

[angel_love]

South and central American and African cichlids speak a different "language" when it comes to territorial and dominance issues. I agree with what everyone is telling you about separating them. They also have different needs.

I would move the convicts and the parrot. I think the jewel will be ok with the rest of them. I would also add another parrot depending on the tank size.