red jewel

[daimen123]

Ok I have a mate who wants a red jewel and what I can find says not to mix it with new world cichlids. But to mix with mbuna does that include lab caerelus. Cause he likes them. Me personally would just want an mbuna tank but each to there own.

[daimen123]

And it's a standard 3ft tank sorry.

[FinalJenemba]

Jewels are nasty fish. I definitely wouldn't mix them with most new world cichlids. Mbuna are on an entirely different scale in terms of aggression than most other cichlids, that's why jewels sometimes work with them. Its something you have to try, its never a definite, either the mbuna will accept them or they wont. Never get more than one jewel, a breeding pair of jewels mixed with mbuna would be pandemonium from which no fish would survive.

If he really wants jewels the best way to experience them is to get a breeding pair in something like a 29g they can have all to themselves. But one could be tried with mbuna if he really wanted. Just warn him its entirely possible he could wake up one morning and find the jewel or even an mbuna caught in the crossfire has been slaughtered overnight, that's just the risk you take when you experiment with mbuna.

[daimen123]

thanks for the reply. hopefully he listens to.me today. he bought fish and his tank isn't even cycled yet. man he thinks he can just add prime and everything will survive. I might just let him learn his lesson.

[-Alex-]

Honestly Jewels dont belong with mbuna.... There temperment is similar to south american cichlids....

They get their bad reputation from people keeping multiple jewels in small tanks with other cichlids or community fish.

I can imagine your friends tank is no place for a jewel cichlid. :scry:

Jewel cichlids are very aggressive when breeding.... Like most cichlids. Single male's can also be pretty aggressive in small tanks.

If you keep a single male or female they can do great with other cichlids in a large tank... something like a 75gal.

I kept Jewels with other SA cichlid in a large tank before with no problems.

Of course this all depends on the temperment of the individual cichlid.... some are just plain evil!!

[Aeonflame]

It also depends on which new world cichlids they are being kept with. In a tank with similarly sized fish, my jewel was extremely aggressive. When I added him to my oscar pond, he mellowed down considerably.