New tank with 6 Cichlids Newbie

[tanyaj77]

Hi there,
I have recently purchased a 55gallon tank (48" long) and have added 6 cichlids. (2 kenyis, 2 electric yellows, and 2 red zebras) they share the tank with a plecko (not sure what kind) and a catfish (not sure what kind either) the pet stores around here are not very helpful and was looking for some advice from you experts :)
Will the catfish be okay once the cichlids grow bigger or should I move him? They are all pretty small right now (the cat and plecko are bigger than all except the kenyi's)
I am also looking for ANY advice at all that will help me be the best fish keeper that I can be.
Also, how often should I do water changes with this group, and how much should I cahnge at a time?
Thanks!

[belldin]

once a week 20% when u add more fish up it to 40 or 50%

[belldin]

with out knowing what kind of cat and pelco u have cant answer ya on them

[tanyaj77]

once a week 20% when u add more fish up it to 40 or 50%

Thanks for the reply! Do you think it would be okay to add more fish? I don't want to overcrowd them. If so, how many more would be appropriate?
I will try and get some pictures of the cat (the guy at the pet store made it sound like ***** cat, but maybe that will give some idea) Maybe someone can help identify them with pictures.

[belldin]

yes in a 55gal mbuna tank i would have about 13-15 fish total a well stocked african tank will cut down on agrestion. i have a 55gal with 2 cobalt blue zebras, 1 yellow zebra, 1 yellow lab, 3 jewlchilds, 2 rubyred pecoks, 1 rock krib, 1 synodite , 1 commom pelco. pelco is 3 times the size of othe fish about 14 inches other wise he would not be in there with them. later on he will be moved they will start to pick on him

[jessicar613]

Er... I'm gonna take a guess at that bleep. ;)


Would it by any chance be a... pictus cat??


http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Catfish,%20Pictus.htm

[tanyaj77]

Er... I'm gonna take a guess.


Would that by any chance be a... pictus cat??

LOL YES i think that's it! Thank you!

[tanyaj77]

Sorry, now that I look at the pics (I was too excited the first time) I see it's not the same cat. I'll try and post pics.

[jessicar613]

Aw, and I was sure that was it!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[GirlieGirl8521]

Definitely get more Electric Yellows. They are less aggressive than the Kenyi and Red Zebras, so you'll want to have a larger group of them. I'd say you could have as many as 6 of them and maybe up the other 2 two groups to 4.

I'm not sure what the word was supposed to be up there ;), but could your catfish be a Syno? http://www.quebec-cichlides.com/images/syno_multi.jpg That picture is of a Synodontis multipunctatus. There are other types though.

What type of filtration do you have on the tank? You want to greatly overfilter a Mbuna tank, as they are very messy fish. 25% weekly will be fine now, but when you add more fish, I'd make it 50% weekly.


I am also looking for ANY advice at all that will help me be the best fish keeper that I can be
What are you feeding them?

[tanyaj77]

Definitely get more Electric Yellows. They are less aggressive than the Kenyi and Red Zebras, so you'll want to have a larger group of them. I'd say you could have as many as 6 of them and maybe up the other 2 two groups to 4.

I'm not sure what the word was supposed to be up there ;), but could your catfish be a Syno? http://www.quebec-cichlides.com/images/syno_multi.jpg That picture is of a Synodontis multipunctatus. There are other types though.

What type of filtration do you have on the tank? You want to greatly overfilter a Mbuna tank, as they are very messy fish. 25% weekly will be fine now, but when you add more fish, I'd make it 50% weekly.


What are you feeding them?

I checked online for pics of syno cats, and none seem to be close to my guy. He's got little whisker/grabbers, they're thicker... nothing like the other long whiskers I've seen. He almost looks like he's from a cartoon :) I will get my sister's cam and get a pic. Who knows, maybe he's not a cat at all and the guy at the pet store had no idea what he was talking about.
Wow 4 more yellows, huh? I'm excited! I never thought I could have so many! That will be 14 cichlids plus the cat and pleco. Thanks! My tank will look so much better :)
As for filtration I have a whisper 60. It's got the 2 filters in it. I do have another similar older filter for a 40gallon tank. Should I add it to mine?
I am feeding them tropical flakes at the moment. i tried them with the floating cichlid pellets and blood worms but they don't eat them. Should I be feeding something else?
Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it!

[tanyaj77]

I can't seem to find the right exact picture while looking online, but he looks like a corydoras. Is he alright to have in with the cichlids? He's constantly digging in the gravel having a great old time and doesn't seem to be botheres by any of the other fish. Will this change once the cichlids get bigger?

[tanyaj77]

Okay, here's the 2 mystery fish... can anyone help identify them?

[tanyaj77]

While I'm at it, can someone confirm that these cichlids are indeed a red zebra, kenyi, and electric yellow? I've learned never to trust pet shop employees :)

[tarheels910]

The first one is def. a pleco. Almost looks like a spotted rubberlip to me. He should be fine with enough hiding places. Now for the other one. He will get picked on. You have a cory cat. Looks like a bronze cory to me. Well good luck with your tank.

[AndrewMack]

the 2nd pic is an Emerald cory i believe and the Pleco im not to sure about, looks kinda like the leopard pleco i have

[tarheels910]

You def. have a yellow lab and a kenyi. Im not sure that the first one is a red zebra. If you see there are faded lines on it. Red zebras are a solid color.

[tanyaj77]

You def. have a yellow lab and a kenyi. Im not sure that the first one is a red zebra. If you see there are faded lines on it. Red zebras are a solid color.

Hmmm... it's funny because I never noticed stripes on the red zebras before the pictures were taken. Now I go and look at them in the tank and I don't see any stripes. maybe it's the way the flash reflects off of them? They are stripeless to the naked eye :rolleyes:

[MacFish]

How recently did you set this tank up? Is it cycled yet? If no, I wouldn't go adding anything else for quite some time yet.

Africans also like lots of veggie matter so I'd recommend getting some Spirulina flakes or pellets and making them a bit part of their diet.

PS. Nice dog :)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/MacFish/Vegas/Vegas_3yrs_1.jpg

[GirlieGirl8521]

As for filtration I have a whisper 60. It's got the 2 filters in it. I do have another similar older filter for a 40gallon tank. Should I add it to mine?
I am feeding them tropical flakes at the moment. i tried them with the floating cichlid pellets and blood worms but they don't eat them. Should I be feeding something else?
Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it!

Go ahead and add the second filter. Once you add more fish to the tank, you'll need the extra filtration. ;)

The fish you have are mainly herbivores (Electric Yellows are more Omnivores), so I'd get a Spirulina based food for them. I feed mine Veggie flakes from here (http://www.kensfish.com/kensflake1.html). Also you could get some New Life Spectrum cichlid formula. Its pellet form and I use that along with the flake for my fish. It really brings out the color in the fish (its not hormonal or anything). You could also try some veggies sometimes. Mine love zucchini (eat it down to the skin!).

Your catfish is a Corydora...specifically a Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus). I wouldn't keep it with the cichilds. Cories like groups and are very peaceful fish, more suited IMO for a community tank. Mbuna can be aggressive towards other fish, so I'd definitely find another tank for him to live in (and get him some buddies). If you have or can get another tank, I'd go with atleast a 20g.

Good question, MacFish....for some reason I always assume people cycle tanks....:rolleyes:

Is the tank cycled?

[tanyaj77]

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! This is definitely a very knowledgable and friendly community.

How recently did you set this tank up? Is it cycled yet? If no, I would go adding anything else for quite some time yet.

Africans also like lots of veggie matter so I'd recommend getting some Spirulina flakes or pellets and making them a bit part of their diet.

PS. Nice dog :)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/MacFish/Vegas/Vegas_3yrs_1.jpg

I've had the tank up and running for about 2 months now. I`m pretty sure it`s cycled correctly.
P.S. The dog says thanks :)

[tanyaj77]

Your catfish is a Corydora...specifically a Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus). I wouldn't keep it with the cichilds. Cories like groups and are very peaceful fish, more suited IMO for a community tank. Mbuna can be aggressive towards other fish, so I'd definitely find another tank for him to live in (and get him some buddies). If you have or can get another tank, I'd go with atleast a 20g.

Good question, MacFish....for some reason I always assume people cycle tanks....:rolleyes:

Is the tank cycled?

I have another 40G tank that I will be making into a community tank shortly. I will add the cory cat to it so he can be safe. LOL The little guy`s got personality :)

[MacFish]

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! This is definitely a very knowledgable and friendly community.


I've had the tank up and running for about 2 months now. I`m pretty sure it`s cycled correctly.
P.S. The dog says thanks :)


Cool! I've gone back and edited my original post. I meant to say I wouldn't go adding anything else unless it is cycled. I accidentally said I would :rolleyes:

I figured you got my point but thought I'd clarify.

[tanyaj77]

Cool! I've gone back and edited my original post. I meant to say I wouldn't go adding anything else unless it is cycled. I accidentally said I would :rolleyes:

I figured you got my point but thought I'd clarify.

LOL Yep, I got your point... thanks for clarifying though :)

[tanyaj77]

PS. Nice dog :)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/MacFish/Vegas/Vegas_3yrs_1.jpg


Hey, you too! They could be brothers :)

[rosita]

Sounds like a great set-up; have lots of fun!!! And that really is a great dog!!
As girliegirl says, use the other filter---over filtration is the way to go.
In order to test your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph) you can print off from the petsmart webside the page for the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Master Freshwater Test Kit, and save 10 or 15 bucks. With a liquid test, you can not only test individually, but get a pretty accurate reading for all. Especially if you haven't checked since you started cycling.

[GirlieGirl8521]

I have another 40G tank that I will be making into a community tank shortly. I will add the cory cat to it so he can be safe. LOL The little guy`s got personality :)
Thats great. :) Definitely get him some friends (preferably of the same type). In a 40g, you could easily have 8-10 or so of these guys. They are great to watch in large groups....so playful. ;)

[biancaj]

just wondering:
isn't a electric yellow supposed to have a bold black stripe on its fin? or am i thinking of a different type?

[tanyaj77]

just wondering:
isn't a electric yellow supposed to have a bold black stripe on its fin? or am i thinking of a different type?

Yes, both of mine do... only one is more prominent than the other.

I have one more question for you experts.... :)
They say that iridescent sharks can live with African Cichlids. Do you agree? If so, what should my ratio be? I currently still have the 6 cichlids. Thanks!
Thats great. Definitely get him some friends (preferably of the same type). In a 40g, you could easily have 8-10 or so of these guys. They are great to watch in large groups....so playful.
Wow that's a lot of cory cats! They should be fun to watch! What else can I put in with them?

[belldin]

with the corrys basicaly any thing that is labeld tropical community.............guppy's mollies platys tetras danos .....your lfs should specilise in thies most do

[belldin]

as a side note most all the fish i listed above are small 2 inches max bare live young and with most can out breed and over populate your tank in a few months time ....... i have a 55 gal comunity tank with mostly guppy's , 3, 10 gal breeder tanks and 1 55gal mbuna tank i usaly dump the guppy fry i dont whant in the mbuna tank .... gives them a nice snack about once a month

[GirlieGirl8521]

I have one more question for you experts....
They say that iridescent sharks can live with African Cichlids. Do you agree? If so, what should my ratio be? I currently still have the 6 cichlids. Thanks!


Irridescent sharks get huge....I'm talking several feet. So they wouldn't be a good choice for a 55g.

If you are wanting a type of bottom feeder/catfish, check out Synodontis petricola (http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/s_petricola.htm) and Synodontis multipunctatus (http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=95). The petricola stay a bit smaller than the multies. Both would be fine with Mbuna though and like groups, so I'd get atleast 4. Just make sure you have enough hiding spots for them too. :)

[Lady G]

I was trying to find a pic I saw once of a irredestent caught in the wild...but was not successful any way they can get up to like 3 feet long!!! If I end up finding I'll post the pic