who knows these fish... (pics)

[JJM]

I bought five of these little fellas for my 45 gallon community tank, I know (or at least believe) that they are a dwarf cichlid species but I forgot to copy down their name and it was a long scientific one :(, It starts with 'C' i know:).
http://mercury.walagata.com/w/jjm/Fishpics/1019125.jpg

http://mercury.walagata.com/w/jjm/Fishpics/3630294.jpg

http://mercury.walagata.com/w/jjm/Fishpics/786513200544.jpg

(p.s. I wasn't sure whether or not to post this in the cichlid forum, sorry if I got it wrong...

[ewok]

this *would* be better in cichlids......... :p

my wild guess is neolampragus multifascetous, but there are a *ton* of cichlids with vertical stripes. :)

[JJM]

Now don't I feel like a goose :(. (someone move me pls:))

Anyway, do you think these are definitely shell dwellers? I wish I had've copied down that name :rolleyes: . I'll get back to the store ASAP and find out, this is going to drive me nuts!

At the moment they're in the tank and seem quite settled, they rarely venture from the bottom of the tank, and chase eachother around, particularaly the larger ones (to the smaler ones), Altough my Bristlenose Cat is sorting them out:) (I've never seen it so territorial) they aren't bothering my Kuhlies, or whiteclouds though.

I searched for some pics of multifasciatus, I can rule them out, their bars are far to close and the colours are different.

The closest I've seen is Neolamprologus cylindricus

http://images.sydneycichlid.com/ncylindricus.jpg
They look just like that, except with orange/brown stripes on a pale pink background.

Thanks for pointing me in that direction Ewok, I have a feeling my mystery fishies might be in there somewhere:).

[ewok]

when they move this, the guys and gals in there probably have a better idea. most of my experience has been with the common types.

they seem pretty tiny so they might be shellies. multis were the smallest banded ones i could think of, even tho these are young too i would imagine and that would also account for being small. if you want to look further in that direction neolampragus and lampragus are pretty much interchangable i think. the "c" thing might be "cichlisoma" tho.

i'm sure a few of the cichlid folk venture in here, otherwise i imagine they will bump the thread over in a few hours when someone has time.

good luck :)

[Reiner]

Judging by the pointy nose I would guess cylindricus as well. Neet little fish that grows to about 4 inches. For sure not a Multi or any other shelldweller.

[valerie]

They look like N.cylindricus to me, but i'm just comparing to pics off the net. Yours are probably lighter in color since you jsut got them and the aren't settled in. The head shape looks like N.cylindricus though. Here are a few links

http://www.amateurcichlids.com/fish/n_cylindricus.shtml
http://www.cichlidae.com/gallery/Neolamprologus/cylindricus.html
http://www.sydneycichlid.com/ncylindricus.html
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/n_cylindricus.php

You could also try the www.cichlid-forum.com messageboard for a forsure ID, ask under lake tang.

[mogurnda]

Yep, they're cylindricus. They look just like the babies from my colony at several weeks to a few months of age. They will darken when they are more comfortable. I wouldn't call them dwarfs, in that a big male will be about 5" long.

I hope you won't mind if they rearrange your substrate. They are very active diggers as adults.

[JJM]

double post:rolleyes:

[JJM]

Okay, so they're Cylindricus...

How will they (as well as my other fish) fare??? Here's the setup:

45gallon (48x14x18)
Fluval 1&4 plus filters

Plants:
anubias nana (attached to driftwood)
various silk

Fish:
1 Bristlenose cat
15 Whitecloud mountainfish
2 Platies (temporary)
2 Kuhlie Loaches (Going to increase their numbers to 5-6)
Plus of course the 5 Cylidricus)

So far the tank has been running well and I was looking for some medium sized fish to add some interest to the tank. I could have got a couple of butterflys but I wanted a little group and they had 5 of these fish. The Lady at the shop said they were peaceful, good community fish, what do you guys think?

Also what should I feed these guys? how does a diet of sinking tabs, flake and the occasional treat of bloodworms sound?

Thanks guys for all your help so far in ID'ing these fish.

[demon_surfer]

i think the worst is they will chase the white clouds away from their breeding spots.

but they are not really going to be competing for the same territory so you should be ok.

..unless the Cylidricus decide they are dinner when they get bigger that is :confused:

[mogurnda]

They'll eat just about anything. I give mine sinking cichlid pellets in the morning, a variety of frozen foods at night. Small portions.

A group of 5 in a 45 seems about right. If you're lucky, you'll get a couple of pairs. Unlike a lot of cichlids, mating pairs aren't too brutal to others in the tank, mostly keeping to their caves. They really like rock piles, so you might want to consider that in future aquascaping plans. The anubias should be great, I have that and java fern thriving with my guys.

They will get to a size where the white clouds will make an easy meal, but they may not realize it if they grow up with them. Otherwise, it's like demon_surfer says, they won't bother anyone who stays out of their territory.

[Verse914]

if they start breeding(it will be awhile before they do), they will claim a large area of the tank. I had a 5 1/2" pair that took up more than a quarter of my 75 gallon when they laid eggs, and kept up that territory till I removed the fry. Chances are when they get bigger, theyll kill the white clouds and probably the platies as well.

[JJM]

Okay guys thank you very much for all your help, I'll Leave the tank as it is, and If I see them causing problems I'll remove the whiteclouds and platies and swap them for a pair of Blue Acaras from another tank of mine.
So far they've settled in nicely each occupying a little territory and chasing the other Cylindricus away when they come close, They don't trouble the whiteclouds at all, as I haven't seen them venture from the bottom of the tank and the whiteclouds always hang out at the top of the tank.
Hopefully things will stay like this but I guess as they grow they will only get meaner right?

[Dragon_Lord_Tia]

so we got 1 thing straight its a cichlid of some sorta lol

[Verse914]

yes, they are N. cylindricus :)

And when they mature is when theyll show their true aggression.