a pair of bumble bee cichlids 10$ on craigslist

[Ballyhoo]

I was searching craigslist for new fish and I came across this pair of beauties

http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/ae270/shrillmicrobe/realbumble.jpg?t=1277749347

I don't know anything about African Cichlids other than they are aggressive, but that could just be a stereotype.
I currently have a 5 yr old Turquoise Severum in a 55 gallon tank. I am going to be adding driftwood and plant life in the next few days. If I get these fish they will be picked up today so any input would be very helpful.

Thank you
Lauren.

[verbal]

It looks to me like that might be a Kenyii. It definitely is some type of Malawi mbuna.

They are pretty fish, but very aggressive. I would not house them with a Severum with any type of mbuna. Severums are big but they are not nearly as aggressive as Malawi mbuna cichlids.

[Ballyhoo]

so it probably would be best to avoid this purchase?

[sabbath]

Not to mention Africans require hard alkaline water to thrive. I assume your Severum is in softer, neutral to acidic conditions?

[blue2fyre]

Yup that's a kenyi and one of the most aggressive mbuna around. Also mbuna don't form pairs so an aggressive species like this will likely kill the other after a while. They do best with 1 male per 3-4 females.
Mbuna are aggressive, like different water parameters and have opposite diets from severums. It would not be a good match plus they would eat your plants of tear them up for the fun of it.

[verbal]

You definitely want to steer clear of adding Malawian cichlids. You also may want to pick very sturdy plants to start out with. While severums are not as bad as some cichlids in destroying plants, they will dig and/or eat some. You should be fine with Java Fern or Java Moss. You probably would be okay with Anubias because they are pretty tough and should not be planted in the gravel.

[ErikBirk]

Second that for the plant part lol. The Severums in my planted tank are a pain. There are constantly holes in the leaves and plant pieces floating around.

[Ballyhoo]

Haven't had a problem with my sev and plants yet.

[BioHazard]

Isn't your sev ill right now? Adding new fish to a tank with a bad ich outbreak is a recipe for disaster...