Starting a Chiclid tank, advice anyone?

I don't know for sure and you should research this but....I think african cichlids such as the labidochromis have a different diet than the central and south american cichlids. Also different habitat, ph, etc.

In my personal experience angels and cichlids don't mix all that well. They're both cichlids and in the family cichlidae, however, angels are slower moving and generally not to be kept with other cichlids. A pair of kribs could do well in a 55 with a group of yellow labs and bn pleco or two, but make sure to have plenty of caves and hidey holes.

rufioman said:

In my personal experience angels and cichlids don't mix all that well. They're both cichlids and in the family cichlidae, however, angels are slower moving and generally not to be kept with other cichlids. A pair of kribs could do well in a 55 with a group of yellow labs and bn pleco or two, but make sure to have plenty of caves and hidey holes.

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I agree in that mbuna can't be trusted. Even labs get fiesty. I hate to say it, because I do like to mix, but I would keep SA and CA seperate from AC especially mbuna.

Kribs are African, but not from the Rift Lakes...and even then it's generally not best to mix between lakes either.

If you want Labs, you probably should stick to other Mbuna. Even as one of the more peaceful species it still isn't ideal to mix with non Africans. If you want angels, stick to community fish, and the same pretty much goes for kribs.

I wouldn't risk doing the mix your friend has...to me, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. But maybe that's just me...

I think a krib/angel mix could work in a community tank. Just don't pick fish that are fin nippers to fill out the stocking. You probably could pick one more calm species for a 55 gallon tank.

If you want to go with more of a "traditional" cichlid tank feel, I would start with the yellow labs. They are very versatile and can be mixed with a lot of other african cichlids. In a 55 I would start off with a good sized group of yellow labs and another relatively peaceful mbuna. Acei or rusties are some good options. Also a Cynotilapia species could work. Down the road you can try a more aggressive mbuna species or some peacocks if you stick with peaceful mbunas who aren't strongly vegetarian.

You could probably mix kribs and yellow labs, but likely one fish would be at the end of its comfort zone in terms of water conditions.

3 bristle nose,4 angels, 4 Kribs, 4 elec yellows.

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All of these fish will work together except for the electric yellow labs. The labs would be a bit too boisterous for the angels.

Or you can do what I did and plunge headfirst into Lake Tanganyika for your first cichlids.

I vote for mbuna, because they tend to be a lot more forgiving. Just have really good filtration.

Allow me to put in a word for a tank of Lake Tanganyika colony builders with a few cuckoo cats (synodontis multipunctatus) for population control. My favorite colony builder is the neolamprologus marunguensis. They're beautiful fish that have some very interesting behaviors. In my opinion, this tank would also be a good starter for someone who's new to African cichlids.

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/neolamprologus-marunguensis/

P.S. The photos in the link do not do this species justice. The eyes and fins are the bluest of blues.