Stocking My 90 Gallon Cichlid Tank

[Coler]

Have you ever seen the cheek spines on a clown loach? I think we might have to agree to disagree on this one. I can only relate my own personal experience in mixing the fish with no problem. Aulonocara and Labidochromis have a reproductive territorial imperative, but not the same one for defense of a feeding ground. Comparing them to algae grazing mbuna for aggression just isn't realistic, IME, or more people would attempt to mix them.
Barbie

But.......labs are algae grazing mbuna with exactly the same aggressive inclinations as other Mbuna as to breeding and feeding territory albeit to a lesser degree to some of the true nutcases. And of course they can be mixed with other Mbuna, best practice being to overstock so that you don't have the extreme territorial behaviour because no one fish gets to claim an area. I absolutely wouldn't agree that Labs can be differentiated from other Mbuna as regards their behavioural traits, only as regards the degree to which they will exhibit them.

On the Clowns and the African mix agree to differ

Great bottom dweller for a rift lake tank is syndontis multipunctatus. Very nice looking fish, good personality, stays reasonable size, native to Lake Tanganyika and well able to look after itself.

 

[GusBus27]

My bristlenoses do just fine with african's, keep to themselves & when provoked puff out their little stingers on their cheeks & the fish leave'em alone. My Syno Eutuperus was really territorial, but I had him housed with SA cichlids. Never had a loach...