question about african cichlids

there not malawi there kenyi. i took all the ornaments out and put a pile of rocks in. 1 problem is that the biggest 1's have called the entire tank theres! 1's a very large orange kenyi and the other an auratus. the rest, my venustus, red zebra and yellow lab are cowering in the corner while the other fly all over the tank. should i put a divider in with the mean 2 on 1 side and the others on another? wait on monday ill have another i can move the mean 2 to so itll be ok but any suggestions i need help!

kenyis are from lake malawi in africa...therefore these are malawi cichlids which really need much more space than you are giving them. You need a bigger tank. A divider will not help, it just restricts their space even more. If you cannot upgrade return the fish or find a new home.
 
k im gettin a 30 gallon from my grampa for free will that due it? they seem to have calmed down to
 
A 30 gallon really wont help all that much. Best save up for a 55 if you are serious about keeping africans. In the mean time, find a new home for the cichlids. They will be at it again, I can guarantee that.
 
petluvr: its a male sorry( pretty sure anyways the label at the store said so)

thx for the help jpappy! i got 200$ im going to spend in florida this year so a 55G might be comin for those fish. and returning them to the store would be worse actually as there were about 40 of them in a 10g tank!
 
There's always Craiglist or watch for gallon per dollar deals in..was it Petco or Petsmart?...I tend to be forgetful sometimes. Oh well.
 
As has been said, kenyi are in fact a Lake Malawi species.

You have some of the most aggressive available, in the auratus and venustus.

A 30 gallon will not solve anything. You need a 55 plus, and otherwise not to keep those fish. 'Twill only bring you pain and angst in the short term and lots of dead fish in the medium.

petluvr: its a male sorry( pretty sure anyways the label at the store said so)

thx for the help jpappy! i got 200$ im going to spend in florida this year so a 55G might be comin for those fish. and returning them to the store would be worse actually as there were about 40 of them in a 10g tank!

That's a sale tank - they're in there only while tiny cute little juveniles, not when they become big murderous jerks, like yours will. There is no comparison between a sales tank and a tank for life. In fact they would be much better of in the store as there is a chance someone with the right size tank to care for them would by them. Also, once you buy 'em and keep 'em you are taking personal responsibility for a captive animal to provide the right environment.

They're not going to survice in your 20G.
 
Kenyi and auratus are extremely aggressive. But what you're seeing now is nothing to what they're capable of doing when they're 5". 55gal minimum 75gal preferred.
 
well im not able to get anymore auarutus 1's cause walmart stopped carrying them and kenyis for some reason so ill stick to red zebras and yellow labs for now
 
Not getting anymore is not the longterm solution, not even close. You have fish right now in a very bad setup. It has been repeated over and over that they will not survive long in that tank. You need to let go of the fish you have and find more suitable stock or upgrade very soon.
 
well im not able to get anymore auarutus 1's cause walmart stopped carrying them and kenyis for some reason so ill stick to red zebras and yellow labs for now

Well, you pays your money and you takes your choice. Nobody can stop you doing that.

If you love fish don't put zebras, labs, or anything like them, in a 20G tank.
 
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