Fish compatibility rams and electric yellows

ducatigirl

ducatigirl

AC Members
Jan 2, 2010
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Bunbury, Western Australia
Will they mix ok?
I love both.
The rams profile mentions tetras and corys.I'd like elect, acei, and gold rams, in the same 300ltr tank.
So anyone got these two together?
Also like some acei tanzania with the electric labs.
 
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NOT a good idea. While either will normally do ok in most moderate water conditions, rams prefer the water to be fairly soft and acidic while the Africans you mentioned like it hard and alkaline. Rams tend to be fairly laid back for a cichlid and are likely to get beaten up by the Africans
 
Thanks Andy,
I must have instinctively known. I put them in with the platys, guppies, baby angels and tetras. Lovely fish.
I have 1 large electric y, and bought an electric b, with 2 blue zebras.
They are getting on well too, the adult male is very tolerant :)
 
It's best to keep mbuna (electric yellow, red zebras) with mbuna. They are very aggressive and can terrorize tankmates. How big of a tank is this? You need to overstock mbuna tanks to help keep aggression down. They may be peaceful now but once maturity hits they can become a terror.
Rams ar eway too sensitive to handle that kind of rough housing. I'm glad you didn't put them together.
 
blue2fyre said:
It's best to keep mbuna (electric yellow, red zebras) with mbuna. They are very aggressive and can terrorize tankmates. How big of a tank is this? You need to overstock mbuna tanks to help keep aggression down. They may be peaceful now but once maturity hits they can become a terror.
Rams ar eway too sensitive to handle that kind of rough housing. I'm glad you didn't put them together.
Click to expand...

Totally agree, the only thing that MIGHT work are Aceis, but even they can get a little rough and they need a heavy veggie diet.
 
The tank is 150 ltrs, containing 1 large male lecky, 3 young lecky, 2 zebra. I can move them to a 6ft 300ltr tank if I really have to, but think the 9 angel fish I have will need it more. What do you think? Is this tank they are in suitable?

I ordered 2 acei from shop yesterday will add them in 2 weeks.

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to simplify cichlid you really don't want to mix the two types. the types being africans (electric yellows) and new world cichlid (aka ram)/ South american
 
Try this tool:
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Programs/canikeepit.html

Here's a tip. Plan an aquarium around certain fish you know you want to keep and then base the aquarium around those fish. Much easier that way.

For example, with African cichlids, you should only keep other African cichlids. Cichlids from Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika should not be mixed. A simple Google of your species should tell you what kind of cichlid it is, where it comes from.

Livebearers can be kept with community fish but they generally require hard water. With mollies and possibly guppies, they really appreciate the addition of marine salt. Some fish like platies prefer cooler water. So adding rams is not recommended, since they like their water very warm and soft - a Google of ram cichlid care will tell you this.

First website:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile3.html
Temperature: 73ºF to 86ºF (23-30°C)

Second website:
http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/dec07/blue-ram-cichlid.htm
These cichlids come from the rivers of Venezuela, and Columbia. They require a temperature of 78-85°F (26-30°C) with 80-81°F (27-28°C) being the most acceptable and a pH 5.5 - 7.0. Soft water is best for them but it is known for some of them to adapt well to moderately hard water. Aquarists generally find it is not 'easy' to keep this fish, as they often die soon after purchase. This is because they need well established water to feel comfortable enough in and they can be picky eaters at first.

Third website:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/rams.htm
Microgeophagus ramirezi (Myers & Harry 1948), the Ram Cichlid. South America; Orinoco River in Venezuela and Columbia. To two and a half inches in length. Cond.s: pH 5-6, dH 5-12, temp. 27-30 C. The most popular South American Dwarf Cichlid, frequently suffering for being kept in inappropriate water quality, setting, and lack of food.

See where I'm going with this? Asking questions is good, but reading and researching is GREAT. It is the recipe for success in this hobby. I wish you would also Google fishless cycling since it troubles me that you think cycling with fish is the way it's done! Very Dark Ages...
 
150lt is about 40 gallons. So this could work as a mbuna tank. Just as long as you stick to mbuna that aren't to aggressive. Beware that red zebras are hit or miss. I had to get rid of an entire group because the aggression was so bad. Other people have ahd a lot of luck with them. Red zebras will also crossbreed with your electric yellows. This isn't too big of a deal as long as you don't plan on raising any fry. Now you said you ordered some acei which is a really good choice. But they get bigger, 6"+ than many other mbuna. They would also be happier in a larger group. If I was stocking this tank I would rehome the red zebras and just keep the electric yellows and acei. The purple with the yellow is a great combo and both fish are not super aggressive. Just get 5 of each and maybe a few synos and you are set.
 
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