oh... well, would you say it is possible to have a firemouth and assorted africans in the same tank?
African Cichlids
- Thread starter Jakezori
- Start date
Could not reccomend it as being likely to work out. If you got enough Africans in there to combat the aggression (minimum 4 foot tank reccomended for Africans) the Firemouth would not be able to cope with the mob. Not enough Africans to combat territorial agrression and they (if the more aggressive mbuna) or the Firemouth (if e.g. Tanganyikan Frontosa/Calvus something like that) would beat the smack out of their tank mates.
You could have some odd interactions - pound for pound melanochromis auratus is about the nastiest fish available. A group of adults could probably stress the firemouth to death even though they would be much smaller. The more tame africans who are big enough not to be eaten as noted above would likely not cope with the firemouth.
So...possible in the short term yep in the strictest sense of the word possible...likely to succeed medium term plus - nope.
Need a pretty big tank for a firemouth and a green terror anyways, jewel or no jewel - probably consider upgrading them before adding tank mates.
You could have some odd interactions - pound for pound melanochromis auratus is about the nastiest fish available. A group of adults could probably stress the firemouth to death even though they would be much smaller. The more tame africans who are big enough not to be eaten as noted above would likely not cope with the firemouth.
So...possible in the short term yep in the strictest sense of the word possible...likely to succeed medium term plus - nope.
Need a pretty big tank for a firemouth and a green terror anyways, jewel or no jewel - probably consider upgrading them before adding tank mates.
yikes... well thanks guys... im not sure what im going to do =p... anyway... would a butterfly fish be ok with blue rams... would they still breed if the butterfly was in the tank (20 gallon)?
I'm not sure if 20G is quite comfortable for a butterfly fish...might prefer a leetle more room and surface area. Don't quite know about that though - try a thread in general freshwater if you don't get some more answers here.
2 Rams in 20G is probably fairly well stocked for medium size fish...definitely better chance of breeding on their own as you will be able to keep the water cleaner (butterfly fish = predatory = messy eaters).
2 Rams in 20G is probably fairly well stocked for medium size fish...definitely better chance of breeding on their own as you will be able to keep the water cleaner (butterfly fish = predatory = messy eaters).
Hey Jakezori, there are a lot of reasons not to mix lakes. The fish you listed as possible tank mates are carnivores, while most " assorted Africans " are Mbuna, which are vegetarians. This makes for problems because Mbuna will readily eat high protein foods suited for carnivores, and this often results in bloat on the part of your Africans.
Another problem is that fish from certain regions have their own ways of communicating. An act of appeasement from a New World cichlid often means " let's fight " to an African.
Some fish from different areas of the world can make for a nice community tank. Unfortunatley, this does not include cichlids for the most part.
I agree with Vader's point of view. Although I think a true biotope is very hard to pull off, making an effort to create an environment a fish is adapted to should be a main concern for all of us. Besides, not only will you have a great display, but you will also have an educational tool, as you have recreated a specific underwater environment in your own home.
Another problem is that fish from certain regions have their own ways of communicating. An act of appeasement from a New World cichlid often means " let's fight " to an African.
Some fish from different areas of the world can make for a nice community tank. Unfortunatley, this does not include cichlids for the most part.
I agree with Vader's point of view. Although I think a true biotope is very hard to pull off, making an effort to create an environment a fish is adapted to should be a main concern for all of us. Besides, not only will you have a great display, but you will also have an educational tool, as you have recreated a specific underwater environment in your own home.
