While it doesn't "seem like" too much current, it could in fact be causing the behavior. Maybe try turning it off for a day or two and see if it changes their behavior or you could also try repositioning it elsewhere to see if that changes anything.
Anyone use a power head?
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Yeah, I shut it off last night and they are all over the tank again. I am going to hook it up to a timer and only have it run a few hours a day. As far as repositioning it, I only have 2 choices, being its a corner bow tank and all...if its on the right side, my wife sees it and didn't like it there, so I had to move it...Did I say I only had 2 choices? ....lol...That should only be 1 choice then, since my wife made that choice for me.....lol......
You can't reposition the flow of the powerhead? Mine allows me to both swivel the output around the base of the powerhead 360 degrees, angle the flow up or down with a guard that I can also rotate around the outflow nozzle to adjust the flow 360 degrees in that direction.
Really though, it's up to the fish to decide if it's too much flow or not. My africans seem to like their powerhead, they swim directly in the outflow for "Exercise"(I guess?).
Really though, it's up to the fish to decide if it's too much flow or not. My africans seem to like their powerhead, they swim directly in the outflow for "Exercise"(I guess?).
Lol...I'm not sure if I can repostion the outflow. I can reposition the direction of up or down...
What kind if problems will I experience with the mixture if fish? I have had them mixed like this for about 10 yrs....the only issues I have is that they would die of unknow reasons...ph or just sick, I have never seen any fish attack any other. Yeah, some are territorial or protect their homes or young....yes, some of my fish have babies at times..mostly my convicts... but I have never seen them attach each other to the point of killing them..I have tons of hideing places....
What kind if problems will I experience with the mixture if fish? I have had them mixed like this for about 10 yrs....the only issues I have is that they would die of unknow reasons...ph or just sick, I have never seen any fish attack any other. Yeah, some are territorial or protect their homes or young....yes, some of my fish have babies at times..mostly my convicts... but I have never seen them attach each other to the point of killing them..I have tons of hideing places....
The problem can arise from different water requirements, in that Africans like it hard and high (hardness, PH) and SA/CA like soft water at Ph below 7. This is not the major issue though as most are either already adapted to your home tap water (if you bought locally they were probably maintained in those parameters at the store) or can be.
There are large behavioural difficulties; basically, you can presume that most mbuna are far more aggressive than most SA/CA, despite often being physically smaller.
Also, and maybe more importantly, you manage Mbuna aggression by overstocking which prevents any one or two fish becoming 'King', and you manage SA/CA aggression by allowing sufficient territory for each fish. If you give mbuna too much space they try and own it, if you don't give SA/CA enough space they will go on the warpath and try and clear out the tank a bit. When a fish decides it is king (goes hyperdominant) or that it needs space you have serious problems (often the fish in question may not be able to cash the cheques its ego is writing and winds up dead itself). Remember, they decide who they live with; we just make suggestions.
That is probably in a nutshell why there can often be problems although there can also be difficulties when breeding goes on in the tank and arising from the fact that the fish find it hard to 'read' each others body language when rift lakes are maintained with new world fish. The behaviour and reactions to a given situation are just so different between them.
Equally, although some people have maintained mixed stock with success and you will always hear of the convict which falls in love with an auratus; its just that you wouldn't reccomend the mix to somebody as being likely to work out medium/long term because it is too unpredictable.
Nearly all the fish I can see in your pics are juveniles. Mbuna personality changes radically when they reach adult sizes - requiring all the more careful stocking and management of aggression.
There are large behavioural difficulties; basically, you can presume that most mbuna are far more aggressive than most SA/CA, despite often being physically smaller.
Also, and maybe more importantly, you manage Mbuna aggression by overstocking which prevents any one or two fish becoming 'King', and you manage SA/CA aggression by allowing sufficient territory for each fish. If you give mbuna too much space they try and own it, if you don't give SA/CA enough space they will go on the warpath and try and clear out the tank a bit. When a fish decides it is king (goes hyperdominant) or that it needs space you have serious problems (often the fish in question may not be able to cash the cheques its ego is writing and winds up dead itself). Remember, they decide who they live with; we just make suggestions.
That is probably in a nutshell why there can often be problems although there can also be difficulties when breeding goes on in the tank and arising from the fact that the fish find it hard to 'read' each others body language when rift lakes are maintained with new world fish. The behaviour and reactions to a given situation are just so different between them.
Equally, although some people have maintained mixed stock with success and you will always hear of the convict which falls in love with an auratus; its just that you wouldn't reccomend the mix to somebody as being likely to work out medium/long term because it is too unpredictable.
Nearly all the fish I can see in your pics are juveniles. Mbuna personality changes radically when they reach adult sizes - requiring all the more careful stocking and management of aggression.
Thanks for that awesome post. Was very informative...I know I mentioned I had some fish for 10 yrs., and the ones in Pic's are juviniles, That is why I have the Juvi's now. My others have died out...so I replaced them....
No prob 
As I say, sometimes things will just click for you, sometimes they won't. When we're chucking out advice we, or maybe its just me, we tend to be fairly conservative especially in considering cichlid mixes.
Don't ask me about some of the odder things which have found their way into my tank from time to time
As I say, sometimes things will just click for you, sometimes they won't. When we're chucking out advice we, or maybe its just me, we tend to be fairly conservative especially in considering cichlid mixes.
Don't ask me about some of the odder things which have found their way into my tank from time to time
odd? I love odd!! Enlighten me! I want to put eels or shrimp or something odd in too...I actually looked at the freshwater sting rays that my local pet store had, but were too expensive...lol
