New tank with 6 Cichlids Newbie

GirlieGirl8521 said:
Definitely get more Electric Yellows. They are less aggressive than the Kenyi and Red Zebras, so you'll want to have a larger group of them. I'd say you could have as many as 6 of them and maybe up the other 2 two groups to 4.

I'm not sure what the word was supposed to be up there ;), but could your catfish be a Syno? http://www.quebec-cichlides.com/images/syno_multi.jpg That picture is of a Synodontis multipunctatus. There are other types though.

What type of filtration do you have on the tank? You want to greatly overfilter a Mbuna tank, as they are very messy fish. 25% weekly will be fine now, but when you add more fish, I'd make it 50% weekly.


What are you feeding them?
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I checked online for pics of syno cats, and none seem to be close to my guy. He's got little whisker/grabbers, they're thicker... nothing like the other long whiskers I've seen. He almost looks like he's from a cartoon :) I will get my sister's cam and get a pic. Who knows, maybe he's not a cat at all and the guy at the pet store had no idea what he was talking about.
Wow 4 more yellows, huh? I'm excited! I never thought I could have so many! That will be 14 cichlids plus the cat and pleco. Thanks! My tank will look so much better :)
As for filtration I have a whisper 60. It's got the 2 filters in it. I do have another similar older filter for a 40gallon tank. Should I add it to mine?
I am feeding them tropical flakes at the moment. i tried them with the floating cichlid pellets and blood worms but they don't eat them. Should I be feeding something else?
Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it!
 
I can't seem to find the right exact picture while looking online, but he looks like a corydoras. Is he alright to have in with the cichlids? He's constantly digging in the gravel having a great old time and doesn't seem to be botheres by any of the other fish. Will this change once the cichlids get bigger?
 
Okay, here's the 2 mystery fish... can anyone help identify them?

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While I'm at it, can someone confirm that these cichlids are indeed a red zebra, kenyi, and electric yellow? I've learned never to trust pet shop employees :)

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The first one is def. a pleco. Almost looks like a spotted rubberlip to me. He should be fine with enough hiding places. Now for the other one. He will get picked on. You have a cory cat. Looks like a bronze cory to me. Well good luck with your tank.
 
You def. have a yellow lab and a kenyi. Im not sure that the first one is a red zebra. If you see there are faded lines on it. Red zebras are a solid color.
 
tarheels910 said:
You def. have a yellow lab and a kenyi. Im not sure that the first one is a red zebra. If you see there are faded lines on it. Red zebras are a solid color.
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Hmmm... it's funny because I never noticed stripes on the red zebras before the pictures were taken. Now I go and look at them in the tank and I don't see any stripes. maybe it's the way the flash reflects off of them? They are stripeless to the naked eye :rolleyes:
 
tanyaj77 said:
As for filtration I have a whisper 60. It's got the 2 filters in it. I do have another similar older filter for a 40gallon tank. Should I add it to mine?
I am feeding them tropical flakes at the moment. i tried them with the floating cichlid pellets and blood worms but they don't eat them. Should I be feeding something else?
Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it!
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Go ahead and add the second filter. Once you add more fish to the tank, you'll need the extra filtration. ;)

The fish you have are mainly herbivores (Electric Yellows are more Omnivores), so I'd get a Spirulina based food for them. I feed mine Veggie flakes from here. Also you could get some New Life Spectrum cichlid formula. Its pellet form and I use that along with the flake for my fish. It really brings out the color in the fish (its not hormonal or anything). You could also try some veggies sometimes. Mine love zucchini (eat it down to the skin!).

Your catfish is a Corydora...specifically a Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus). I wouldn't keep it with the cichilds. Cories like groups and are very peaceful fish, more suited IMO for a community tank. Mbuna can be aggressive towards other fish, so I'd definitely find another tank for him to live in (and get him some buddies). If you have or can get another tank, I'd go with atleast a 20g.

Good question, MacFish....for some reason I always assume people cycle tanks....:rolleyes:

Is the tank cycled?
 
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