silver dollars & malawi cichlids can they mix?

[conorlama]

hi everyone I am a new member reading a few posts very interesting, i have a question to whom ever can advice.
I want to setup a peaceful malawi lake (AFRICA) cichlid tank would be ok to add my silver dollars & Blood red parots they are near fully grown, iam thinking of adding the following..red empress cichlid , Cytocara moori (blue dolphin,
Yellow tailed acei Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Msuli)
* frontosa
would there be any more near peaceful cichlids i can add
best regards
Conor
:help:

 

[Coler]

No you shouldn't mix silver dollars and africans - very different water requirements, very different behaviours. Someone may say 'I did this and it was fine' but don't base your decisions on anecdotal success. The Silver Dollars are unlikely to appreciate the africans temperament and the dollars want soft acidic water while the africans want hard alkaline water. The stocking levels required for an african tank (highly overstocked) would really compromise the dollars too.

Your other fish - the red empress, blue dolphins and aceis are all good choices. The frontosa are not a good pick for tankmates though. Bear in mind with fronts you want a truly big tank - about 125G is a good start for a nice colony. Despite their size they are quite shy and easily spooked and don't like active aggressive tank mates.

In a sufficiently big set up the Blue Dolphins and Red Empress would have a good chance of success with fronts - but how big is your tank - and don't put mbuna (like the acei) in with fronts, as a rule. If you did want to try some mbuna then yellow labs probably stand the best chance.

Most frontosa keepers seem to have best success with a species tank of frontosa together with some synodontis catfish and may a calvus or three.

What size tank have you in mind ?

And welcome to AC

 

[mostlycichlids]

Well as far as the Dilver Dollars go I wouln't "recommend" it but It can be done. I keep four Silver Dollars with my Mbuna....Have had them together for about 2 years now. The Silver Dollars seem to do really well with the Mbuna and are pretty adaptive to harder water. The Mbuna seem to leave them alone and the SD's seem to school pretty tightly. Anyway that is my experience and they are in a 120g which helps my situation to be successful. Thats my two cents! I pretty much agree with everything else Coler has suggested!

 

[ChrisK]

I've never seen it, and would tend to agree with coler. I would also imagine you would have some ripped fins on your silver dollars if you try. Mine do well with my oscars and jack dempsey, but mbuna are pound for pound way more agressive.

 

[conorlama]

hi thanks for the info, my tank is juwel vision 260 i have currently 3 large silver dollars 2 blood red parrots and a angel fish which i moved out of my other commuity based tank i have, so i should add the following into my tank the red empress, blue dolphins and aceis, would there be anyother relatively peaceful cichlids i could add?
thanks
Conor