Cichlid help

[alan2296]

Hello, I am thinking of starting a cichlid aquarium in a 55 gallon tank and have narrowed my choices for fish into one list. Now before i get any comments regarding whether or not i know everything of these fish... I definitely do not!!! I do understand that some of these fish can not be kept together. Thats where u guys come in... Please examine this list and answer with your most educated guess of which fish can be kept together and which can not. Thank you very much. Here is the list:

- aulonocara koningsi mbenji

- rocio octofasciata (electric blue)
- thorichthys meeki
- aulonocara sp lwanda
- aulonocara jacobfreibergi (undu reef/eureka red jake)
- aulonocara stuartgranti ngara
- pseudotropheus socoloffi (albino)
- metriaclima estherae (OB zebra)
- chilotilapia rhoadesii
- fossorochromis rostratus
- cichlasoma festae
- andinoacara rivulatus
- tropheus Moorii kiriza kaiser

 

[Ranitomeya]

You have species coming from rather different environments and would not do well together due to differences in water parameters and behavior.

Cichlids from Lake Malawi are quite aggressive compared to those from South America in my experience, and you will want to avoid mixing those. Cichlids from Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika are also of different temperament. South American cichlids also tend to prefer softer water with a slightly acidic to neutral pH while those from Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika do best in harder water with neutral to a slightly alkaline pH.

The Aulonocara species and localities should be kept separate to prevent hybridization unless you do not plan on breeding or do not mind hybrids.

South American cichlids such as Rocio octofasciata, Thorichthys meeki, Chiclasoma festae, and Andinoacara rivulatus would be best kept in a species only tank on their own due to their tendency to require create territories when they feel like it's breeding time and large adult size unless you're planning on keeping a very large tank. I've seen some of these species mixed together, but there's always at least one or two that pronounces the majority of the tank its own territory and leaves the rest tattered and hiding.

Tropheus have a reputation for being rather aggressive, though individual temperaments can vary. You will need to give them ample space like any cichlid for territories if you just keep the species alone--mixing may have poor results.

If you're looking to have a mixed tank, your best bet is to mix some of the Lake Malawi cichlids on your list--they're rather similar in temperament and when stocked so that there are enough of them that no one male can settle down and guard a large territory, a tank of them shows relatively low aggression. One--or more if you don't care about keeping them separate--of the Aulonocara species, Metriaclima estherae, and Pseudotropheus socolofi can mix well together. The Chilotilapia rhoadesii and Fossorochromis rostratus are rather large fish and may get nearly three times the length and might get too aggressive for the other species to deal with.

The most successful mixed cichlid tank I kept contained a variety of Tanganyikan cichlids. Tanganyikan cichlids tend to have a wider range of habitat preferences that makes mixing them easy if you choose cichlids that prefer to be in different areas of a tank that use different resources.