Big shot in the dark here, but I'm set'n up a new 20gal tank and am wondering if anyone here knows anything about African cichlids. I've spent the last few hours on fish forums and various specialty websites, and it seems that folks there only speak latin. I can't get through one or two sentences without having to look something up. I've got the hardware down and the tank is already set up. Gonna wait about a week for the algae to set up and then I'll be pickin up some fish.
Gonna go with a combination of cichlid trios including:
3 Yellow Labs
3 Convicts
3 Electric Blue Johanni
From what I've read, the more the merrier when it comes to these aggressive fish. Two fish will spend all day tearing at each other whereas a group of twelve will keep a more aggressive individual from singling out another fish. Cichlids are usually found 8-12 fish per square foot in the wild, so intentional crowding can be a benefit.
The real question is what other types of fish can I put in the tank with them? I know African cichlids can be aggressive toward and kill other fish, so I don't want an expensive blood bath on my hands. I'm looking to add a couple clown loaches for pooper scooper duty, a few zebra danios, and any other small schooling fish that might be compatable. There is a lot of conflicting info on the subject, so just wondering if anyone here has any experience.
In any case I'll be sure to post up some pics once I get it all put togethet. It's gonna be one good lookin set-up...
Gonna go with a combination of cichlid trios including:
3 Yellow Labs
3 Convicts
3 Electric Blue Johanni
From what I've read, the more the merrier when it comes to these aggressive fish. Two fish will spend all day tearing at each other whereas a group of twelve will keep a more aggressive individual from singling out another fish. Cichlids are usually found 8-12 fish per square foot in the wild, so intentional crowding can be a benefit.
The real question is what other types of fish can I put in the tank with them? I know African cichlids can be aggressive toward and kill other fish, so I don't want an expensive blood bath on my hands. I'm looking to add a couple clown loaches for pooper scooper duty, a few zebra danios, and any other small schooling fish that might be compatable. There is a lot of conflicting info on the subject, so just wondering if anyone here has any experience.
In any case I'll be sure to post up some pics once I get it all put togethet. It's gonna be one good lookin set-up...