Sunday, October 21, 2012

What fish can be with African Cichlids


What fish can be with African Cichlids?
I have (from my community tank) a pleco, a cory cat, and two Chinese algae eaters. I know the pH is higher for African cichlids, but I also read that Chinese algae eaters and cory cats can live in pH's up to 8. I have also read of people with pleco's with their African Cichlids. I am sooo confused. I am a pro with community tanks, but I am a newbie when it comes to cichlids. Please HELP! I don't want to get rid of these guys, have had them for a while. But if worse comes to worse I can give them away... rather than them getting hurt.
Fish - 6 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
well a dwarf gourami can go with a cichlid because they can have a Ph of 8 and they are really pretty and tough
2 :
Cichlids are best kept with only other cichlids. Plecos are usually big and buff enough to take care of themselves but the others may get the smack down.
3 :
Cat fish or suckers. Very few others. The cichlids will kill them
4 :
Plecos are fine. Rainbows can also tolerate higher PH and Harder water.
5 :
Other africans, large loaches,large catfish,large silver dollars,small pacu,large tiger barbs,large gourami,tin foil barbs,archer fish,large killi fish and gudgeon's, some americans are tolerant also,there is a plethora of large tropicals that cant live with cichlids.
6 :
Well PH isn't really the only factor to look at with Africans. You also need to consider the hardness, and tank size, lake of origin as well. PH I can tell you is a reccomendation. Are your Africans going to die if your PH is like 7.5 and all the web sites say 8.0 or up? Probably not really. I've found that as long as you don't have a constantly shifting PH that's pretty much better then trying to make your PH stay at a range that is set out as a guideline. All mature older tanks are going to have a tendancy to drop in PH reading as it is. Keeping a good hardness buffer helps to control that. Then you need to consider your tank size with regards to lake of Origin. Usually it's not a good idea to mix fish that originate from different lakes. It's not a set rule, but generally Haplochromis type fish are more open water swimmers and usually get larger then the smaller Mbuna which tend to stay more in the substrate and rocks. However the temperment of many Haps is usually more milder then most of the Mbuna as well. www.cichlid-forum.com is a good place to get advice from other experienced keepers. For the most part, your tank size is what is going to dictate what you could put in. This site also will give you better insight on what might work out better for you.





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