how big will a cichlid get i think he is a zebra . he is about 5in. long plus can i put anything in with him?

Question

i have had him for about 4years

i started with about 12 cichlids when they were small but he killed them all plus has killed 2 alge eater very good size one i have thought about finding him a new home(not the bathroom) but he is my big baby .but does he not get lone?ly

Answer 1

I think he's as big as he's going to get

Answer 2

Do not put a betta in the tank, it wouldn't last a day. Bettas are not vicious fish. They only fight when they meet another male betta. Most any slightly agressive fish will harass it to death.
Pronounced: bet-tah, not bay-tah.

As for the zebra (pseudotropheus zebra), it will top out at about 6-7 inches depending on what it was fed as it grew from a baby to adulthood. I have a large red zebra that is almost 7 inches now. He is about 4 years old and rules the 55 gallon tank he is in. If you add fish that don't resemble him at all, they should get along unless someone starts to spawn.

I have about 20 cichlids in that 55 gallon tank. One key to cichlids is to either have one male and multiple females or crowd the heck out of them. That way the agression is spread around and one fish is not picked on all the time. Also, cichlids need plenty of hiding places, they are territorial and if they can get inside a small cave, they feel in control and safe.

If you go the route of crowding, you must do your water changes EVERY WEEK without fail (at least 30%, but no more than 50%). Crowding increases ammonia output (naturally) and ammonia is the leading killer of aquarium fish.

Actually ignorant aquarists are the leading killer, but ammonia is a close second...

John

Answer 3

4 years old! 5 in. Wow, that's good. Are you sure it's not a Convict? They can be pretty territorial.
If you do put other fish in the tank make sure they're of comparable size.
Silver Dollars are cool and Oscars are always cool as long as you have the room. You want to have at minimum a 55 gal. tank. and really 75 or 80 would be best because you're talking about a 5 in. cichlid.
All cichlids, in fact, all fish, grow according to their environment. The biggest Convict I've ever seen was nearly 6 in. and weighed nearly 3lbs. He was in a 250 gal. tank with 3 other Convicts (All at least 5 inches) and a pair of Arrowannas.
Here's a link to a pretty cool site.
http://www.cichlids.com/
I used to raise Red Oscars, now I just have a 55 gal. with some small Dempseys. Check out that site and use Ask.com or Google there's tons of info on Cichlids.
Aaight den.

Answer 4

African cichlids like zebras are highly territorial and can be aggressive to newcomers in the tank. You can add other african cichlids, preferably other mbuna. It's essential to add new cichlids in groups of four or more to spread out the aggression (for example if you add one or two more zebras he might kill one or both of them or continuously attempt to do so....but if you add four or more, he'll chase them but probably won't kill them).

Adding more females than males will reduce overall aggression potential in the tank.

For scavengers, african synodontis catfish are 'tough enough' to survive and thrive in an african cichlid tank.

Depending on the species of zebra expect 4"-8".

Answer 5

around 5 or 6in. I have a catfish and a sucker fish with mine. and I have a total of 7 cichlids

Answer 6

Cool looking fish, but I think they are pretty much compatible with only their own species. Only fish that might go toe to toe with them and hang out is maybe a beta.

Answer 7

cichlids are mean to other fish. can only be with own kind.

Answer 8

only other cichlids are compatible.