i bought 2 cichlids and they are not getting along?? read all!!!?

Question

i bought a yellow lab cichlid (1 inch) 3 weeks ago from Petco and i have read that they are pretty docile so i went back the next day to look at other cichlids. i found the cutist brightest colored kenyi cichlid (1 inch) and the manager said they would be fine so i got him and purposily the same size. they have been in a 55 with
1 male betta
2 female bettas
2 zebra fish
2 male guppies
2 pinkish zebra fish
1 male balloon molly
2 albino corys
and 2 fiddler crabs
now the funny thing is that the other fish beat up the yellow lab and doesn't bother them but he is mean the the kenyi and the kenyi wont nip the guppies but followes them around. WHY DO I ALWAYS GET THE MESSED UP FISH?? WHY DO THEY ACT LIKE THIS? ARE THEY A BAD MIX?????

Answer 1

Gosh yes that is a terrible mix. Sorry, but the guy at the petstore was way off. Typically, you can't listen to petstores. They want to sell fish, and don't care where you put them. You ask them "can I get this fish?" and they will say "yes!" even if you definitely shouldn't.

Okay, yellow labs from lake Malawi in Africa. They can ONLY!!! be kept with other Malawi cichlids. They require hard water and lots of rocks and caves. Kenyi cichlids are also Malawi cichlids, and may be kept with yellow labs, but it may not always work. Kenyi cichlids are very aggressive.

Betta fish should not be kept with other betta fish, ever. Betta fish are called Siamese fighting fish for a reason! They will beat the crap out of each other and other fish that look like bettas - OR they will be shy, stressed, and reclusive. Males and females cannot be kept together - the male will tolerate females during spawning, but even then, many females are injured.

You should get more zebra fish (I'm assuming you mean zebra danios) - as they are schooling fish. They are community fish.

Guppies are also community fish, but they should not be kept in the same tank a betta - bettas do not like other fish with long fins.

You should also get more corydoras. They are schooling fish and should be in groups of 6+.

Your fiddler crabs will die very soon in freshwater.

Anyway, you have a big tank, so that's something. It gives the fish room to hide from other fish... However, you need to change your fish very, very soon. They just won't work together. You have to decide what you want to do.
Do you want Malawi cichlids, or do you want a community tank?

If you want to go with the former, bring ALL your fish back expect the yellow lab. Get some more yellow labs, and some electric blues, and that would make a nice tank. Make sure the pH is HIGH, the water is HARD, and that you have lots of rocks and caves.

If you want a community tank, bring back your cichlids and your fiddler crab, and your 3 betta fish. Get some more zebras, some more corydoras, and decide what else you want. You could get 3 angelfish - which are actually South American cichlids, peaceful though.
OR you could get a pair of Pearl Gourami.
OR you could get two pairs of some smaller, peaceful south american cichlids such as Bolivian Rams, apistogramma or kribensis.

PLEASE do this as soon as possible.

I would be happy to help you out more if you would like me too. Feel free to e-mail me :)

Good luck with your fishes! I know it's tough to get things right when petstores keep giving the wrong advice! But there's no reason you can't take a step back, consider what you want, and do it right :)
Above all, next time, before you buy ANYTHING, research it first, online.

Answer 2

Research fish before you purchase them and don't believe everything they tell you at the petshop (they're out to make a buck, after all).

African cichlids are NOT community fish due to their level of aggression, they're best kept with other compatible african cichlids. Kept in this current set up they will eventually (or frequently attempt to) kill most if not all the other fish in the tank. Since they're only 1" now this doesn't seem possible but as they grow, so does their aggressivness. You'll see what I mean when they get up to 4" or 5" and are fully matured.

Yellow labs are mildly aggressive mbuna (which means they're way more aggressive than the tropicals you have them with). This is not apparent now because it's still a baby, but it will eventually dominate every other fish in the tank....except for the kenyi which is one of the most aggressive types of mbuna around. If that kenyi is a male it will transform from blue with black stripes to a nearly solid yellow-orange, after which it probably will devote most of it's time attempting to eliminate the yellow lab and in the end the kenyi will probably be the only fish left in the tank (the rest, including the crabs, being killed or eaten).

You have two options:
- return the cichlids or...

- trade in everything else and convert your tank into an african cichlid tank....(which means you'll have to get at least 8-12 more mbuna since they typically do poorly in small groups).

Answer 3

Quote :
Betta fish should not be kept with other betta fish, ever. Betta fish are called Siamese fighting fish for a reason! They will beat the crap out of each other and other fish that look like bettas - OR they will be shy, stressed, and reclusive. Males and females cannot be kept together - the male will tolerate females during spawning, but even then, many females are injured.

This is true, but males can be mixed with other fish, just watch for tail lengths etc.. Dont know about mixing cichlids with the betta, but if you want, go to www.elmersaquarium.com and click on frshwater fish, if you click on a fish, it has a compatibility table with it.

Answer 4

You have maybe one of the most dangerous tanks, its practically a war zone. First of all you have to get the male betta out of there. He will certainly not do with the female bettas, the guppies and the cichilds. Second, is your tank big enough? The rule is 1 inch of fish for every 1 gallon. If your tank is too crowded then this is also why. Third, is your tank planted properly and is there enough hiding spaces? Your fish will not do well if they don't have their space. You are also advised not to keep cichlids with community fish. They should only be kept with other cichlids because they are very territorial and aggresive.

Answer 5

Cichlids are territorial, aggressive, and should only be considered carefully. They have specific requirements and can be tricky to mix. Most cichlids can't be mixed with community fish like yours, and even many cichlids are not compatible with other cichlids. If cichlids interest you then you should forget the advice of the fish store and do your own research. There is much to learn about this extremely diverse group of fish, and they can be very easy or very difficult to keep depending how you approach them.

If you want to learn about them, www.cichlid-forum.com is a great place to start.

Answer 6

I dont really like Cichlids something about them, When I worked at petco we told everyone they were ok to have truthfully the only ones I have ever seen get to full size with no battle scars were the ones that were tanked alone.

Answer 7

first off all, you can not put just any fish with cichlids, yo have to ask in the store which fish match with cichlids.

you also have to put 3 cichlids together and not 2

good luck

Answer 8

ok cichlids need a totally different kind of water than your other fish and they are probably unhappy in general. you need to decide.

Answer 9

I wouldn't put the angels with the bettas. It's a bad combo.