I have an african cichlid is there any other fish I can add to the tank with him?!?!?

Question

Will they fight?!?!

Answer 1

Fortunately there are compatible species to choose from to keep with african cichlids. Most Moors and Scats can cooexist with cichlids. There are also a variety of catfish to choose from. I keep Network Synos (Synodontis eupterus) and Raphael Talking catfish (Agamyxis pectinifrons) with my cichlids. Silver-tip/Columbian sharks (Arius seemani) can be kept with African cichlids as juveniles, but quickly require additional salt. By the time they mature they require almost marine water.

I have seen several accounts of plecos being kept peacably with african cichlids.

Answer 2

Yes they will most likely fight - it's what they do.

The size of tank is a MUST! If it's less then a 40 gallon it's not even a good idea to keep most types of African cichlids. The bigger it is, the larger the variety of fish you can keep with them.

As mentioned other African cichlids are the way to go, but funny thing is - there are thousands of Africans cichlids ranging immensly in size, behaviour, diet... - which one is yours??? If you can name the species, recommendations can be made. If you randomly stock fish just because they are 'Africans' you will have a lot of headaches on your hands in the future.

If you really want to learn something about these fish, forget this place and head to www.cichlid-forum.com. I'd hope you would want to learn.

Answer 3

There are thousands of different types of African Cichlids, many live in the different lakes in Africa, most that are availiable in aquariums are from Lake Malawi, Victoria and Tanganeika with a few of them from surrounding rivers and lakes.

In my experience (I have around 200 African Cichlids and about 6 different species from different Lakes at the moment) African Cichlids are best suited to a species only colony style set up which typicaly involves having 1 to 2 males with around 6 to 10 females. If your tank is large enough then perhaps 2 or even 3 carefully selected species can co-exist.

Many people however opt for a "community" tank set up which is usually where people randomly select different African cichlids, usualy all males as the males generaly but not allways are more colourful and ususualy the fish are form different lakes or rivers which have different water parameters.

These same people are suprised when one fish becomes dominant bullies the rest of the fish into a corner and slowly kills all the fish in the tank. I know, I have been there myself.

So your best bet is to choose one species you like, research it (www.fishprofiles.com is a good place to start) and go from there. Perhaps get more of the fish you have in the male female ratio I listed above.

Also a few tips for keeping africans (note, there are many kinds each with different requirements)

*Minimum tank size should be a 4ft by 18in by 18in, though some fish like tangankian shell dwellers can live hapily in a 2 footer.

* Africans are messy, they love digging and rearanging rocks sand and gravel. i'd suggest you invest in a canister filter that cycles the water 4 times per hour (i.e. if your tank is 50 gallons then get a filter that does 200 gallons per hour).

* Don't overstock, 10-15 average size cichlids (10-15cm) per 4foot tank is plenty.

*provide rock work, white rock is ideal as it brings the PH up.

There is alot to keeping africans do some research!

Good luck and happy fish keeping!

Answer 4

The only fish you can safely put in a african cichlid tank would be pacus of the same size or a little smaller of the cichlids you have, but make sure you have atleast 2. If you introduce any more cichlids they will garunteed 100 % fight

Answer 5

Other African Cichlids.

Answer 6

Yep, more africans is probably the best bet for you. Try to get one's that are about the same size as your and be very careful to see how big each one grows! Some african cichlids get quite large and you don't want one that's going to out grow your tank or that will be way bigger than the others in the tank.

I would recommend when you get new one's, remove and bag your existing fish, rearrange all the decor in the tank and then put in the new fish at the same time you return the current fish to the tank. This will really help break up his territory and help prevent aggressive behavior.

MM

Answer 7

They are territorial fishes, so the only option is to add similar species of African cichlid. Also ignore the posting that suggested adding pacus, the species is known to grow up to 24
inch plus. They look cute when small, but it is a totally different story when they grow massive.

Answer 8

More african cichlids. You should have them with their own kind.

Answer 9

How big is it? And how long has it been in the tank by itself? I have alot of africans and keep tiger barbs and Giant Danios with them... they keep the tank moving and fast pace. danios are normally swimming at the top and tigers swim everywhere so depends on how big the tank is. good luck!

Answer 10

Depends on the tanks size. Add its same kind, they like to be with other african chilids.