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I have seen these topics many times. asking if a african can go with a CA/SA cichlid. there are many reasons why but here are the big ones

1. Communication- they have different body language and that results in fighting
2. PH and Hardness- most African prefer above 8.0 and most CA/SA around 7.0
3. Diet- this mainly applies to mbuna. if they're feed a CA/SA cichlids diet they could get bloat very easy.

There are more. If a moderator could make a announcement about this. People could get there questions answered quicker

Last edited by greenmonkey51 at 15-Jan-2005 23:36

im not disagreeing with u at all but for some speices it is possible to mix them but a greater understanding of the fish at hand must b obtained first for someone new to the trade i woodnt advise it but for others that have kept certain fish for years wood have better odds pulling it off
fish r spontaneous yes but most larger cichlids can n r predictable

even people who have kept for year still couldn't mix the rift lake africans with CA/SA. there just no compatible

Greenmonkey - You can mix CA with tanganyikans - similar water parameters, space needed and food requirements. I don't do it because I always try to keep my fish in a semibiotope (as much as possible).

Also, W. African dwarfs are easily kept with their SA brethern and even with H. multispinosa and other peaceful CAs.

Eric

CA cant go with tanganykins. there body language are different a dominant CA is dark colored where as a african when stressed turns dark then fights start because the CA thinks the african is challenging him and maybe not right away someone will get killed but eventually. actually CA and tanganykins don't have the same ph and hardness. tanganykins live in very hard water with ph of 8.6 to 9. with CA's living in moderate hardness with ph of 7.2 to 8. also yes you could keep some west africans with CA's

Last edited by greenmonkey51 at 17-Jan-2005 16:27

Um, your theory on coloration of Tanganyikans vs. CA cichlids doesn't hold true. Dominant male N. brevis are the darker colored. pH in CA ranges from 7.2ish to low 8's. Lake Nicarauga is similar to Tanganyika in many ways with fish showing similar behaviors.

I don't keep them together, but I can guarantee you that convicts can be kept (and kept healthy and breeding) in with julidochromis and other tanganyikans quite easily.

Eric

I suggest highly against mixing south american and african fish. They are completely different in requirements, and in speech so to speak.

this is from a post in this forum. under

firemouths with africans

. the moderator of the forum also suggested against it. here is a article about it with more reasons http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=2300&cid=3780&search=

A lot of African cichlids and new world cichlids can very easily live in the same water parameters. The ph for instance in my mbuna tank never above a 7.5. In the end it all simply boils down to the fish in the tank and how well they want to get along. Of course is it recommended to mix these fish together (NO)!!!. But somewhere out there whether it be the quote right thing to do,people are successfully doing it.

a lot of people may do it and say it was succesful but how long did they keep these tanks with the fish. Did they give the fish enough time to mature and get some size

As I said,Whether or not it qoute be the right thing to do. YES, someone out there somewhere is and has been successfully keeping African and new world cichlids together in the same tank for years with no problems,plently long enough for them to mature. But is it the right thing to do (OF COURSE NOT)!!!.

Green monkey - one of my best friends as a kid kept a pair of breeding convicts in a 75 gallon tank with some julies (can't remember the kind) and a few calvus. They were together for over 4 years before I left for college and lost touch with him...all the adult fish (which is all that ever survived) were healthy, full sized adults. Each side produced fry that the others preyed on.

Like I said early only, I don't advise this, but hard and fast rules don't always hold true.

Eric

they can, under the right conditions and with the right tank size, be kept together but I always recommend against it. As far as the communication goes that greenmonkey mentioned, this is a generalized statement and is true in most instances but there will be exceptions.

none of this ph rubish matters unless your obtaining wild caught fish. the fact is most fish are farm bred and when they arrive to the lfs they adapt to that water so it is best to ask your lfs what water they are being kept in. i stick to the general rule of keeping the water neutral that way every ones happy

The issue of this is not necessarily water conditions but communication. It would be unfair for YOU to be placed into an environment where you spoke none of the language, and be expected to fend for yourself amongst so many strangers. Why would you do it to your fish? Humans are much more adaptable than fish, and when 2 fish speak different languages, you often have a fight on your hands. And when that fight is between say a Kribensis and a Bolivian Ram, we all know the Ram is at a disadvantage. It has never in all its years of evolution, had to deal with a fish in its environment with the teeth and jaw mechanisms of a Kribensis.
Greenmonkey has a very good point, and I think the most essential aspect is: Beginner Fishkeepers Should NOT mix africans with asian/south american/central american fish. Leave mixing these fish for the advanced experience fish keeper who knows what to do in the dangerous situations.


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