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i am new to aquariums. my wife bought me a 10g for my birthday and i have done everything wrong since. i suffer from the "one-of-those-and-of-those-syndrome." after alot of research i have had to keep upgrading my tank size to keep the fish healthy. i recently bought a 80g tank (48x18 surface), i have 5 silver dollars and 4 clown loaches (both still small) that need to be moved into it (after it cycles). my question is, can i add any cichlids? i would love to have a pair or 2 of the L. Malawi (Pseudotropheus), specifically the demasoni. would this work or am i still suffering from my syndrome?

Whats your pH and hardness? I think theres a right cichlid for any tank, but wether your demasoni is good for this tank is up for debate. Doy u already own the silver dollars and clown loaches?

My first suggestion would be that you look to see if there's any south or central americans you like. Silver Dollars make excellent dithers for larger, aggressive fish, but given your tank size and their maximum size, I'm thinking this tank is going to be pretty pressed. These fsh are gonna need a good amount of swimming room who they get larger, and the rockwork needed to keep a successful mbuna (malawis like demasoni) would make that hard.

If you already have the silver dollars and clowns than I'd think you might want to look into other moderately peaceful cichlids. The first that comes to mind to me are severums, but angels would work, as well as festivums and the more peaceful rams/apistos/kribs lot of dwarfs.

If you really want those demasoni...try taking your fish back to where you bought them, and start planning a mbuna tank around the new fish. Zebras and yellow labs are some of the more common (i.e. cheaper) mbuna available as well, which might work with the demasoni.

Best of luck.
Mike

Depends, demasonis actually like to be in a colony. The clown loachs will most likely go with them easily, as demasonis arent that aggressive.

In order for this to work, you can either put rock piles in the corners but not all over the bottom,and not exceeding the middle for the silver dollars.

Room also must be given to the clown loachs. The best thing is leave the middle open, or planted, and have large rock piles which has caves and crevices for the demasonis on the left and right of the tank

With alot of planning, i'm sure it'll work. Because demasonis are more tolerant of plants than other mbunas, you can actually keep plants in the tank which benefit the clown loachs.

thank you for the advise. i have read that the only plants to keep with the silvers are hornwort and java fern. is this true or are there other common types that they will not eat?

If you still have one of your "old" upgraded tanks, once you move the CL's & SD's use that for an African tank.

the old tanks are just 2- 10's and a 29g. the 29 has a pair of angels. i think that when the fish fully mature 2 angels and 3 (out of 5) silvers would be all that a 29 could support. plus, i have read that the clown loaches will be between 6 to 14 inches in an aquarium tank. that led me to believe that they should go into the 80g. i really like the size of the 29 and plan to get more as time and money allow. they seem to be big enough to handle a respectable amount of fish and still add to a room without taking away alot of space. maybe, a future 29 for the silvers and just the clowns in the 80 with some cichlids. as i am always plotting and scheming, i am sure a solution will come up. again thank you for the advise. i still have alot to learn.

Malawi cichlids, especially mbuna, belong only with other malawi cichlids, and various bottom feeders such as synos or bristlenose. Silver dollars and clown loaches do not make good tankmates because there are differences in ph requirements. Also, demasoni are among the most aggressive of mbuna, you really have to know what you're doing to keep them successfully!

I would choose between the silver dollars/loaches and an mbuna tank. Either way will make for a nice tank, though in all honesty I think the silver dollars would prefer more room (I know you upgraded to an 80 already, which was a really good move). They certainly shouldn't be put in a 29 gallon, I have seen silver dollars the size of plates!

There are plenty of Central and South American cichlids that would go great with silver dollars, so I recommend you look into them and save the africans for another tank sometime (for you WILL purchase more tanks. You're one of us now! *evil laugh*).

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

lol. hmm, now i must plot and scheme about keeping my wife from seeing this. i thinking she is about ready to move me, my tanks and the dog into the garage. but, i see what you are saying, maybe i should consider a 55g for the silvers. isn't it wonderful how great minds think a like, provided SHE does not find out.

" I have seen silver dollars the size of plates! " were they (Metynnis hypsauchen) or (Myleus rubripinnis (red hook))? from what i have researched my fish won't grow larger than 6 inches and the red hook will grow to 12".

i have given up on the mbuna idea . i did not realise the water and light conditions needed for them (it does not work with small/medium planted tank scheme i want.) i am now looking at kribs, rainbows and t-bars for cichlids, along with australian rainbows for a community tank. plus, with the silvers and loaches. well, at least till i find my tank's limit.

does this seem like a better setup?

look no further than a male blue acara

earth eaters are pretty cool though

i started cycling the tank with some tiger barbs, later i added a fire mouth and a convict. they are all doing fine. i just learned that the local tap water is close to 8 ph. (blush) i was only testing for the 3 n's. all of the local pet/fish stores don't lower the ph level and their fish seem fine.

my question is, with what i have so far, can i add any mbuna (i really love their colors) and get away with it? if so, what would be the best to try (besides yellow labs)? i don't want to pair any cichlids up yet so i won't be trying to get any to spawn.

80g (48 x 18 surface)

[span class="edited"][Edited by Wurm_TM 2004-08-06 01:46][/span]

Unfortunately not. There are the same ph differences that I mentioned above, plus differences in aggression levels, behaviour and diet. The only african cichlids that can go with Americans are kribensis, but they aren't rift lake or mbuna, they're river cichlids from West Africa. Jewels may work as well, but I'm not terribly sure.

If you can free up a 29 gallon (maybe put your angels in the 80?), you could keep a few electric yellows or other fairly peaceful mbuna in there.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

every one, thank you for the feed back, it has been alot of help. 'just beginning', how accurate is the FP site on compatability? for example, i click on the compatable link for convicts and i get aulonocara, labeotropheus, labidochromis, melanochromis, and pseudotropheus..etc as compatible. is it done just by matching numbers in different categories and not by experienced results?

I think the compatibility search is based upon things like temperature, ph, etc. - if two fish fall within the same range (even if they are at the extreme ends, e.g. a convict could tolerate a ph of 8.0 and a yellow lab a ph of 7.5, but it's not ideal) then they will be deemed compatible. It's not a perfect system, unfortunately, and should probably be used as a guide upon which to base further research.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

ok. not perfect, but very helpfull, works for me. this site has been great for information. thanks for the advise.