smaller african cichlids

any recomendations for smaller african cichlids? Most seem to be between 5-6.5 im looking for fish that are smaller. tank mates are 2 peackocks 1 being solid blue the other orange and blue, 1 yellow lab, 1 red zebra, 1 rainbow shark.

Peacocks are a name applied to Haps; both the yellow lab and red zebra are Mbuna. Those two don't typically mix well. Can you post a photo so we can help you make sure what you have?

If they turn out to be mbuna I have about 10 species that I sell.

if these pictures are not good enough i will keep trying just lmk.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] 1 of the [peackocks

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Albino zebra

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ill try and get another picture of the "Blue" peacock

So, I misread your original message and didn't realize you had both haps and mbuna.

My opinion is that these can't reliably be housed together. There are exceptions, but in general, the mbuna will stress the haps to the point of death. It may not happen right away, but it frequently does.

If it were me I'd choose one and change my stocking plan accordingly. Hap males are beautiful specimens, but getting a hap tank to work can be difficult. Females usually aren't that attractive, multiple males of one species oftentimes don't work out, and in the end the really pretty tanks tend to be carefully selected all-male tanks.

Mbuna bring their own difficulties - nearly half of the females aren't as attractive as the males, they are also harem breeders (requiring multiple females per male), and are more aggressive.

Gobluecichlids on the forum breeds several species of hap, and I do the same for mbuna. You probably want to think on this a bit and then one or the other of us can probably help you out.

Haps seem to be more peaceful, and some reason why I go with haps more than mbunas. Only mbuna I am raising is Metraclima aurora, and its one of the best strain I have seen and carry. Got a least 3 dozen fry right now less than a half inch...will be ready in a few months.

Currently I have moori dolphin, lithobates, borleyi kandago and spilonotus luilu fry avail at 1". I also have some beautiful large stunning show male spilonotus at 6" avail for $30 each (that's half price than dave's rare fish sells for) and some smaller sub dom males 4" for $20 each

Also have albino strawberry and albino eureka peacocks at 3" avail, plus 5 med size (3") borleyi kandago group (one male is coloring up) for sale, plus some OB peacock group (3") that I will part for a reasonable offer.

sassymonte wrote:any recomendations for smaller african cichlids? Most seem to be between 5-6.5 im looking for fish that are smaller. tank mates are 2 peackocks 1 being solid blue the other orange and blue, 1 yellow lab, 1 red zebra, 1 rainbow shark.

What size is your tank? The length and width are important considerations when stocking.

I'm far from being an expert at IDing fish, but my guesses -- the peacock looks like some type of jacobfreibergi, the albino is possibly an albino Metriaclima greshakei, and the blue fish looks like a Sciaenochromis fryeri.

right now i have a 46 bow front, i plan on getting a 75 bow front maybe even a 125 if i can find one. I do plan on keeping the 46 so what i have now will be split up in hopefully 2-3 months.

how long can these guys safely be housed together?

If they're okay now then they're probably fine for another 2-3 months. If you notice a fish hanging up in the corners of the tank then you need to remove it right away though.

the blue fish is a fryeri (aka blue ahli), it's a common hap found at many LFS.

The more fish in your tank, your fishes will be safer....more fishes=less agression.

i think we will do peacocks and haps. here is a list i was thinking of ordering online,
stuartgranti maleri (mealeri island)
rubeescens
super red empress
albino taiwan steveni
lethrinops albus kanda

that would bring my toal to 7 haps/peacocks and 1 rainbow shark in a 46 gallon

i still need to research each species to make sure they are compatable. havent gotten that far took me two days to just pick these ones lol.

If you are wanting smaller African cichlids, the Protomelas species and the Lethrinops will get too big. They would be okay size-wise when they are young, if you are planning to upgrade to a larger tank.

imo go with tangs. a 46 bow would work well with neolamprologus pulchers, or some random shell dwellers and julies could also work. of course this would be when u got another tank to move over your haps. also are you trying to mix all these species with singles? or do you intend on getting groups and ideally breeding them all? just curious cuz all male tanks can be kind of a let down as certain species will not tolerate others that are similar in appearance.

i would like to do all males, im trying to do different looking fish to help avoid that kind of agression.

i already have a 75 gallon picked out im just waiting to pick it up, the 46 will stay running as well. we also have a little 20 gallon set up.

I have had haps and peacocks in a 46 bowfront and all was well until they got to breeding age. I had to split them to 2 tanks. Probably safer to go all males.