While the males can be territorial, that can be fixed by giving them their own space. Peacock Cichlids are another species that are fine to live in groups. These fish are carnivores, like most other cichlids. Their diet is made up of live food like brine shrimp.
Like all other cichlids, they should have a fairly large tank.Ī good rule of thumb to follow is to keep fish that grow larger than seven inches in a 50-gallon tank or larger. Their natural habitat is between 75 and 85 degrees, and their pH preference is between 6 and 7.5. These colorful fish can grow to be anywhere from 3–15 inches and live up to 20 years. South American River Cichlids can be found in any of Africa’s three great lakes as well as the Amazon River. They’re far less prone to aggression and can even get along with other fish like Corydoras and tetras! South American River Cichlids, also known as large river cichlids, are another species that can be housed together. They’ll also do just fine on a diet of flakes and pelleted food. They can be fed insects, insect larvae, frozen brine shrimp, and crustaceans. One male for every three females should help keep the peace.Īs for their habitat, West African Dwarf cichlids prefer a pH between 7 and 7.5 with temperatures between 78 and 84 degrees.Īs for their diet, Dwarf cichlids will be generally easy to feed. They can be prone to showing aggression, especially if you plan to breed them, so you should have more females than male fish in your tank. They do better in groups, but we can’t say that they’re entirely peaceful, either. They’re on the less aggressive side of the species and will be a little easier to keep together.ĭwarf Cichlids, when compared to their relatives from Africa, are a bit smaller, only reaching about four inches. The first group you can keep together are Dwarf Cichlids. Here are the rare few which should be fine to keep in the same tank. It is possible to house some species together. That’s not to say there’s no chance at all! Most African Cichlids are too aggressive to be kept together in groups. Sadly, however, no fish is without its flaws. They’re more likely to survive when rookie tank owners make common mistakes. Many of those species can be found in Africa, South America, and Asia, though almost all African Cichlids live in one of East Africa’s three great lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi, and Lake Tanganyika. Which Types of African Cichlids Can Be Kept TogetherĪfrican Cichlids are a part of the Cichlidae family, which could include up to 1500 species-meaning you’ve got quite a few fish to choose from! Which African Cichlids can be kept together? There’s only one tiny snag: their aggression.Īfrican Cichlids can have a hard time getting along with other fish-even those in their own species. There’s one to go with any aquarium’s theme, and anyone watching them is sure to be dazzled. Brood sizes will usually be less than 20 fry, and 10-15 is most common.African Cichlids are gorgeous fish that have an amazingly wide variety of patterns and colors. The female will take food into her mouth during the brooding cycle, however, it may be to feed her fry as much as it is to feed herself. Once the spawn is complete, the female will hold the eggs in her mouth until the fry are able to swim and forage for themselves. The subdominant male will clamp his fins and lose his colour as a sign of submission.) After displaying for the female, he will attempt to lead her back to his spawning site by swimming away, but shaking his tail in a manner only seen during spawning. (Note if a male is shaking in the same way in front of another male, he is displaying his dominance. Once his breeding site is picked out and a female is ready to spawn, he will display by shaking in front of the female.
This pit may be up against a large rock, or it may not. He may, or may not, dig a pit in the sand down to the aquarium bottom. The male will select a breeding site, it will usually be on the sandy bottom. Red Top Black Bar Zebras are a maternal mouthbrooder. These Mbuna breed like rabbits, so if you provide many hiding places (many small rocks) in the aquarium, you’ll soon get an overcrowded aquarium. As they eat algae in nature, a vegetable diet with an additional protein snack (krill, mysis, artemia, chopped shrimp, … but NO animal meat!) every now and then is recommended. The Red Top Black Bar Zebra Cichlid comes from Nakantenga Island in Lake Malawi, Africa.īreeding and feeding is quite similar to that of other Mbuna.