pgbw80 Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 Hey all, I've currently got one femle red zebra in a 75G tank (been running for about 3 months) I want to add more cichlids, maybe some yellow labs and blue zebras. Currently my substrate is just standard gravel, I've got plastic plants and some resin caves. I want to create a really nice rift tank.. just not sure where to start! Limestone was recommended to me, but what are the effects on the water? Also, what other rocks are good for rift tanks? I was also told to have 4 females to every male... is this correct? And how do you tell the sex of a yellow lab? Basically, I don't want to loose a fish in the process of adding new ones... Please help!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 8, 2005 Report Share Posted January 8, 2005 Ok i'll try my best to answer your questions 1-IT doesn't really matter what type of rocks you shoose for african tanks. You don' t have to worry about whether or not they will affect your ph because africans like a high ph. I use grey limestone(thanks to RD's ID) and i haven't noticed an affect on my ph. Pretty mcuh any rock would work, One thing is to choose smoother, less rough rocks. I'm heard of people's fish getting scraped up on lava rocks when the fish was trying to get away. So try to choose rocks that dont' have sharp edges and such. 2- Which "blue zebra" were you talking about? If you dont' know the name can you find a pic of what it looks like. Yellow labs and red zebras should get along. Are you planning on breeding? Just becuase i have heard that red zebras and yellow labs will cross breed. So if you want to breed you fish then maybe this isnt' a good choice. But if you are jsut kepeing them then it would be fine. 3- It is best to keep about 3-4 females to every 1 male. But for some species you can only have 1 male in the tank due to aggression between the males. SO if you want more then just add more females. Sexing mbuna that are monomorphic(both sexes look the same) is difficult. The only 100% way is to vent them or to see them spawning/holding. For the yellow labs it would be best to buy a large group, say 10 juvies, and weed out the males(or trouble makers) as they mature. With yellow labs and red zebras there shouldnt' be too many aggression issues. Both are fairly non aggressive mbuna. If everyone has enough rocks/caves there shouldnt' be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Hello pq, this might help give you an idea as to what mix of species will work well in that 75. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_75g.php Most rocks will work fine, just make sure that if you get them from a local landscaper, they they have been properly cleaned before adding them to your tank. FYI - In my experience red zebras can be fairly aggressive as they mature, so you might want to consider that if building your fish list around that species. Where abouts are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgbw80 Posted January 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Blue Zebra: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/m_callainos.php When I first got my cichlid, I actually had two, a male and female red zebras. The female killed the male and she is really quite aggressive... So any kind of rock will work? That's good to know... I spent most the afternoon trying to hunt down limestone with no luck... and looking for cichlids, again with no luck... How would I clean the rocks? I read that some ppl use bleach... And I'm in Edmonton :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Yes, hot water and a weak solution of bleach will work fine, just make sure to rinse extra good, then let dry, then soak in unchlorinated water, before you add the rock to the tank. How large is this female zebra? If she's extra aggressive, you might want to consider removing her & starting over with a new mix of fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgbw80 Posted January 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 And thanks for the link... tons of info... :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgbw80 Posted January 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 She is about 4.5 inches... and I don't want to get rid of her, she's got quite the "fish-anility" even plays hide and go seek with my dogs, really funny to watch! And will only eat out of my hand, and it has to be me... she refuses to eat from my husbands hand... to get an idea of the fish, we named her Cecilia... and if she could, she'd be wearing a fur coat and diamonds!! I've never seen a fish with her attitude before... (and no, I'm not crazy) :P But that's why I'm asking all these questions, the LFS said that if I added a bunch of fish at once, like 8-10 cichlids she should chill out and if she is overly aggressive they said nothing would be resolved because of the amount of fish... but I dunno... I don't want any fish to be a "victim" But they were also in a 28G tank at the time, so that could have been the issue.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 The LFS gave you some good advice. If you add several fish at a time, just make sure your bio filtration can handle the new bio load from the fish. Also, moving up from a 28 gallon, to a 75 gallon, should help tremendously with her aggression. Just make sure to provide penty of caves, holes, and escape routes for the new fish. Sounds like a cool fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Keep in mind that if she is in the 75gallon for a few days before the addition of new fish, she will start picking her "zones", and may attack new fish that don't understand these "zones" yet. What I do when adding new fish to an aggressive tank, is I move the deco around, move some water around, pretty much scare the hell out of the old fish so the first day or two they don't really know what is going on, and should leave the newer fish alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Another option is to place the zebra back in the 28 for a few days (or more) and let the new fish gain a bit of a foothold in the 75, then add the female zebra back into the 75. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunl Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 I usually try to go with RD's suggestion when dealing with an agressive fish and adding new members.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 RD's way usually works. It gives the new fish time to settle in and get used to their new home. Then in a couple days add the zebra back. By that tiem hopefully the new fish have their own territories and the zebra will be the odd one out and less likely to bully. Good luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgbw80 Posted January 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Thank you very much for all your help folks. Really appreciate it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgbw80 Posted January 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 Ok, so after VERY careful consideration and HOURS of research, I think I've got the fish picked out.... Pseudotropheus sp. "Elongatus Chailosi" - 4 Metriaclima estherae - 4 Labidochromis (electric yellow) - 4 Metriaclima callainos - 4 Synodontis multipunctatus - 3 What do you all think? Good combination, or did I miss something a long the way? I'm currently running a TetraTec 500 on the tank, so I should be ok with that. Also, can anyone recommend a good landscaping place in the Edmonton area, one that may cary honeycomb limestone? Thanks guys... and stay warm... -35 supposedly tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 12, 2005 Report Share Posted January 12, 2005 The Tetratec 500 is only rated at 300 gph, so I'd suggest adding an AC 500 on to that tank. (in the near future) As far as the stocking list, are you looking at breeding these fish, or not? Buying juvies, or sexed adults? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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