Raven Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 The my fishies would be Aulocara hans, many know why too. Anyway the 2 kinds are what im having troubles setting up the 30g for. And i was just wondering if what they like with the tank, the driftwood is being move, so the tank will get alot of rock and fake plants. I hear cichlids dont do good with the realy ones. so i want to know what could happen with these fish, behaviour wise, stories would be great so i can learn from experinces. Also what they like for treats i tend to spoil my fishies. any info on how theyll act toward each other would be cool too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahim101 Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 First a bunch of questions: (1) How many of each fish??? (2) how big of a tank??? Dimensions??? (3) what kind of filtrations????? Malawis tend to be more veggie eaters so your daily food would be either a flake food or pellet. A treat would be either some mysis shrimp or brine shrimp maybe once a week for one feeding. Generally I would not put yellow labs with alunocara peackocks as labs can be too agressive unless you are putting them in a larger tanks....55 gallons +++++ Please ask more direct question as we will be able to help you better that way. HTH..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 I tend to agree with Rahim. A 30g is too small IMPO to mix mbuna with peacocks. But i also believe a 30g is too small just for peacocks. I have kept yellow labs with peacocks before and didn't have any problems. Ofcourse i had them in a 90g with large groups of each species so that helped with any agression. I think for your 30g stick with only the peacocks or only yellow labs. Remember these fish although small when you by them get to be 4-6" and can be quite aggresive(even though peacock and labs are considered some of the more "peaceful" malawis).THis is especially true when kept in smaller tanks(under 55g). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted October 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 1) Aiming for a trio of each. 2) long version 30g. not sure on the demensions, but its roughly 3ft*1.5ft*1ft. 3) As it stands just a powerhead with a filter. Im hopeing to get another peguin with bio wheel though. I heard the combo is do able because the labs and hans. grow to be the same size. and theres only 6 total. maybe i should just get the hans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahim101 Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Hers what I would do: get the hans: 1 males 2-3 females. and also get a hap species like a protmelas with a similar ration. If you are getting juvies get about 6 of each to start. Keep us posted with progress Good Luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 hap species like a protmelas with a similar ration I wouldn't put a hap in such a small tank. They need open swimming space that a 30g just doesnt' provide. I think a 4ft tank is the minimum i would stick a hap in. Plus Protomelas get quite large, too large for a 30g imo. Raven- what are you looking for by starting a african tank? Are you interested in behaviour(breeding) or do you want a energetic tank with pretty fish? Just asking because only the peacock males are colorful and in a 30g you would only be able to get 1 male. This would give you 1 colorful with with a bunch of other plain brown ones(females). If you want color and energy i would suggest going for Mbuna. Some of the less agressive species like labs, saulosi or rusties. Just wondering what you are looking for in your new tank? It will be helpful in choosing your new fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted October 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2004 When i was first looking at haps and peacocks, but i excluded the haps for various reasons that i dont really remember. I beleive it was something i read on the cichlid forums. So i stuck with the peacocks, alternating betwwen A. Hans, A. Stuart, and A. Struart. sp. Chiluma. Thats when i narrowed it down to the hans. I though things might be tense, or rather dull with just a trio so thats when i came up with the labs, and cause i came across them alot. Aulonocara hansbaenschi get up to 4-6 inches?? I found that there potentional size was 3.1 inch, 8 cm. I picks the hans, cause it was the smaller peacock out of the ones i found information on. I wanted a rocky looking tank, and i have bought rocks and all to go along with it. From what i found out, 30g was the min for the 2 trios, and many people told me it was a do able project. As for the fish themselves i wanted bright yet contrasting colour. Since hans is blue, red, grey, or blackish i though theyd go perfect with the labs. but, like always a chance breeding would be welcome, which is part of the reason why i have soo many bettas. And to tell you the truth you guys are the only ones to tell me that this is a bad idea. Maybe i should just start with a easier cichlids.... like black convicts...-.-..... and the peacocks?? or the labs?? I think il end up thinking this all over again.... buh bye 4 months of planning. Damn it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 15, 2004 Report Share Posted October 15, 2004 You don't have to start your planning over you just have to realize that you have a small tank and when keeping africans, smaller tanks take more planning to get it right(you dont' want the fish beating the crap out of eachother :chair: ). Aulonocara hansbaenschi http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1404 are just as large as any other peacock. They range from 4-6". I would stay away from the jacobfreibergi group as they can be more agressive then other peaocck species. For a 30g even though i don't like putting peacocks in such small tanks it may work. You could do something like this: 1 male peacock(a species you like) 4 yellow labs OR 4 rusties OR maybe even P.saulosi That way you dont' have to worry about finding female peacocks(or raising juvies to size) and won't have a tank filled with brown fish. Having a group of labs will give you the option of breeding if you wish and add some contrast and color. Your tank is small and agression problems may occur. I wouldn't add too many fish as over stocked tanks IME are harder for the beginner. So i think if you go with labs and a male peacock you should be ok. Have type of sites have you been to while doing your research? There are tons of helpful african cichlid sites if you want me to recommend some. Or some good books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted October 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 The sites i loked at? Man i dont remember half of them. I got alot of suggestions and links from a thread i started of petfish.net. They gave me links too, fishprofiles, one i use alot to find compatability, cichild forums, the maliwi chilid one and a few others i cant remember. I think cichlid forums have change since i last looked at it. sooo.... gimme a sec to think here... One peacock sounds good to me, and ill be still be able to have the colour that attracked me to the fish in the first place. Then again, looking at a regular A. baenschi makes me miss them. And learning that alot of fish claim the A. hansbaeishi and red shoulder common names has turned me aggainst the idea cause of poteintal confusion. So i think ill go to the A. baenschi. having labs in there now would be too much yellow i think.... so ill need a darker coloured fish to go with him. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted October 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 a fish like Placidochromis electra maybe? just been looking around some more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahim101 Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Here are a couple of articles that my help: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_29g.php http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_20g.php I think the second on would fit better for the footprint size of your tank. Post back if there any further questions!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 The confusion about names happens with pretty much any peacock that you may buy at a petstore. Aulonocara hansbaenschi has a bunch of common names as does A.baenschi (usually called sunshine peacock but i have seen it labeled as many others). The only way to get past this is to know exactly what the peacock looks like so you can spot if the name is wrong. Or buy your fish from hobbiests(there are lots of peacock breeders) or through a reputable fish store(not petstores). But i have seen pics of peacocks that were sold from reputable stores that ended up being a different species or hybrids so even with being careful you can have problems. If you want to go with A.baenschi(i think i know someone who breeds them. or used to atleast) then a good fish to go with would be rusties( iodotropheus sprengerae). These are one of my favorite Mbuna. They are a brown rust color with purple highlights on the sides. THey are also not very aggresive and i keep mine with haps(used to be with some peacocks and didn't have any problems). And if you shoose to go with these guys i have a breeding group i'm thinking of selling or a bunch of fry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Oops, forgot to add that P. electra wouldnt' be a good choice for your size tank. THey can get around 7"+ and need an open tank with tons of swimming space for them to "cruise". They are very beautiful and my male is the favorite in my tank. I wouldn't suggest haps for your tank, most get too big and need to much room. Stick with less agressive mbuna and peacocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted October 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 OK thanks, ill see whats at the auction and cause i dont really know much ill probably end up asking complete strangers for some advise. So if you happen to see a girl in jeans and a black t shirt or sweater then you know its me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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