Cichlid Pictures

Re: lakemom15's Pictures

nice tanks.
didn't see any discus tho...you need some

 

Woah, looks like you have an Aratus Cichlid in there. He's going to have to go. Once he matures he's going to be VERY aggressive. Also, the other guys in that tank can't live in the 20 gallon tank for very long.

 

For 2 of those guys they'd have to be in a tank over 55 gallons by themselves. If you wanted to put other fish in there you'd have to have a The orange one looks like a Red Zebra and the blue one a Kenyi, both very aggressive fish but not quite as bad as the Aratus'. I'd suggest a 120 gallon minimum if you were to keep all of those guys.

 

Ideally within the next month or two. They wouldn't have to be moved to a 125 right away but those 4 (I assume you have 4 because that's what I see) could be moved to a 40 gallon long tank for several more months. As adults they're really going to need a large tank because of their aggressive nature. The Aratus is known for being a very nasty fish.

 

Oh, I didn't even see the yellow guy. Normally cichlids in an "assorted" tank have a high chance of being hybrids. The orange guy could be a hybrid but lets just call him a Red Zebra. The yellow one can be a hybrid as well, you won't know for sure until it gets larger though. Right now, it's a Yellow Lab. LoL The Aratus' are probably not hybrids. Remember, the 40 gallon tank I suggested is a 40 Long. It's 4" in length which provides much more swimming room.

If you're able to get a 125 gallon tank within 6 months then I'd keep them all. If you don't think you're going to be able to I'm return them and get a different type of cichlid. If you do exchange them, you're going to need a larger tank unless you go with something like shell dwelling cichlids.

 

Here ya go. <a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_dwellers#Types_of_shell_dwellers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_dwel ... l_dwellers</a>
They're cute little guys. There are lots of different types of shell dwellers. Here's one.

 

I made the same mistake when I first got into cichlids.

 

I have a 4" auratus right now and a 4" oscar and they get along fine. From experience and from speaking with a few cichlid breeders and enthusiasts auratus can be kept in a community tank of decent size with other cichlids if there are enough hiding spots and open swimming areas. If the auratus are in a tank with one or two other fish all their aggression will be on those fish, if there are many cichlids in a tank they tend to be easier going. It also depends on the fish, some are highly territorial and some aren't. I wouldn't get rid of them yet. Give them some time. They aren't very big yet, those cichlids dont really start to get aggressive at all till they hit about 2.5-3" when they start to mature more. I would say go with a 55 gallon and fill it with plenty of cover and use the front half of the tank for open area. A guy in my area has many community cichlid tanks with mix breeds with that setup and he's had them going for years and years. For now I'd say that would be the best solution, auratus tend to get real aggressive if they are breeding, hopefully if you ahve 2 females you'll be just fine. Remember almost all cichlids are aggressive. As for the 20 gallon, shell dwellers would be cool, there are some that don't get very big at all. Having only those 4 fish in a 120 gallon is a little extreme imo, just remember that they need places to hide themselves at times because all the fish need breaks from eachother and also the hiding spots will serve as little territories for them. You will however want to separate the angels soon. Thats just my 2 cents from my experience speaking with some cichlid experts.

 

shellies are an awesome fish, but not for beginners they are very aggressive and need at least 5gals a fish with 10 shells per fish and a sandy bottom. the ones that are in the pic are by far the most aggressive i have seen.

 

Ah yes very true fish, i remember someone saying that a few meetings ago when there was some up for auction

 

Oh I thought they were in with the cichlids lol. I figured thats why the pictuers were together.

 

Sorry about that. lol. Angels are ALOT Of fun, probably my favorite fish. I want more but I haven't found any i like in my area yet. Maybe this weekend at the fish auction I'll get some good ones..