Possibly getting a couple more friends in the 54 gallon...

[Cichlidroobs]

What do you guys think of me getting a couple more cichlids for my tank, would it be too much on top of:

2 yellow lab cichlids (about 3 to 4 inches each)
2 kenyi cichlids (about 3 inches each)
1 livingstoni cichlid (about 4 inches)
1 jack dempsey cichlid (between 5 and 6 inches)
1 pleco (between 5 and 6 inches)

I hope to get my hands on a convict cichlid and a firemouth cichlid in the 3 to 4 inch range. Would this be wise, or should I be happy with what I have?

I once had a blue crayfish in my 10 gallon with these fish I currently have, he held his own and found himself a nice cave to hide in, after about 2 months he decided it was time to shed and jack dempsey made an expensive meal out of him. In my 54 gallon, is there any way at all that I could make this work, even with the shedding of it's shell?

 

[geekrockgirl85]

i'm kind of suprised your labs haven't been torn to bits already... i would have thought their temperament was too mild to live with the other little buttheads you've got in there.

i can't really speak on what may or may not happen when you throw the new guys into the mix. but it's definitely something to think about. i'm sure someone with more experience in this area will weigh in.

assuming your pl*c is a common, i would say it's a bit risky to add more fish... once he gets big and poopy, it might be overextending a bit to have the other two fish added into the mix. however, if you change your water often, you could get away with it.

i'd nix the crayfish idea. any molting invert, even if he has much more room to hide, is bound to become lunch when there are big meanies patrolling about.

 

[Cichlidroobs]

Yeah, for some reason I have a pretty boy Jack Dempsey and the Livingstoni seems to be quite a community friend too, quite uncharacteristic of these but every fish is different I guess. I may have gotten lucky with the order in which I introduced each fish into the mix (dont ask me to remember, back then I was just tossing some half-inch fish into a 10 gallon over the course of a few months, haha) Yes I think my pleco is a common, but he is timid as well, at least for now. Im not too concerned with behaviors anyway, there is a ton of hiding spots for these little guys, I'm just wondering about the Bio Load. How much can a 54 gallon corner tank handle? (No live plants just yet, with a Fluval 304)

Edit: I should also mention that the larger yellow lab seems to be dominant even over the larger jack dempsey, but the "alpha" of the tank seems to go back and forth between them.

 

[Lotus]

I moved this to the Cichlid Discussion. I know some of our cichlid people only visit this section, and I hope you'll get a better response here.

 

[straitjacket]

The livingstonii will reach about 10". Outgrowing that 54gl.
Firemouths are ornery creatures that prefer to hide out but throw outright fits when someone's constantly horning in on their "bidness" which is what mbuna do best. In one cave, out the other.
The JD may also have problems later on. I've had my JD's get ruthlessly torn up in a Malawi tank only to grow some big brass ones and nearly murder 2 large 6" bumblebee cichlids. Miscommunication problems. Understandible.
Even the livingstonii and kenyi are not very compaible since their diets are so different. Livingstonii are piscivores, they need meat. Kenyi are herbivores and too much animal protein will cause them to bloat and die.
For now I suggest you stick to either Malawis or Central Americans. With a JD you could have your con and FM since they'd understand eachother better, their dietary needs are similar, but you wouln't be able to fit much else in there. Overstocking is no good with these guys in this siz tank.
With Malawi's you could add other mbuna and it would actually help aggression.

 

[Cichlidroobs]

Sounds like I'll keep this setup but be more sensitive to my fish's different feeding needs, do you have any suggestions on what I could feed these guys, right now I use hikari cichlid gold, bio gold, excel, and staple.

 

[straitjacket]

The tank will ultimately be too small for the livingstonnii.
NLS (New Life Spectrum) Cichlid Formula and spirulina flakes will be fine.