The Acei Cichlid is from the Northwestern coast of Lake Malawi in Zambia, Africa. The Acei Cichlid has a long slender blue body with yellow fins which makes it an attractive fish for hobbyist to keep. There is little to no visible difference between a female and male Acei Cichlid. Some say you can tell that males have egg spots on the back edge of their anal fin. The best environment for these fishes is a large aquarium that has a variety of caves and hiding places. You can use limestone, rocks or driftwood to even the clay pots for plants to mimick their natural habitat. Most fish hobbyists use an aragonite-based substrate which can help you maintain the proper PH and alkalinity levels. Lighting for these fish should be low-light. For those who are interested in spawning, you should keep a male with at least 3 females. |
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
i had two come with the tank i purchased off some guy.. the bigger one killed the smaller one & ive currently had to take him out the tank and keep him in my esky with crabs…
he constantly swims around biting every fish in the tank inculding oscars, green terrors, jack dempsys not caring if he is bigger or smaller than any of the fish
definatley the worst tempered fish
drukqs2369 this is a AFRICAN Cichlid. No wonder he was pi**ed, the oscar, green terrors & jack dempseys are all AMERICAN Cichlids! Your keeping the Acei in the wrong water with the wrong tank mates!?!
Do you know why he was biting them, I have one and its the same exact color but now its all blue because i put nutrient on my food and they change color to color. The reason he attacks them because maybe your tank it too small for him and the other fish aren’t showing any aggressive mean to him plus he’s is lonely. Also you need to keep your temperature at least 83 so the fishes are more calm
if u have african cichlids u have to keep them together u cant put other fish with cichlids there just to aggressive have to be a cichlid only tank
They are great with only one but if you get more the stronger one will kill the others.
I have one acei in with 2 african oranges and they all do well together. I also have two bala sharks, a rainbow shark, a lace catfish, and a chinese algae eater. All get along splendidly.
I have a 55 gallon tank. I have 2 Acei, 1 rainbow shark, 1 chinese algae eater, 3 Yellow Labidochromis caeruleus & 2 Blue Rams from another tank I am in the middle of reconverting. I also had 3 tetra’s from the same tank but, they have disappeared.
By this time next week I will have an American Cichlid tank & an African Cichlid tank.
My 2 Acei are nearing 2.5-3″ & get along with all the other fish, including the Rams. Unfortunately, I believe they ate the tetra’s.
The larger one tends to chase the smaller one, nosing it’s Anal vent.
I don’t see any egg spots on either fish so I’m uncertain what this behavior means. Perhaps when they get a bit larger I will find out if they are the same sex or might pair up. I am thinking about acquiring two more once I remove the Rams. I also need to add more cave structures as I only have two plus a trunk-style log which has many holes. So far I enjoy them in my aquarium. Hopefully they will breed so I may enjoy watching their behavior raising young.
are acei,s mouth breeders