roo Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Hi All, Well I now have 5 fish in my new tank, 3 Clown Loaches and 2 tiny electric yellows. All seems to going smoothly so far. When I was down at the LFS they had 'blue dolphin cichlids' in with the Electric Yellows. My first question is what are they as I have not come across them in my readings and on this forum. Secondly all suggestions on type of fish I should add will be appreciated. I am interested in Africans. Remember this my first tank and am in the learning stage. the tank is 1300mm * 610mm * 410mm deep With a couple of big chunks of sandstone and some slate layered around the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vieja Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 hey roo... welcome to cichlids, you'll love them! i started off with electic yellows and lombardoi in a 3' tank and found out the hard way... poor little yellows don't add lombardoi (aka kenyi) they are nasty little *&%%&T& blue dolphins (aka cyrtocara moori) are an excellent little fish to add IMO as they are non-aggressive (apart from the occasional nip) and won't harrass other fish to death IME. i'd probably wait until the yellows have fully established themselves though because, again IMHO, yellows can be well named (yellow streak down their back - sorry yellow lovers). other fish i'd consider would be fuelleborni (very cute and intelligent), silver dollars (harmless - though incredibly stupid), silver shark, orange-cap persipax, bristlenose catfish (great cleaners) and bolivian butterfly (avoid a pair though - they get nippy).... all of these are quite chummy in my g'friends 4' tank. africans i'd avoid would be kenyi, red zebras, red-top zebras (these are shocking for aggression IMO), convicts (see r-t zebras), red-tail sharks and red jewels (not as pleasant as some would have you believe - ask my oscar). but whatever you do, enjoy. i lost a lot of fish cause i didn't ask enough questions. hope this helps a little... good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vieja Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 in case you're all wondering electic yellows are a VERY close relative of the electRic yellow!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sash Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 i think ppl are a bit too harsh on red top zebras, their very cool. i dont like them dolphins but how about ellectric blues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Welcome To the World of Cichlids If you like the looks of peacocks, then get them, they are pretty peacefull, maybe some Electric Blues, Ps. Acei *msuli point* Not tha expensive and relaively peacefull IME. But what ever you choose that your heart desires, have fun with them. And Good Luck And the scientific name of the blue dolphin is.... Cyrtocara moorii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorrylan Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 blue dolphins (aka cyrtocara moori) are an excellent little fish to add IMO as they are non-aggressive (apart from the occasional nip) and won't harrass other fish to death IME umm just be aware that while cyrtocara moorii start off "little" and are relatively non-aggressive: given enough time they do grow to a fair size (I have some 25cm+ in length and still growing) and as adults they can get fairly "romantic" so even though they're not visious they can cause quite a bit of damage and stress to smaller companions in the tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vieja Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 you're dead right chorrylan... they do get big (9" or more). but i was concerned with how they will be while they are small (as they are very slow growers). IME they are still a non-aggressive cichlid (even when breeding if you compare them to other cichlids). also, if you do manage to get them to this size it won't matter how they get along with the yellows because they are a gorgeous fish with a large nuchal hump (even the females sometimes). this is only IME...... i've been wrong before, it was a saturday i think.... (actually it was Nov 19th 2004 @ 17:06, hey subgirl) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannula Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I have seen everywhere that Malawi Blue Dolphins are slow growing. My Dolphin was less than an inch and a half long when I got him in June, now he is over six inches in size (just five months). Is this what most people call slow growing? Or is he just a freak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazimbwe Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I don't think the Malawi dolphins(capital "C" in Cyrtocara ) would be a good choice for the tank, not terrible just not as good as it could be. My nomination is, G.acei(Tanzanian). I would have a Coral-sand substrate in the tank and create a rockpile(either 1 central pile or one in each rear corner) with a log of wood(not too big) to make the acei feel good and give the BristleNosed Cats(that you should add) something to chew on. Add ½dozen more E.yellows and ½ dozen black acei. Brilliant contrast. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vieja Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 got to admit mazimbwe... sure don't sound too slow. i've had my five for 4 months and they've grown about one inch - maybe! they are in a community tank... but that shouldn't make a significant difference. i wouldn't be complaining though... they are so nice once they get to 6" and beyond... congrats as for acei... i guess it just depends wether you're into small and sleek or big and beautiful.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlakeyBoyR Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I personally wouldnt recommend moorii would be that great an idea. My experience with them is though whilst they can be peaceful, when they do get a bee in their bonnet they are destructive and quite powerful. The one I had started to hassle smaller fish once he got a little mass on his size. Mind you, I may have just been unlucky and got a jerk or a fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Most fish will be slow growing if their growth rate is restricted by tank size....dolphins are a large fish and grow relatively quickly IME.. merjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roo Posted November 26, 2004 Author Share Posted November 26, 2004 HI all. Don't you just love it when you do a little bit of research, go down to the LFS and think I really like the look of the Moori and end up with two of them . then go on the forum and read peoples posts. "OVER 6 INCHES IN FIVE MONTHS" oh boy. I bought TWO of them. I now have 3 tiny E-Yellows, two 2in Moori and three 2inch Clown loaches. I am going to keep it that way till after Christmas. Please get posting advice on the types of Cichilds that will be good for my tank as I will hopefully fully stock it in early Jan. As for Catfish ... They just dont do it for me. Sorry to all Catfish lovers. no offence intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Just get a few Bristlenose, they will come in handy mate. you wont see em much anywayz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roo Posted November 26, 2004 Author Share Posted November 26, 2004 Why would BN come in handy? I have noticed that nearly everyone on this forum has them, so i figure there must be reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 hi roo Because, they are good algae eaters, they dont grow to a very large size, they are pretty cheap and do the job right. and they are readily avaliable, : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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