[Big Dog Louis]

Due to some very good luck and a cool job I was lucky enough to inherit this fish tank. So lucky me I have a new Cichlids setup...being totally new to the Africans scene I ask upon your help. My knowledge as far as fish is quite recent I have been in the hobby for only a year and have a 55Gallon Tropical aquarium with 2 Rainbow sharks, 1 Black ghost Knifefish, and 2 Gold Severums.

So any type of help is appreciated and welcome...
1. Tips on care, (besides reading this forum..which I already am)
2. Tips on feeding
3. Water quality and levels
4. Common knowledge tips!

This tank is 150 gallons, it has 2 Aquaclear 70 Powerheads, and 1 aerator. Here I leave some pics so you can identify the fish for me..since I truly dont know much about Africans.. Based on some reading I do believe I have recognized........
1 Blue Dolphin
1 Hybrid Peacock
a bunch of Jewels
and what I believe to be some Portalegrensis

........Am I correct? And what else do I have

 

[monisaab]

lucky you for getting the tank... wish i had a similar job...

you have atleast 2 auratus in the tank...

 

[Big Dog Louis]

I guess those are the light yellow and black striped ones... correct? I think I have 1 male of those and a few females..from my understanding the male has a black underbelly and the females are more yellow.
And yes it was great luck getting that tank for free...I am remodeling a restaurant and they told me "the tank goes"...so guess where "its" going (LOL)

 

[monisaab]

lol...

Yep those are the ones... they are visible in the first and second pics, nearly in the middle...

 

[Flippercon]

The third picture down I see three green terrors/blue acara. I don't know which one but I see them . They have green striping on the bottom of the gill plate. Good find.

 

[Big Dog Louis]

The third picture down I see three green terrors/blue acara. I don't know which one but I see them . They have green striping on the bottom of the gill plate. Good find.

Are you sure those are Green Terrors...I was told they were "Portalegrensis" or even maybe Jack Dempseys...but then again what do I know!

 

[Flippercon]

The face and spots are a little off to be dempseys. I m sure its terrors or acaras.

 

[Chromedome52]

Not terrors, but some sort of "Blue Acara". There are actually several species that go under this name, just as there are a couple of species known as Green Terrors. The distribution of the spangling, absence of any wide borders on the dorsal/caudal, as well as the facial markings, are wrong for any of the Terrors, which tend to have very strong facial striations. They are all in the same genus, but form two very distinct groups within that genus.

 

[Flippercon]

Thanks Chromedome52 I always see acaras at the lfs sold as terrors and always get them mixed up. I knew it was in the same fAmily.

 

[Big Dog Louis]

Not terrors, but some sort of "Blue Acara". There are actually several species that go under this name, just as there are a couple of species known as Green Terrors. The distribution of the spangling, absence of any wide borders on the dorsal/caudal, as well as the facial markings, are wrong for any of the Terrors, which tend to have very strong facial striations. They are all in the same genus, but form two very distinct groups within that genus.

Thanks for clearing that up...is there any way I can find out what kind of "Blue Acara" they might be. And what other fish do I have?

 

[RRasco]

Looks like you have several Metriaclima greshakei, Ice Blues. I've never kept them though, so it may just be something similar, but definitely looks like a Metriaclima to me.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=794

 

[Kerricko]

Awesome tank you lucky son of a gun. I would lose the coral and go with a more natural look. +1 on the auratus and the Greshakei.(imo) . You do have several jewels from what I can tell. Jewels are a riverine cichlid so natural water parameters are a little different than malawi cichlids. But if they are used to the water they should be fine. The jewels can be quite aggressive when breeding time comes around. Do you know if you have any pairs?

 

[comanswoodwork]

Kerricko what kind of fish is in your avatar?

 

[JoelRHale]

I wondering the same thing. Its some form of peacock I believe.

 

[Big Dog Louis]

Awesome tank you lucky son of a gun. I would lose the coral and go with a more natural look. +1 on the auratus and the Greshakei.(imo) . You do have several jewels from what I can tell. Jewels are a riverine cichlid so natural water parameters are a little different than malawi cichlids. But if they are used to the water they should be fine. The jewels can be quite aggressive when breeding time comes around. Do you know if you have any pairs?

Yes I have already started to get rid of the coral, I am giving them a natural environment. I have gone to a local river and gotten some river rocks. I am just debating on my substrate now, I am not sure if to go with Pool filter sand or Aragonite. Any suggestions???? I will keep the black background on the tank so I want to have a contrasting color substrate.

 

[DanniGirl]

First picture (also in 3rd and last) you have a Red peacock- German or Ruby, hard to tell.

 

[Big Dog Louis]

First picture (also in 3rd and last) you have a Red peacock- German or Ruby, hard to tell.

Yes you are right I had seen that one already and figured it was that...what differentiates a German from a Ruby, how can I tell which one I got?

 

[Kerricko]

Yes I have already started to get rid of the coral, I am giving them a natural environment. I have gone to a local river and gotten some river rocks. I am just debating on my substrate now, I am not sure if to go with Pool filter sand or Aragonite. Any suggestions???? I will keep the black background on the tank so I want to have a contrasting color substrate.

I use PFS in most of my tanks. I haven't tried aragonite.

 

[RRasco]

Kerricko what kind of fish is in your avatar?

Looks like an Aulonocara Maylandi to me.

 

[Kerricko]

Kerricko what kind of fish is in your avatar?

Looks like an Aulonocara Maylandi to me.

You are correct sir. :thumb: