Nano African cichlids with plants?

KevCNYC · 02-09-2013, 06:50 PM

Whats are peopls thoughts on a 20-29 gal planted tank with these kinds of fish Altolamprologus, Callochromis, neolamprologus multifasciatus, Cynotilapis, Dwarf Julidochromis, Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher), Pelvicachromis taeniatus. Just some of the fish I was thinking about using, not all of them, havnt made up my mind yet but I have made the space in my apartment and never done smaller africans at all let alone with plants. Thoughts about the combinations? What plants to use and not use? Anyone have any issues with driftwood and seashells? Let me know

RWaters · 02-09-2013, 07:48 PM

I currently have plants with my yellow labs and yellow-tailed acei. Tangs would probably be okay with plants as well. I'm not using any driftwood but have lots of rocks. The plants are jungle vals, java fern and various anubias since these can all survive in the harder, high pH water required for African Rift Lake cichlids. There's also frogbit floating on top.

By the way, the kribensis is West African and generally requires water with a lower pH.

I'm sure you could make it work in a 20 to 29 gallon tank. If you go with a 20 long, avoid jungle vals as these grow very long and soon cover the surface. Good luck

**ptr** · 02-09-2013, 08:22 PM

I don't think you can mix P. Pulcher and P.Taeniatus. Wouldn't they hybridize ?
In any case, if you have a pair of Kribensis, forget about any other cichlids in a 29g - they get way too aggressive while in breeding mode. Apart from that, they are quite easy to keep, and will do great with plants of any kind.

As RWaters said though, you can't mix them with lake cichlids as they have completely different water requirements.

VivaDaWolf · 02-10-2013, 01:38 AM

So I moved my pair of kribs into my 20L with other residents being some of their older krib fry and a school of big danios. The danios have been pushed to a little corner -about 1/3 of the tank while the big boy krib rules the rest of it.

Yeeeeea aggressive. They no longer have their clutch and I can see the male swimming around with the danios but theyre still very scared and hang out on one half of the tank. They dont bother plants though!

KevCNYC · 02-10-2013, 03:11 PM

could you possible mix kribs with apistos? Or do you think mixing the two types of cichlids would be too aggressive?

**ptr** · 02-10-2013, 03:23 PM

Yes they would be fine, but not in a 20-29g. You would need 36" of floor space, maybe a 30g.

jmsaltfish797 · 02-10-2013, 04:12 PM

kribs are a good choice for a planted tank but they do get pretty aggressive. Tetras and other similar fish are ok with them though. Gives the male someone to pick on besides his mate hen they're breeding.

furnfins · 02-10-2013, 06:05 PM

I have Kribs in with cory's,R. espei,red iriani and spike tailed paradise fish and everyone gets along and the plants are left alone. Bolivian rams leave plants alone too and so did a group of Geo. Steindachneri that I had.

**ptr** · 02-10-2013, 06:09 PM

You're lucky. My kribs wouldn't tolerate cories

furnfins · 02-10-2013, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptr

You're lucky. My kribs wouldn't tolerate cories

Really..I have 7 punctatus cory's and 6 of the pygmys and they don't bother them....so far anyhow. Maybe just luck, the kribs are still on the young side and probably not in breeding mode. Hopefully all will stay this way for a while

im2smart4u · 02-10-2013, 08:55 PM

I had several adult Pelvicachromis Pulchers (regular kribs) a couple of years ago and they constantly fought with each other. They were way more aggressive than I thought they would be. I also had a pair of Pelvicachromis Taeniatus "Kienke" (sometimes called striped kribs) and they were the exact opposite. I put them in a planted 16 gallon bowfront (was meant to be temporary) with a dozen tetras, a clown pleco, and a betta. They lived in that tank for over a year, and not only did they not mess with the other fish, they would breed nonstop. It seems like they would breed every month or two. I eventually removed the betta and tetras, but the kribs had a lot of young and I couldn't catch them all, so there were usually at least a dozen or two babies of varying ages living peacefully with the parents.

Now, that might have just been my fish. I might have gotten lucky and had a laid back pair of striped kribs. People joked that I dosed my water with drugs or something to keep everyone calm. :p

Aulonocara_Freak · 02-10-2013, 09:26 PM

I have a 20g with 2 pair's of kribs, 3 otocinclus catfish, 3 amano shrimp, and when in breeding mode I add some of my tetras to reduce aggression. Here's some pic's.

The tank doesn't really look that yellow, my camera setting are off.

02-09-2013, 06:50 PM	#1
KevCNYC Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Manhattan Posts: 15	Nano African cichlids with plants? Whats are peopls thoughts on a 20-29 gal planted tank with these kinds of fish Altolamprologus, Callochromis, neolamprologus multifasciatus, Cynotilapis, Dwarf Julidochromis, Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher), Pelvicachromis taeniatus. Just some of the fish I was thinking about using, not all of them, havnt made up my mind yet but I have made the space in my apartment and never done smaller africans at all let alone with plants. Thoughts about the combinations? What plants to use and not use? Anyone have any issues with driftwood and seashells? Let me know

02-09-2013, 08:22 PM	#3
ptr Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (21/100%) Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: NYC Posts: 446	I don't think you can mix P. Pulcher and P.Taeniatus. Wouldn't they hybridize ? In any case, if you have a pair of Kribensis, forget about any other cichlids in a 29g - they get way too aggressive while in breeding mode. Apart from that, they are quite easy to keep, and will do great with plants of any kind. As RWaters said though, you can't mix them with lake cichlids as they have completely different water requirements. __________________ Low-tech 60g tall - 15g Iwagumi - 5.5g shrimps stargate - RAOK club #2 - New York Aquatic Plant Society

02-10-2013, 03:23 PM	#6
ptr Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (21/100%) Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: NYC Posts: 446	Yes they would be fine, but not in a 20-29g. You would need 36" of floor space, maybe a 30g. __________________ Low-tech 60g tall - 15g Iwagumi - 5.5g shrimps stargate - RAOK club #2 - New York Aquatic Plant Society

02-10-2013, 06:09 PM	#9
ptr Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (21/100%) Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: NYC Posts: 446	You're lucky. My kribs wouldn't tolerate cories __________________ Low-tech 60g tall - 15g Iwagumi - 5.5g shrimps stargate - RAOK club #2 - New York Aquatic Plant Society

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02-09-2013, 07:48 PM	#2
RWaters Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2/100%) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 329	I currently have plants with my yellow labs and yellow-tailed acei. Tangs would probably be okay with plants as well. I'm not using any driftwood but have lots of rocks. The plants are jungle vals, java fern and various anubias since these can all survive in the harder, high pH water required for African Rift Lake cichlids. There's also frogbit floating on top. By the way, the kribensis is West African and generally requires water with a lower pH. I'm sure you could make it work in a 20 to 29 gallon tank. If you go with a 20 long, avoid jungle vals as these grow very long and soon cover the surface. Good luck

02-10-2013, 01:38 AM	#4
VivaDaWolf Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (11/100%) Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 716	So I moved my pair of kribs into my 20L with other residents being some of their older krib fry and a school of big danios. The danios have been pushed to a little corner -about 1/3 of the tank while the big boy krib rules the rest of it. Yeeeeea aggressive. They no longer have their clutch and I can see the male swimming around with the danios but theyre still very scared and hang out on one half of the tank. They dont bother plants though!

02-10-2013, 03:11 PM	#5
KevCNYC Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Manhattan Posts: 15	could you possible mix kribs with apistos? Or do you think mixing the two types of cichlids would be too aggressive?

02-10-2013, 04:12 PM	#7
jmsaltfish797 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: monmouth, oregon Posts: 66	kribs are a good choice for a planted tank but they do get pretty aggressive. Tetras and other similar fish are ok with them though. Gives the male someone to pick on besides his mate hen they're breeding.

02-10-2013, 06:05 PM	#8
furnfins Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7/100%) Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brooklyn,NY Posts: 416	I have Kribs in with cory's,R. espei,red iriani and spike tailed paradise fish and everyone gets along and the plants are left alone. Bolivian rams leave plants alone too and so did a group of Geo. Steindachneri that I had.

02-10-2013, 08:55 PM	#11
im2smart4u Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fayetteville, AR Posts: 311	I had several adult Pelvicachromis Pulchers (regular kribs) a couple of years ago and they constantly fought with each other. They were way more aggressive than I thought they would be. I also had a pair of Pelvicachromis Taeniatus "Kienke" (sometimes called striped kribs) and they were the exact opposite. I put them in a planted 16 gallon bowfront (was meant to be temporary) with a dozen tetras, a clown pleco, and a betta. They lived in that tank for over a year, and not only did they not mess with the other fish, they would breed nonstop. It seems like they would breed every month or two. I eventually removed the betta and tetras, but the kribs had a lot of young and I couldn't catch them all, so there were usually at least a dozen or two babies of varying ages living peacefully with the parents. Now, that might have just been my fish. I might have gotten lucky and had a laid back pair of striped kribs. People joked that I dosed my water with drugs or something to keep everyone calm. :p

02-10-2013, 09:26 PM	#12
Aulonocara_Freak Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3/100%) Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 317	I have a 20g with 2 pair's of kribs, 3 otocinclus catfish, 3 amano shrimp, and when in breeding mode I add some of my tetras to reduce aggression. Here's some pic's. The tank doesn't really look that yellow, my camera setting are off.