can someone identify these pretty items?

[berrylocks]

My wife recently picked up some seveflake chichlids, but four of them were too small for her 55-gallon tank. I got volunteered to raise them in my 10-gallon tank for a few months until they're bigger. To be honest, I'm not really sure what they are - my wife usually chooses fish based on their appearance, and she's not too fussed about the specifics.

What I do know is they need a bigger tank. They love hiding and playing in my plants, though. I added some frogbit to help with the nitrates. Luckily, cycling won't be an issue since I've been using liquid ammonia. My current tests show everything's fine for ammonia and nitrite - nitrite spiked for about four days, then leveled out. Nitrates are climbing faster than I'd like, so I'm doing water changes every week or so.

I've only managed to get a few decent pictures of them in the two weeks they've been in my tank. They dart off into the plants as soon as I approach. I did get a couple of full-body shots of the long blue ones. The big-headed blue one hiding in the ship is about half the length of the blue one outside. The orange one in the grass is roughly the same length as the big-headed one, just not as bulky.

[willie32]

I think I've got some bad news for berrylocks - those little guys are all Mbuna cichlids, and they really need a lot more space than a 10 gallon tank can offer. A minimum of 4 feet in length is recommended, and they should be kept in groups of their own kind.

Looking at the pictures, I'm going to take a guess that the first black and blue striped one is probably a Melanochromis, maybe a Tangazo or a Johani. The second one could be a couple of different species, but I think it might be a Red Zebra, which is a type of Metriaclima Estherae. The third one is a bit tricky, but based on how common they are, I'd say it could be either a male Kennyi or a Demasoni - both of which are pretty aggressive, even for Mbunas.

One thing to keep in mind is that Mbunas aren't really suited for a planted tank in the long term. They're used to eating a lot of plant material in the wild, so they'll probably end up grazing through your plants pretty quickly. And as for why they're hiding so much, it's because they're naturally rock-dwellers, so they need plenty of hiding places to feel secure.

I'm curious, berrylocks, what other fish do you have in your 55 gallon tank? Mbunas have some pretty specific needs, so they're not really suitable for a community tank. They come from a lake that's basically a dead sea, so they need very hard water to thrive. They also need a specific diet that's plant-based, or they can end up with Malawi Bloat, which is usually fatal.

If you're interested in keeping Mbunas, there are a few rules to follow and some research to do beforehand. But basically, you can mix and match different colors and species pretty easily, as long as they don't look too similar to each other. For a 55 gallon tank, you'd ideally want to keep 3 species in groups of 5-8, with a male to female ratio that varies depending on the species. For example, your Melanachromis would need a higher ratio, while your Metriaclima would be on the lower end.

I've got a go-to guide for Mbuna keepers that I think is worth a read - it's from Practical Fishkeeping, and it's called "The Mbuna Keeper's Survival Guide". With a tank as nice as yours, I can tell you take a lot of pride in your aquariums, so I think you'd really appreciate the advice in this guide.

[berrylocks]

I think I've got some bad news for berrylocks - those little guys are all Mbuna cichlids, and they really need a lot more space than a 10 gallon tank can offer. A minimum of 4 feet in length is recommended, and they should be kept in groups of their own kind.

Looking at the pictures, I'm going to take a guess that the first black and blue striped one is probably a Melanochromis, maybe a Tangazo or a Johani. The second one could be a couple of different species, but I think it might be a Red Zebra, which is a type of Metriaclima Estherae. The third one is a bit tricky, but based on how common they are, I'd say it could be either a male Kennyi or a Demasoni - both of which are pretty aggressive, even for Mbunas.

One thing to keep in mind is that Mbunas aren't really suited for a planted tank in the long term. They're used to eating a lot of plant material in the wild, so they'll probably end up grazing through your plants pretty quickly. And as for why they're hiding so much, it's because they're naturally rock-dwellers, so they need plenty of hiding places to feel secure.

I'm curious, berrylocks, what other fish do you have in your 55 gallon tank? Mbunas have some pretty specific needs, so they're not really suitable for a community tank. They come from a lake that's basically a dead sea, so they need very hard water to thrive. They also need a specific diet that's plant-based, or they can end up with Malawi Bloat, which is usually fatal.

If you're interested in keeping Mbunas, there are a few rules to follow and some research to do beforehand. But basically, you can mix and match different colors and species pretty easily, as long as they don't look too similar to each other. For a 55 gallon tank, you'd ideally want to keep 3 species in groups of 5-8, with a male to female ratio that varies depending on the species. For example, your Melanachromis would need a higher ratio, while your Metriaclima would be on the lower end.

I've got a go-to guide for Mbuna keepers that I think is worth a read - it's from Practical Fishkeeping, and it's called "The Mbuna Keeper's Survival Guide". With a tank as nice as yours, I can tell you take a lot of pride in your aquariums, so I think you'd really appreciate the advice in this guide.

Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.

I'm not too familiar with what my wife has in her 55-gallon tank, to be honest. The only ones I can easily identify are an angel fish of some kind and a raphael catfish. As for the water parameters, I do keep an eye on the GH and KH. The GH is actually off the charts on my test kit - it's over 180 ppm, and the KH is currently around 40 ppm. The pH is right around 7.0.

I'm not too worried about them eating the plants, to be honest. I figure it's the least I can do, considering they're stuck in such a small tank.

I'm glad you like the look of my tank, but I actually let it grow wild on purpose. I kinda like the way it looks when it's a bit overgrown. If they tear it up a bit, it's not the end of the world. My main concern is that the plants are a big part of the filtration system in that tank. That's why I added the frogbit in a separate section - I would've used duckweed, but I couldn't find any quickly. The tank does have a HOB with sponge filters and crushed coral, but with it being as overstocked as it is, the plants are pretty much a necessity.

[willie32]

My wife recently picked up some seveflake chichlids, but four of them were too small for her 55-gallon tank. I got volunteered to raise them in my 10-gallon tank for a few months until they're bigger. To be honest, I'm not really sure what they are - my wife usually chooses fish based on their appearance, and she's not too fussed about the specifics.

What I do know is they need a bigger tank. They love hiding and playing in my plants, though. I added some frogbit to help with the nitrates. Luckily, cycling won't be an issue since I've been using liquid ammonia. My current tests show everything's fine for ammonia and nitrite - nitrite spiked for about four days, then leveled out. Nitrates are climbing faster than I'd like, so I'm doing water changes every week or so.

I've only managed to get a few decent pictures of them in the two weeks they've been in my tank. They dart off into the plants as soon as I approach. I did get a couple of full-body shots of the long blue ones. The big-headed blue one hiding in the ship is about half the length of the blue one outside. The orange one in the grass is roughly the same length as the big-headed one, just not as bulky.

I think adding these Mbuna to your Angelfish would be a recipe for disaster - the Mbuna would likely outcompete them for resources and possibly harass them. The Raphael catfish might be okay, they're pretty tough and can handle harder water.

If you can't provide a decent-sized tank for these Mbuna, I'd consider rehoming them - they're not ideal for a community tank and would do best on their own. On the other hand, if you can set up a new tank with hard water, Mbuna could be a great choice for you. You might just need to add some limestone or similar to maintain the alkalinity.