Topic: New guy starting off

[sasq40]

hey all just starting out and found this site. Lots of good info! Right now im running a 36 gallon tank with 2 of each, jewel cichlid,green severum,common pleco and zebra obliquidens. Right now there all pretty small(1-3") my local store said i could fit them all in my tank but im starting to think there wrong once they all get bigger. What size of tank should i move up eventually? They all pretty fun to watch one of the zebras loves to pig out and the jewel sure loves chasing everyone!

[Gerry]

Hello and welcome to the site.

Yeah, your LFS has given you bad info, the sevs pair need about 55 gallons as they get quiet big. Here is an article on them

The jewels (African cichlid that prefers same water as American) being nippy little buggers would be best if the tank were bigger too, them with the plec added I would think your looking at a 90 gallon.

The zebra obliquidens is an African cichlid that would prefer harder water to the rest and is generally best not mixed with the others.

[sasq40]

o my looks like i bite off quite a bite ha. I was hoping my next tank would be some salt water fish but looks like ill be getting different tanks for these guys. I even asked them quite a few times if these guys would all be compatible and ok in my tank

[callen]

Welcome to the site...happy you found us

Sorry you got the wrong info from the LFS... I see an upgrade in your future and that is how MTS (multi tank syndrome) starts and there is no cure 

[sasq40]

would you recommend getting another tank right away or will i be ok for a while. Jezz pretty soon this hobby is gonna be costing me as much as my offroad toys 

[Tony]

Hi and welcome 

You would really need another for the zebras as they have different food and as Gerry said different water conditions to the others.. and yes Callen is right about the multible tank syndrome that affects new people to the hobby

[sasq40]

the one zebra loves to pig out lol today he stuffed his face then spit it all out later and shoved it all back in before anyone else could eat anything. Looks like i might have to take a few back to the store i just dont think im quite ready for the commitment of 3+ tanks especially big tanks, on the other had my buddys friend is getting out of the game and has a 300 gallon tank..hmmm lol i can see this getting expensive and out of control

[Tony]

LOL yes it begins 

[Gem997]

Welcome to the site
 

[fnesr]

Welcome aboard 

Like others have said best bet would probably be to separate or return the zebras unfortunately, they're a bit too far removed from the others with their diet and water requirements and can be quite aggressive as adults too (in a different kind of way to the Sevs and Jewels). They're very active and supposed to live in a more highly populated space in the wild so the way they try to assert dominance is very different to that of American cichlids like the Sevs (and they will probably end up harassing them). The Jewels would go ok with Sev though as they're a riverine species and not from the rift lakes most other African cichlids are from. They're one of very few Africans that go ok with American cichlids so your fish store wasn't too bad with that suggesting that combo barring telling you tank size needed for them all.

Alternately you could keep the zebras and go for keeping an African tank. Generally you can keep more Africans as far as aquarium size goes then you can keep Americans in the same space. It's two very different types of fish to keep though, both have things to like about them. Africans behavior is more complex and they interact more with each other whereas Americans tend to interact more with you typically and are a bit more "pet like".

[sasq40]

well i picked the sevs and jewels so the pet store didnt really get anything right ha. Right now the zebras get along with everyone good and there proably eating the best. When i picked them out the lfs told me as long as they mature to around the same size they can be kept together. Guess when all you have is a bunch of kids working at a store they dont really know to much. Sad for me as ive already got attached to all of them

[sasq40]

Would say a 105-120 be good for everyone else and leave the zebras in the 36? Would I be able to add anyone else with those 2 in the 36?

[Gerry]

need to wait on an African guru coming on.  I'm not great with them but know you tend to want to overstock so think adding would be possible.

[TimP]

Welcome to the site and it looks like you got your hands full already. This is how it starts. 

[fnesr]

36 gallon is something like a 2.5 or 3 foot tank? I would say you could add more Africans with the zebs in that volume but you want to stick with other fish from Lake Malawi (there's many, many types of Malawi). Don't mix with Africans from Lake Tanganyika, most fish stores will generally have these in separate sections or at least tanks as they have differing needs with water, diet etc.  Malawi's are the easier to keep and a bit less fussy then Tangs. They generally have a longer lifespan too.

Theory behind overstocking Africans is that the aggression is spread out amongst more fish so they all may have small disputes but they are less likely to have serious one on one targeted battles. That's not to say it always works out that way but that's the idea. Because you overstock them you do need fairly decent filtration though, they can handle a fair bit of water current (actually enjoy it) so that's not usually a problem.