Can you keep old and new world cichlids together?
dogofwar
CCA Members
It depends...any in particular you're wondering about?
Matt
Matt
toddnbecka
Members
I keep red severums in a 75 with a breeding group of Aulonacara and a single male ruby green Hap. Also have 5 silver dollars (at least 3 different species in that group), a breeding group of Synodontis multi's, a couple of whiptail cats, and close to a dozen BN pleco's. Also a single Synodontis eupterus, and a single white (black) tetra. No problems after many months together, and there are a couple peacock and Syno juvies growing out among the rocks.
neut
Members
Definitely possible and definitely depends on matching compatible species in terms of temperament and water conditions. It's not just ph-- most Africans aren't bothered by ph in the 7s, especially if tank raised, which also works for many new worlds-- but temperature is another big factor to consider. However, if you research beyond the proverbial 'soft water, low ph, warm water' advice for many new worlds you find out that, including South Americans and including discus, they come from quite a range of temps and water conditions.
That said, there are some Africans that would be compatible with very few (if any) new worlds (trophs, or the more psycho-aggressive mbuna species, for example) and some new worlds that would be compatible with few Africans (apistos, for example). And, obviously, some combinations are virtually out of the question or, at best, just make no sense at all.
One more thought. Some people will say you cannot put Africans and new worlds together because they won't understand each other's body language and, in effect, they will damage or kill each other because they just won't understand things like another fish's dominance displays, territorial displays, aggressive warnings, etc. Nonsense. Just watch a bonded pair of severums run off an unwelcome male that keeps trying to get in the middle of things, then watch an alpha male frontosa running other fish off when it's trying to spawn (especially any rival, less dominant males), or a male Malawi peacock chasing off other fish that get too close during a spawn... they use similar cues, and there's little room to misunderstand on the part of the other fish.
I have plenty of experience keeping certain Africans and new worlds together and, believe me, they have no trouble at all understanding such body language, and often other signals, like large humps, for example, or chemical signals, or even underwater sounds fish make during aggression (an interesting area that biologists study). If aggression goes too far it's because of things like tank size is too small to allow sufficient territory, species are incompatible, individual fish just do not like each other, or because two dominant and aggressive fish refuse to back down from each other, all the same reasons as fish from the same continent, or even fish of the same species.
That said, there are some Africans that would be compatible with very few (if any) new worlds (trophs, or the more psycho-aggressive mbuna species, for example) and some new worlds that would be compatible with few Africans (apistos, for example). And, obviously, some combinations are virtually out of the question or, at best, just make no sense at all.
One more thought. Some people will say you cannot put Africans and new worlds together because they won't understand each other's body language and, in effect, they will damage or kill each other because they just won't understand things like another fish's dominance displays, territorial displays, aggressive warnings, etc. Nonsense. Just watch a bonded pair of severums run off an unwelcome male that keeps trying to get in the middle of things, then watch an alpha male frontosa running other fish off when it's trying to spawn (especially any rival, less dominant males), or a male Malawi peacock chasing off other fish that get too close during a spawn... they use similar cues, and there's little room to misunderstand on the part of the other fish.
I have plenty of experience keeping certain Africans and new worlds together and, believe me, they have no trouble at all understanding such body language, and often other signals, like large humps, for example, or chemical signals, or even underwater sounds fish make during aggression (an interesting area that biologists study). If aggression goes too far it's because of things like tank size is too small to allow sufficient territory, species are incompatible, individual fish just do not like each other, or because two dominant and aggressive fish refuse to back down from each other, all the same reasons as fish from the same continent, or even fish of the same species.
UNCLERUCKUS
"THE ALL POWERFUL Q !!
VERY WELL SAID
