29 gallon cichlid tank
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Sharkbait19
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Having tried mbunas in a tank around that size, my first suggestion is honestly to not try mbunas in there.
Johanni can get very mean, but don’t get too large. I would suggest sticking to only mbunas in the 3-4 inch range and aren’t too aggressive. Examples are acei or getting more labs. Demansoni can also work well, but is another fairly aggressive mbuna.
Convict comes from all the way across the world, and despite having similar water requirements, there are a lot of behavioral differences that make convicts a bad tankmate for mbunas. I tried one with my mbunas, within an hour I had to remove the convict. It would basically wind up with one killing the other, but that’s also going to be a risk with all of these cichlids in a small tank.
Johanni can get very mean, but don’t get too large. I would suggest sticking to only mbunas in the 3-4 inch range and aren’t too aggressive. Examples are acei or getting more labs. Demansoni can also work well, but is another fairly aggressive mbuna.
Convict comes from all the way across the world, and despite having similar water requirements, there are a lot of behavioral differences that make convicts a bad tankmate for mbunas. I tried one with my mbunas, within an hour I had to remove the convict. It would basically wind up with one killing the other, but that’s also going to be a risk with all of these cichlids in a small tank.
This might be a silly question, but are you running a freshwater tank- or have you managed to acclimate your cichlids into saltwater? :)
Bucs20fan
Valuable Member
I would agree completely with @Sharkbait19. A convict is a terrible choice, for one they are incredibly aggressive and are a south american cichlid, versus an african. Im not saying it cant be done, but its generally inadvisable to mix africans with south american cichlids. As far as tank size, that size is ok for now, but in 3-4 months they are gonna need a 55. A 55 is a perfect size for some africans.
Sharkbait19
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For the fish’s sake, please tell me this is a joke
Sharkbait19
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Very few cichlids can actually live out their lives in saltwater. Of those, none are actually naturally a saltwater fish, but just may migrate into marine conditions for a short while.
That said, convict blennies (or engineer gobies) are actually more closely related to cichlids than to gobies or blennies.
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Although this is a Saltwater focused forum, many of us keep or have kept many different types of freshwater fish. In my experience with cichlids there is a balance between overstocking the tank to distribute aggression and not allowing anyone fish to establish a territory, and having such a high bio load that it overwhelms the chemistry of your tank. As others have said, I would avoid convicts. I have worked with them and bred them and they can be problematic.
I might be inclined to ask why, but somehow i dont think thats quite what you’re after ;) I have no experience with keeping cichlids in a saltwater environment, so i will wish you good luck with the project!
We do however have a large number in our 250 gallon freshwater tank :)
Aye, i was aware that they can temporarily migrate; I have however never met anyone who actually keeps cichlids in saltwater so i had to ask! :)
Thank you for your insights..
Best of luck mate- I‘d adopt a different attitude as well as more fish :face-with-raised-eyebrow: All the best!
Considering this is a reef- and saltwater forum there was nothing wrong with my wondering ;)
Sharkbait19
10K Club member
Many Peacocks (aulonacara) don’t get much bigger than the mbuna you are keeping, so if they can’t go in a 29, neither should the mbuna.
You may be thinking of peacock bass (cichla).
Bucs20fan
Valuable Member
I was trying to give you other species of cichlids that can go with the mbunas, but even with what you have, you need a larger tank to house them. And in the event you get a larger aquarium those would work. But we are trying to be polite and give you recommendations even though you dont have the adequate space for the fish you have.
Sharkbait19
10K Club member
Depends on the breed. There are a lot of line bred morphs and hybrids out there that top off a lot smaller. Either way not suited for a 29 imo.
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