Are all the problems with African cichlids worth it to you? Let us know!

absolutely worth it!! my cichlids are too funny to watch and never ceases to make me laugh with their antics! ... great video

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I know what you mean 😂. Thanks for the cool comment, Demetra!

Happy to see another video🤝

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Thank you, Dakota

Great video, I’m glad to see you didn’t give up on the Africans

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Thank you, Drew. I am also glad 🥰

Cichlid charmer, Great video there sir. These tips can also be for CA/SA cichlids also. I went through a crazy aggressive issue about a week ago or so. I had my female red devil that I had since she was about 4 in or so well she was probably now more like 6 to 7 inches. She was a pretty fish but I had to turn her in to the LFS in my area. She was so aggressive when she laid eggs and even after the eggs were scraped off. My green severum and chocolate cichlid took a beating from her. I couldn’t deal with it anymore so I had to get rid of her. At least she went to the LFS and they said they will make sure she gets a new home. She was very pretty but just way too aggressive for my tank. I know all too well the aggression. Thanks for the video brother. Can’t wait to see the new CA tank and size and fish you put in in the next few months.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Yeah the red devil isn’t on my new stocking list. Too bad it didn’t work out for you though. I think these things apply even more with aggressive Americans, wouldn’t you say?

Mystery deaths are inevitable. My local breeder has about 250 aquariums and 40 varieties and he told me it happens to him after 30 years of breeding. Sometimes a switch will go off in their brains and they'll kill or get spooked at night like to mentioned. It's just part of the game.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Yep. It’s too bad. All is well and then overnight, not so much. And the worst part is you don’t have a chance to try to save them. Thanks for your input!

Great video my friend. They can suck sometimes. Just this morning one of my OB peacocks was almost dead I put him in a separate tank he's still barely alive with bladder damage I think. I put him in an epsom salt bath .

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Oh no - poor guy. Took a beating overnight or was it something else, Danny?

l literally just came across your videos last night. You are very knowledgeable and witty at the same time, which makes your videos easy to watch. So today, l woke up to one of my stunning peacocks with a top lip that looks much like your venustus’ bottom lip at the 5:39 mark. I thought it was a disease at first but it appears that he either got into a tussle or swam into the glass, bc his jaw isn’t fully retracted. Is there anything l can do about it and will it go back to normal with time, clean water, and some Melafix?

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! So if his jaw can still open and close, that’s good and means it isn’t dislocated, but that would be the mandible anyway, not the maxilla like your guy. If it’s just a superficial would, yeah keep the water nice and clean with maybe extra water changes. You can add Seachem Stress Guard and maybe some aquarium salt but it should heal on its own. My venustus swam into something when he freaked out and damaged his lips, and that apparently opened him up to catching lymphocystis which is why his lips look like they do. I touch on that briefly in my video coming out tomorrow. Your boy should be fine. One of your fish probably lip locked with him, but you’re right - he could have run into a panel in the dark. Leave night light nearby so they can see a tiny bit even when it’s super dark at night.

@derekmccord541

3 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer Yes l do leave the blue night light on in my tank every night for that reason. I actually think l turned it off the night he hurt himself bc l added a new fish. I’ve found if l add a small one, he most likely can “swim” under the radar 😂 but when l have added a bigger fish, it didn’t end well. I stumbled across the nicest Red Peacock l have ever seen. Deep orange with a solid purple face and neon purple throughout his body and fins and he did not last a day. That was a bad rookie mistake on my part which l regret bc he was a show fish.

@CichlidCharmer

3 ай бұрын

Sounds like he was a great looking fish 🔥Derek, I don’t know if you’re a member of the Cichlid Charmer Fish Keepers group on fb, but I’d love to see some of your fish there

The most charming fish charmer I’ve ever been charmed by. 🎉 haha

@CichlidCharmer

4 ай бұрын

😂

I've had Africans for over 25 years some from big box stores and some from breeders. As long as u have the space and rock work for them they do great as long as u keep the water parameters and quality good.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Good advice! Thank you 🙏

I happened to accidentally move 6 minutes away from a cichlid breeder store with an insanely good reputation. 6 months later after he helped me scape my planted tank and now he's selling me one of his 125 gallons for dirt cheap. Time to finally get into African Cichlids I have no excuses now with it all right next to me haha. Thanks so much for the videos.

@CichlidCharmer

4 ай бұрын

Now THAT’S a blessing! I wish I lived closer to Ron’s Cichlids. Well actually I wish they were closer to me 😂. How awesome it would be to just drive in and see all those fish. I wonder how many tanks I would have if that was the case 🤔. Thanks for the great comment!

Hey bro love the video, Im starting an African tank and I need your help. How does 2 Calvus cichlids, 2 Julies, 1 Leopard bush fish, 1 bristle nose pleco, and 1 petricola catfish sound for a 40G Breeder tank.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Thank you! I don’t have any tanganyikans, so I’m a little on the shallow end for info on them, but it sounds like the combo isn’t bad, but o would suggest that the tank size is too small for most of those fish. I see minimum tank size of 55 gallons online, and you know me… I usually take that minimum size and move up at least to the next size up. Whatever you decide, just make sure you thoroughly research each fish - diet, water parameters, environment, aggression, etc. Good luck, I hope you plan out a great tank!

One day i definetly want to join the African Cichlid community, i really like these guys, but for now i stick on the dwarf south american side because i'm still learning about the aquarium hobby, i have a little 110 liters that is for sure more manageable than a 450 liters for example, still i can't decide between Malawi cichlids (maybe more mbuna than peacocks or haps like the Pseudotropheus saulosi) and Tanganyika cichlids (i really love these guys too, especially the Neolamprologus brichardi)

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I’ve heard Tanganyikans are less violent than Malawis. Anyway, I bet your dwarfs are beautiful 🥰

@andreacasoli3371

5 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer yeah they are, they are two Nannacara anomala, they are studied by professors because of their aggressiveness in relation to their size 😂

They're the nicest looking freshwater fish by far IMO, and they have personality too, so I think they're worth it.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I think we’d get along just fine 🥰

What a wonderful video, but you had me going with your apology, I did end up with different cichlids than what I went to go get, saw all the cool fish and got the coolest ones..... well the ones I thought were the coolest but I'm strange. OK, I have to admit something sigh, all my baby GBR went into the light so yes, I understand about having mystery deaths one day the little dudes looked all happy next day goners' sigh. YIPPEE you got your new tank ordered, oh man I can't wait to see your plans for this one, shudder, and YES Zeke is most perfect stud muffin. Thank you again, I enjoy your videos!

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

So I got you!! Excellent 😈. Sorry I hear about your GBRs! So sad. Sounds like my Apisto experience. Thanks for all your support, Polly 🥰

Had a taiwan reef who was absolutely tearing my other fish apart. I rehomed him and now about 8 months later, they let me know they had to shut down their tank. I took him back and he's quite a bit smaller then the guys he was with before. No longer top dog! It made me laugh. I really missed him, so i was excited to get him back. I also knew it was unlikely that he would dethrone my VC10. Hes an absolute bully. But, he doesnt hurt the other fish. He's just bad for pushing the rest of the guys on to one side of tank. He wants 1/3 of the tank to himself. Anyone enters that area, he chases them out. Just more african cichlid antics!

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I had a fish like that who was a bully. I put him in a time out TWICE, and each time when I put him back in the main tank, he got whooped by the other fish. It totally turned him into a wimp. Be careful with that VC10 -- I hear they can be real terrors. He might decide he needs the ENTIRE tank someday 😬Glad you got your fish back!

Hi mate great video, for me I purchased all my peacocks close to equal size as possible, but some fish are only available in smaller sizes so a grow out tank helps in this regard. As for my predator haps I try to keep them equal size basically as I have found that reduces aggression and you only have to deal with the territorial disputes which can be limited with over stocking to reduce line off site. That worked for me but may not work for everybody. The amount of swimming room also helps with aggression and lastly under feeding can create competition for food. Poor water quality can also play a big part in aggression.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Interesting, Stefanos. I’ve never heard about water quality in relation to aggression. Would you mind if I ask how you know about that one? I mean I know it is huge in the health of your fish. Just never heard about how it ties in with aggression. Thanks for you input as always, Stefanos 🥰

@stefanosahretis5075

5 ай бұрын

We all know that a sick fish can upset the balance of a tank causing aggression by becoming less active, most of the time poor water is to blame for high nitrates and low ph creating a stressed fish which eventually becomes less active not able to swim as normal. This can be taken as a territorial dispute or interference of a matting area being kept clear from other fish trying to intervene. This also can lead to one fish becoming more dominant to gain a new territory leading to outbreak or aggression.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

@@stefanosahretis5075 Excellently stated. I was thinking you meant poor water quality made fish more aggressive period. I understand exactly what you mean, now. Very true. Thanks again

So I have 1400 gallon pond with African / American cichlids going on 5+ years. A natural habitat of survival of the fittest. Af Cich show up dead suddendly. I average 1 a month and serve as a meal for plecos and all the other fish, for at least a week. I've figured it to be random fights between males. And I've witnessed other fish with no business, buying into the fight... it works for me as a way to maintain fish stock balance, as there's a lot of breeding, with adults and young living together. And oh yes, there are no deaths among the non aggressive tank mates, example, Bala Sharks, tin foil barbs, red hooks, silver $$, etc etc etc... and very little death among the Am Cich...

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

So when you find them, are there signs of bullying? Mine look perfect.

@donaldfishvibes

5 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer they look perfect as well. It's not always a lot of fighting to disable some fish at times... i see the jaw locking and sparring and then a dead fish of similar color. Most times it's the Red dragon/ Strawberry cichlids in my case. I also agree it could be some collisions as well.

Yes, just had a mystery death this week..

@CichlidCharmer

4 ай бұрын

Oh no. Hopefully it wasn’t a favorite. I was heartbroken when I lost Raphael after two years to the dreaded mystery death. He was a thickskin obliquidens.

That's strange, I left a comment about fake rocks and it's no longer here, I'm sure I clicked on the comment button after I wrote it out!

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Oh no! What was the comment?

“Don’t worry I don’t have any feelings so you won’t be hurting them”😂😂😂

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

You caught that 🥰

I dont get where people say that Malawi cichlids are aggressive, i had them for years. And some of the most "aggressive" ones in the hobby and found that they were actually quite boring. Sure they can be somewhat aggressive in a way, but pretty tame compared to other cichlids ive had.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I think they are on the moderately aggressive side for the most part, but occasionally there will be an extremely aggressive one, and it doesn't have to be the ones that have the worst reputation. But compared to something like a red devil or a black nasty... not even comparable actually, you're right!

@mcaquatics3143

5 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer at the time i had a male dovi, he was absolutely nuts. You could not keep anything with him or he would kill it. I finally had to rehome hum when i down sized. He was 16inches long and a terror. But ive found that some of the lake victorian cichlids can be meaner than Malawi

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

@@mcaquatics3143 absolutely

I have moved away from this AC now with SA❤. Definitely ❤

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I love my ACs, but I’m excited to join the world of large SAs!

40 gallon breeder and signing up for an email list go a long way for problem #1.

I’ve had a recent death to my red empress. He was very beautiful and healthy one night. And then next morning dead with no signs of damage or stress. 😅

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Yes so you know what I’m talking about. Sorry for the loss. It really does suck. I lost my first Thickskin obliquidens that way. Very sad. He was one of my top fives.

Love my cichlids.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

They are incredible fish. I’d have left the hobby had I not discovered them.

Where do you get your African Cichlids?

@CichlidCharmer

Ай бұрын

From Ron’s, Imperial Tropicals and Snake River.

I’ve had fish totally disappear without a trace. 😢

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Likewise.

I have only one problem with my African Cichlids! THEIR DIGGING IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Oh no! Gotta change your paradigm 🥸 thanks for the comment!

its not for the faint of heart!!!

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Indeed. Love ‘em though 😎

Did I see a Xmas fulu ?

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I want one, but no. That is probably the hippo point salmon Victorian you’re looking at.

@NotSure876

5 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer oh ok, i only saw the fish for a second. I used to breed Xmas fulu

I just give them to the toilet flush Lol. Still love them though. Just like my 2 X wives 😂

@CichlidCharmer

4 ай бұрын

😂

Mystery deaths are homicide... Yes, after 7 years of keeping africans, I had my share.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

With no visible body damage?

@williamjamescavejr9423

5 ай бұрын

@@CichlidCharmer yes sir fins looking whole as well.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

@@williamjamescavejr9423how did you find out it was homicide?

What sucks is your tank, that has to be the ugliest cichlid tank I have ever seen. Looks like rusted pieces of pipe in there. Mbuna's come from a rocky environment, you need alot more rocks.

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

Oh oh, somebody doesn’t know their Malawi chichlids 😬. There is only one mbuna in this tank. Also, hopefully you’re working on tact. You didn’t hurt my feelings, but your presentation is weak.

What pointless video ffs, ads a night light wooow

@CichlidCharmer

Ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment though - helps KZread think it’s a good video anyway 😜

My biggest issue with my mbuna is,everything is a good for a year and then one of them flips a switch (aka jerk mode)then picks another tank mate out and just continually picks on him...

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

I know EXACTLY what you mean. That's a real problem with aggressive fish like these. Thanks for watching!

They do suck because they are aggressive and that causes all sorts of issues especially if you are attached to certain ones or are the type of fish keeper to set it and walk away, they need you to scape, feed and tend to their needs…..BUT If you get all right 🥹🥹🥹🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩

@CichlidCharmer

5 ай бұрын

You nailed it! I talked about that in part one 😍