ilikefish

Can african cichlids & African butterflyfish get along in a 80g?

Thanks

Shawnie

cleaner fish with africans that thread has some info ...and the answer is NO as they require different diets ...sorry for the mistake of comparing with the featherfin

ilikefish

Ok good to know but I didn't mean so much as far as cleanliness. I meant more along the lines as water-type requirements and aggresivity. Thanks for your help though.

Shawnie

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fres.../butterfly.php you can google any fish and this link is even better with comparisons to african tanks
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/index.php

EDIT" I read the other thread wrong..african butterfly fish are NOT compatable with africans ..sorry I meant the featherfin ....african butterflys have a different diet than africans

Jaysee

The feeding wouldn't be an issue - they have different diets, but the butterfly eats exclusively from the surface and eats insects primarily. I've never kept african cichlids, so I don't know if they'd come up to the surface to nip the butterfly's delicate fins.

The issue is water chemistry - the lower range for the cichlids is the upper range for the butterfly.

Shawnie

how can feeding not be an issue if they have different diets? thats an issue LOL ...and africans require a very high pH

ilikefish

I don't see how feeding is an issue I drop flakes and pellets in for the cichlids and then give the african butterfly's their food. But i'll do my research first...

thanks

Shawnie

african butterflys are carnivores and require meaty foods...the africans you have are mostly herbivores and too much meat can bloat them severely... does that make more sense?

heres another link http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article...n_cichlids.php and again im sorry i confused the african butterfly with the featherfin

Jaysee

I don't see any issue if you feed the cichlids sinking food, since the butterfly will pretty much only eat crickets and bugs off the surface. Not every fish in a tank has to eat the same food, so long as the ones that eat different food can get their food. Do you think the cichlids would try to eat the crickets? Trust me, if the filters are turned off, the butterfly is on the cricket like a missile.

Oh I see, you're talking about feeding them frozen food, where excess will be eaten by the cichlids. This is very true, as the butterfly will not eat frozen foods as readily as live and most will sink to the bottom where it won't eat it either.

It's a moot point anyways, as their water requirements are different.

Shawnie

im not really sure why you think cichlids are bottom feeders? they so are not and will come to the top often... and yes they will eat the crickets..they will eat ANYTHING you put in the tank...the butterfly is a carnivore and will deffinately eat frozen foods...the african cichlids that ilikefish has, cannot have a ton of meaty foods which is what the butterlfy needs.....

Jaysee

I think africans are bottom feeders because I've never kept them and those I've seen were fed sinking food

Shawnie

breakfast of champions! theres a thread for you to see where africans eat which is anywhere they want

bolivianbaby

Where the food falls, african cichlids will follow