Escobar

Anybody know if I can get red tail botias in with my malawis? Was thinking also of getting RTBS but have been advised against it.

Angela_96

Every compatiabiltiy chart you will find will tell you not to mix loaches with african cichilds. mbuna do not mix well with others.

Escobar

Got myself 3 redtailed botia to go with the 6 malawi cichlids I have already. Have just finished aclimatising them and put them in to the tank and covered it over. Will have to leave it like that and see what happens in the morning. Has anybody tried keeping these 2 types together before?

Mike19

nice fish, what are there sizes?

Butterfly

Generally loaches and Rift Lake Cichlids shouldn't be kept together. Emma Turner of Loaches.com explains this so much better than I can. Here is her article - http://www.loaches.com/articles/why-...alawi-cichlids
Your Loach is Yasuhikotakia modesta and redtail botia among others is one of its common names. Here's some cool information on them also. Enjoy! http://www.loaches.com/species-index...edtail%20botia
Carol

Escobar

From what I have been able to find out, the red tail botia are semi aggressive and are said to be able to be in a tank with semi aggressive cichlids (malawis). I was also thinking of getting synodontis but thought to get that later as do not want to overdo the bioload.

Butterfly

Escobar I hope you don't mind that I merged your two threads about the loaches and Malawi cichlids. This way all your info will be in one place
Carol

Escobar

Thanks butterfly. Found them articles very helpful. Hoping it will be ok. The botia are beautiful. They are 1.5" - 2" and are natural coloured. NOT been colour dyed. Malawis are also about the same size, not much bigger. Also, anybody tried keeping syno's?

Escobar

Carol, it did confuse me for a second, very easily done. But no problem at all. Found them links you sent me very useful, thanks.

Butterfly

They are both beautiful fish species but not really compatable. let us know how they do.
I have kept S.eupterus(or featherfin ) he was beautiful but a bit aggressive.
Carol

Escobar

Will definitely keep you updated on how I'm getting along. I had to give back my plec today as it was getting too big for me (9"). It's amazing how much poo they do. It was starting to give me a spike in my ammonia. Hopefully that should now level back out and come back down.

ScarfaceShaz

Yes. getting rid of the plec will deffinately decrease the load on your bio filter. However now you have 3 botias you say... good luck, you'll need it..