non-cichhlid tankmates for cichlids?

[toddy203]

I am wondering if there are any non-cichlids that i could put in with my current lot?

I have 6 jewels, 4 electric yellows, 2 hybrid things (no idea what they are), 1 lumphead and 1 "giraffe" (livingstonii)

let us know any ideas!

[ryanjury]

Firstly how big is the tank and how big are the fish?

Secondly it is very hard to tell without knowing what the 2 hybrid things are (if they are hybrids they could have a dubious or unknown temperament)

Bigger schooling fish sometimes go well with africans, I have kept rainbows with mine. I have also kept clown loaches with them as well. I have also seen things like silver sharks and silver dollars in with them. And recently a big african tank with a heap of quite big fish (some haps too) with some breeding guppies cruising around the top.

[elusive_fish]

Hi Toddy,

The most commonly kept non-cichlids kept with the African Cichlids would be catfish. Especially synodontis or plecs. You probably already know this, but community fish are generally not good companions for cichlidsl, and even more caution should be shown with rift lake fish. But in saying that, I've seen people successfully put all kinds of things in with african cichlids...

BTW, 'Giraffe' and Livingstoni are not the same thing. A Giraffe is Nimbochromis Venustus, which is a very similar looking hap.

[spoon]

yep id say a syno or a plec but beware its a bit trial and error it may not work you could even try a bristle-nose ive heard of some people keeping rainbow fish with them as a dither fish but im guessing it would need to be a larger species of rainbow fish

[David R]

Yes there are.