Re: what are the most expensive afr. Cichlids

[JEFFREY STREET]

one other question,... how do I know if the fish, as babies are boys or
girls? I see the egg sacks on them and I am lost... (Egg sack is male, I
think)

[JEFFREY STREET]

another thing, my tank is 55gal with a black latex back... the stones are
dark brown and the bottom is crushed corel and sand... all my fish are on
the dark (not bright) side... what are bright fish? What will stand out in
a black bg? Also, what type of lighting should I buy, is there underwater
lighting?

[Damaclese]

most expensive ive seen in my area electric blue haps sorry dont know the
latin name im new here too as fopr a bright fish electric yellows the
electric blues are great a nice brilliant saphire when they get older when i
first bought them they were a plain silver now they are the show piece of my
tank

"JEFFREY STREET" > wrote in message
.net...
> another thing, my tank is 55gal with a black latex back... the stones are
> dark brown and the bottom is crushed corel and sand... all my fish are on
> the dark (not bright) side... what are bright fish? What will stand out
in
> a black bg? Also, what type of lighting should I buy, is there underwater
> lighting?
>
>

[NetMax]

"JEFFREY STREET" > wrote in message
.net...
> one other question,... how do I know if the fish, as babies are boys or
> girls? I see the egg sacks on them and I am lost... (Egg sack is male,
I
> think)

It varies by the fish species, but most are indistiquishable until a
certain age (if at all). Egg sacks are of a varying degree of
reliability. Colour change of body and/or fins, change in body shape,
filled with roe, carrying eggs, behaviour in tank etc etc are all
indicators of varying reliability. It's not unusual to purchase a
quantity of juveniles (ie: 6) to improve your chances of having a pair.
hth

NetMax

[The Madd Hatter]

I don't know why you would think that, though on second thought the mood
seems to be a little negative around here lately, due to a few "hot" topics
that just flamed up. I learned most of what I know on this group and on the
net, and am more then happy to share that info with everyone.

I'll assume for now that you don't have any fish in you tank besides the
pleco... You have a couple choices as to the type of african cichlid to go
for. With most of these groups, it is generally not advisable to mix them
together because of dietary needs, growth rate, aggression levels, overall
size, and a variety of other factors.

The first group is commonly refered to as "Mbuna", which roughly translates
to "Rock Fish".. These fish are primarily algae grazing herbivores that
reside in the great reefs in Lake Malawi. This is a wide group and is what
most people start off in w/ RL cichlids. Included in this group are members
of the Pseudotropheus, Melanochromis, Maylandia, Cynotilapia, Labidochromis,
and other families. The Melanochromis are quite aggressive and colorful, and
so are the pseudotropheus in general. The Cynotilapia are a lot more
peaceful... Search on the net under these families and you will find a lot
of different species. Most of these grow to a maximum size of anywhere from
5" to 7"... There are exceptions though...


The second group is comprised of the species commonly refered to as Haps.
One of my favorites is the Sciencochromis Fryeri... Beautiful bright blue
fish! I have a colony in my 100 Gall, and I'm constantly amazed. Other
brightly colored fish in this group are members of the Copadichromis family,
and Protelemas (sp?) family, like the Taiwan Reef or Red Empress. The
Nimbochromis family yields some colorful members as well.. There are a lot
more that I haven't mentioned as I just started keeping haps. I currently
have the S. Fryeri aka Hap Ahli, and one Dimiochromis Comprisseps. This
group is comprised primarily of predatorial fish or open water fish that
feed on plankton that thrive on a higher protien diet then the mbuna... I
have mixed the two groups in my 100 gal currently, but its a temporary
solution while I finish off my fish room. Feeding too much animal protien to
mbuna can be detrimental to their health (often fatal in the long run), and
not enough of the same for the haps, will not kill them, but they won't
thrive either.

Third Group... Tropheus.... Expensive and colorful... This group if fish
generally limits you though... You Can't mix these with most of the others.
They have to be fed a Strict herbivore diet... The slightest deviation is
fatal.. The very easily contract Malawi bloat, which I'll explain another
time... I've never kept these, though I plan to eventually. I would advise
that you avoid this group till you've had some more experience though..

Fourth Group: Peacocks.. Members of the Aulonocara family. Probably some of
the most colorful fish you can get.. They are usually less aggressive then a
lot of the others.. These are also pretty expensive compared to alot of the
others.. Keep in minds though, they are dimorphic,and only the males are
brightly colored.

I'll stop with those for now.. All these are from Malawi. If you want
extremely colorful fish and money isn't an issue, I would recommend that you
go with a combination of peacocks w/ some of the haps. See the link below
for an example of a colorful peacock species.
http://www.gcca.net/index.htm?content=/fom/Aulonocara_stuartgranti.htm

The hap that I would reccomend is the afore mentioned Scienochromis Fryeri..
Its not excessively aggresive like a lot of the others, and is the most
colorful fish I own..

Check out the link below, to the Cichlid Forum, which is an excellent
resource. Hope this helps.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/species_profiles.php

Madd

"JEFFREY STREET" > wrote in message
.net...
> I know many some of you do not want to help me in learning about fish, and
I
> am not totally stupid, I am just someone who likes he hobby for what it
is,
> a hobby, and I want to make something nice in my living room for friends
to
> see... I do read a ton about Afr. Cichids now and I have 5 in my 55 gal
> (with Clyde)... I don't like Yahoo groups so I didn't post there, I like
> this group and all I ask is that you help me learn, I am not a troll nor a
> bad guy, I am excited about fish... so with that said (and I am sad I had
to
> say that because I know many read the forums here)...
>
> What Maliwi fish are the most expensive and why? See, money isn't a
> probably with me, and I do talk to my fish store... I go to
> www.NewWorldAquarium.net in NYC for my fish and I can ask them to get me
> anything I ask for...
>
> One thing they are telling me is to get aquarium size / by 2 afr.
Cichids...
> so, 55 gallon is 27.5 fish... that seems a lot, as rocks take up water
> space...
>
> I want cool fish, and if they breed, that would would be cool,
>
> Currently, and they all are babies and do not know if they are male or
> female... (except for Clyde (I say that for fun now :P )
>
> Iodotropheus Spengerea (a little baby Rusty)
> Labidochromis Exasperatus (my most expensive fish at 9 dollars)
> Nimbochromis Venustus (I think he will get big)
> Pseudoropheus Acei (the boss of my tank)
> Pseudoropheus Kennyi (just a normal fish)
>
> See, Netmax, I am trying... and I do go to the websites, I just like the
> interaction of the groups.. I not only ask for advice on my question, I
ask
> for all tips, like, it Baking Soda okay to use to raze the ph? Help and
> teach, I am all ears!!!
>
> Jeffrey
>
>

[NetMax]

"JEFFREY STREET" > wrote in message
.net...
> another thing, my tank is 55gal with a black latex back... the stones
are
> dark brown and the bottom is crushed corel and sand... all my fish are
on
> the dark (not bright) side... what are bright fish? What will stand
out in
> a black bg? Also, what type of lighting should I buy, is there
underwater
> lighting?

re: bright fish on black, Neolamprologous leleupis, Neolamprologous
Brichardi, Albino Pseudotropheus, Labidochromis caerelous are 4 commonly
found fish which will show nice on a black background.

re: lighting, it's for you (unless you're growing plants which is
problematic with your Africans), most common for a 55g is a tube or two
of 4' fluorescent lamps.

re: underwater lighting, yes, but primarily for effects, not main
lighting. Fish do better when the lighting replicates the natural cycles
of the sun (ie: does not come on full blast or shut off instantly in a
dark room).

re: most expensive fish, cost is a function of availability and demand.
Typically fish which are difficult to successfully breed, or have very
few fry will hold a much higher value. Zaire blue Frontosas are a
relatively well known breed which command a high price. Demand is high,
availability is poor and after a long sexual maturation, they have
relatively few fry.

NetMax

[The Madd Hatter]

This is the Sciencochromis I refered to in my post..
"Damaclese" > wrote in message
...
> most expensive ive seen in my area electric blue haps sorry dont know the
> latin name im new here too as fopr a bright fish electric yellows the
> electric blues are great a nice brilliant saphire when they get older when
i
> first bought them they were a plain silver now they are the show piece of
my
> tank
>
> "JEFFREY STREET" > wrote in message
> .net...
> > another thing, my tank is 55gal with a black latex back... the stones
are
> > dark brown and the bottom is crushed corel and sand... all my fish are
on
> > the dark (not bright) side... what are bright fish? What will stand out
> in
> > a black bg? Also, what type of lighting should I buy, is there
underwater
> > lighting?
> >
> >
>
>