"D&M" wrote in message
...
Someone should really make a "known" website for cichlids for
"community"
cichlids.
snip

What I would love is if you guys could post the names of cichlids that
you
know are normally passive cichlids, stay within 3-5", don't require
special
water conditions, known to be exceptionally agressive, etc. Can compare
to
Kribs.

I'll try to make a community listing published online from these
results, so
please, anyone that has anything to input, please do.

Thanks.

A tank of fish is a recipe, where the order of introduction can be as
critical as the ingredients. Cichlids (as ingredients go) are a bit more
volatile, sometimes being perfect tank-mates as last-introduced
juveniles, but developing stronger 'personalities' as they sexually
mature. There is no 'safe' list of cichlids as it's all probabilities.
You also cannot mix any tetras together as many will dominate the tank,
but statistically there is less effort to successfully mixing tetras.
You can mix large nasty cichlids together if you do it right, but there
is far less room for error. What you are asking for depends on i) your
expertise, ii) if you have spare tanks (when things go wrong), iii)
whether you are trying (or allowing) them to breed.

_Relatively_ docile large cichlids are Discus, Festivums, Severums, Flag
cichlids, Angelfish and sometimes Blood Parrots. Under ideal conditions
(large enough tanks and/or not breeding), the number of docile medium
sized cichlids is too numerous to list. Going with smaller cichlids can
sometimes improve your odds (and it's all about probabilities, age,
sequence of introduction, shelters, tank-mates etc ;~) Here is a listing
of Apistogrammas http://www.thekrib.com/Apisto/ which include your Kribs
& Rams. Moving to African lakes, there are Shellies and many other small
cichlids (Brichardi, Leleupis etc) which will mind their own business if
given enough space to call their own. Once they are spawning, their
space requirements will increase dramatically though.

If you respect the rule that if it fits in their mouth, they will try to
eat it, Oscars & Frontosas are very docile cichlids. Their interest (and
primary motivation in life) is food. Once a tank-mates is determined to
have no food potential, they will generally co-exist with them
wonderfully. ymmv

NetMax