Africans in "American" Communal Tank???

[Barracuda]

Recently saw some Electric Yellows I would love to put into my community tank - only problem is that my tank is mainly "American" - ie housing angels, gouramis, tetras, rasboras...but with kribs (african but has a lower ph). Currently, the ph is around 6.5, but can increase it to neutral quite easily (Sydney tap water? + neutral regulator).

I know electric yellows can have a ph of 7.5 - being only 0.5 above my projected ph - would they survive? Is it possible to have them in my tank? My understanding is that it should survive (as i was told by the breeder) - but are what are the other "hidden problems" that may arise - if any? I hear they are quite peaceful and dont grow too big - being ideal for my tank.

Has anyone ever attempted this before? Was it succesful/not? I havent really heard of it been done before, being the reason as to why i ask.

Thanks in advance

[Nic]

Gday baracuda.
Im relatively new to the fish keeping hobby and i too thought that 1 or 2 electric yellows would be awesome.
Cant say ive answered your question bud but i too would like to know about it!!

:)

[Dave+Amy]

I personally wouldn't mix continents and just keep to one theme but having said that you won't have to acclimatize those Africans since they've been living at such a low pH anyway - not much diff to your pH

[Robdog]

Logic says that an alkaline hard water fish won't do too well in an acidic soft water environment.

Just get another tank and make it African and problem solved.

[Nic]

Hi again.
Ph wasnt my main concern....i have a pair of apistogramma agassizi and a pair of German Blue Rams, i thought the aggressive nature of electric yellows would be the problem, especially in my case with breeeding pairs.
Id love to get a couple of Electric Yellows so hopefully i am able to without having to buy another tank to keep them in...:)

Help is apprieciated

Nic

[TW]

From everything I've read, to successfully breed kribs, you need soft water. They may lay eggs in hard water, but fertilisation is less likely.

Your Africans would much prefer hard water. They may survive in soft water, but I'm not sure that you won't be stressing them in the process.

So not only do you need to think about pH, you need to think about water softness / hardness. I have heard of ppl successfully keeping Africans in 7.5pH & you can get away with kribs at that same level, but I still wouldn't do it, as that still doesn't solve the softness / hardness issue.

You may be able to combine both fish in the one tank, without one or the other dying, but you might not be being very fair to whichever of the fish get's to live in the wrong type of water IMO. I'm sure there are people out there that are doing what you suggest, but just because their fish is swimming around & surviving doesn't mean that it is right or that the fish is happy.

IMO, you do need separate tanks for these two very different fish.

Have you done some google searches to see the water specifications for both types of fish? That might be your best starting point.

Moving onto your aggresion question. Kribs & Electric yellows are both cichlids & they can both be agressive, particularly when defending teritory & fry. Sometimes this depends upon the personality of the fish, as well as how big your tank is & well you have broken up the line of sight. How do your breeding kribs act now towards the other occupants?

I know my breeding male ended up biting his mates whole tale off, as he decided even she wasn't allowed near the fry.

EDIT: Everything mentioned about the krib also apply to the apistos. Both are dwarf cichlids, and although one comes from SA and one from an African Riverine (not from the Lakes) both the apistos & kribs have similar water requirements.

[peppersmom]

IMO I would not mix them as electric yellows(or any mbuna) are fin nippers and I have seen my "peaceful" yellow(at 4") put the run on my Tanzania(whome is 7 inches)and the normal boss in the tank when breeding.