# Bottom dwellers.



## Superfly724 (Sep 16, 2007)

I'm currently looking into restocking my 55 gallon African aquarium. For the mid-high level I'm going to be stocking with 1 Aulonocara Stuartgranti (Ngara), 1 Aulonocara Baenschi, 1 Aulonocara Rubescens, and a group of Astatotilapia Latifasciata. I'm also planning on using sand as a substrate when I redo everything. I've got a Fluval 305 with 2 Penguin powerheads pumping out 170gph. Plenty of lace rock to provide lots of hiding places, caves, and tunnels. Now here's what I'm here for.

I'd been looking for a while at getting a group of Synodontis Multipunctatus, but I hear they're not very active, and like to hide a lot. So I'd like your opinions. What's a good bottom dwelling cichlid (or fish) that will do well in African water parameters, with those fish, and will also be active. Maybe doing some digging/sifting in the sand. 

If I've gotten the wrong idea and the Multipunctatus will do that, then I'll gladly just use those, since they're in stock in my area.

Thank you for your time!


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

i know we keep a lot of cory cats in our cichlid tanks at work they stay very active, are fast enough to get away from the cichlids pluss they dont really draw their attention it seems and they are armored giving them protection but you are probably looking for something a bit fancier i assume lol.


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## Superfly724 (Sep 16, 2007)

Well that plus Corydora's are South American while the Cichlids I'm keeping are African. They require completely different water parameters. The Cory's prefer a slightly acidic, soft water while the Africans like Alkaline water that's fairly hard.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

Superfly724 said:


> Well that plus Corydora's are South American while the Cichlids I'm keeping are African. They require completely different water parameters. The Cory's prefer a slightly acidic, soft water while the Africans like Alkaline water that's fairly hard.


yeah i dont know much about water conditions for cichlids but at work i suppose it just works because its short term.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I have a group of 4 Synodontis multi's in a 75 with 6 peacocks, 5 silver dollars, 4 severums, and a male ruby green Hap. Also some BN pleco juvies growing out, 2 whiptail catfish, and a Synodontis eupterus (aka featherfin.)
I recently found a single multi fry in the tank and moved it into another tank to gorw out. Apparently that's why I don't have any Aulonocara fry...
The multi's are fairly active when the lights are dim, but not shy about coming out for food. The eupterus is actually less visible. I had 6 multi's, but had to swap 2 off because they were getting chewed up by the others. Actually had the same thing with my group of petricola/lucipinnis in the 55. Had 9, now have 7, 2 just didn't work out with the rest of the group. Their barbels and fins were chewed down quite short, but grew back just fine after they were moved to another tank. They were also swapped off to join someone else's group.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Any male cichlid will claim some space on the bottom and drive other fish off. They will redecorate by moving the sand around. They aren't like angels, to ignore the bottom. Its prime real estate and the fish you have will use it.


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## Superfly724 (Sep 16, 2007)

Thanks for the replies, folks. I think I'll just stick with the group of Multipunctatus, because I really did enjoy the Eupterus I had. I just knew they would get too big.

On the topic of BN Pleco's:
It's strange. Even the Cichlid-Forum recommends putting some BN Pleco's in with just about every African Cichlid cookie-cutter tank. I was under the impression that BN pleco's were relatively sensative to water conditions, and would die fairly quickly in the water conditions needed for Africans. My PH is right around 8.6 and the water is fairly hard.


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## Blue Cray (Oct 19, 2007)

Revolution1221 said:


> i know we keep a lot of cory cats in our cichlid tanks at work they stay very active, are fast enough to get away from the cichlids pluss they dont really draw their attention it seems and they are armored giving them protection but you are probably looking for something a bit fancier i assume lol.


Why would you keep cory cAts with africans...


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

cories are fine with angels, discus, rams and apistos, I wouldn't think of having them with Africans. 

At the meeting last Sunday they were talking about the bristlenose in the hobby.. Apparently most are a really hardy hybrid of 4 species and will even breed in pH 9. Its always (since Mbuna got popular in 1980s) been common to keep plecos with African cichlids for algae control, but in the past it was common plecos. The pleco lovers have always hated the practice, since their are no plecos in those Lakes. Now I'm reading that its better to grow the algae and let your mbuna eat it.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Wild-caught pleco's are sensitive to water conditions, some species more than others. The common BN that's been bred and raised in aquariums for so long that nobody can even trace their origin is a different matter. I breed them, along with L-10a red lizard whiptails (and various cichlids) in hard, alkaline water w/out any problems. I use coral, either crushed or large pieces, to buffer the pH in all my tanks. That makes it much simpler to move fish around when necessary.
Even this guy, caught by a local cichlid club member on a collecting trip in Brazil, thrives in the same conditions as my Aulonocara and mbuna:









When I got him he was the smallest Carapo knife I've ever seen, just about 3" long. I put him in my 40 gallon tank with several hundred endler's livebearers almost 3 months ago. He ate all but a couple dozen of the endler's, is 6.5" long, and is now working on some of the 100 1" cutteri fry I moved into the 40 with him. 
Incidentally, I also keep L-333's, L-134's, and L-204's in the same water conditions w/out any problems.


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## Peeps (May 24, 2010)

I would think they corys would get picked on by the cichlids. They are very peaceful and will probably be picked on, depending on what type of cichlids you choose.


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## Blue Cray (Oct 19, 2007)

toddnbecka said:


> Wild-caught pleco's are sensitive to water conditions, some species more than others. The common BN that's been bred and raised in aquariums for so long that nobody can even trace their origin is a different matter. I breed them, along with L-10a red lizard whiptails (and various cichlids) in hard, alkaline water w/out any problems. I use coral, either crushed or large pieces, to buffer the pH in all my tanks. That makes it much simpler to move fish around when necessary.
> Even this guy, caught by a local cichlid club member on a collecting trip in Brazil, thrives in the same conditions as my Aulonocara and mbuna:
> 
> 
> ...


So yeah that knife fish should be white and brown, even tinged blue but not black at all.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Blue Cray said:


> So yeah that knife fish should be white and brown, even tinged blue but not black at all.


Are you thinking of the zebra knife? That's pretty much the normal color/pattern for a Carapo.


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