mail order fish?

As eric always says, there are many different things to geek out on. Whether it's ipods, carbon fiber bike parts, computers... or in my case fish - cichlids to be precise...

many of you who know me best, know of my collection of fish tanks that have slowly been growing and evolving through the years. From my expanding tank of kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher). to my "mutt tank" of South American cichlids including the lovely Acaras (Aequidens ??) mixed in with a variety of other more random fish and kribs... to now my african tank dedicated to a variety of mbuna and hab cichlids from lakes Malawi and Tanganyika.

A lot of research went into this tank as my past experience with cichlids included one viscious kenyi (Pseudotropheus lombardoi) who killed everyone else in the tank systematically.

So after a great amount of research into what types of fish i should get... species... what lake, etc... here are some rules

1. don't mix species from different lakes - they won't get along
2. mix different species from different lakes - chances are they will get along
3. try a species specific tank
4. try one of a lot of different species
   
5. don't put more than one male of one species in a tank with lots of females
   
6. don't use a tank less than 100 gallons
   
7. don't use a tank smaller than 50 gallons
8. don't use a tank smaller than 500 gallons
9. build your own lake
10. leave the tank completely bare - with nothing in it
11. make lots of caves and rock formations in the tank to break line of sight and provide hiding spots
12. crowd the tank with fish
13. don't over crowd the tank
    

yea i learned a lot. a lot of conflicting information. after months of an empty tank sitting in my living room, i decided to take the plunge and just get some things... i picked out a few species and went to the local store to make a purchase.

LEFT: Tropheus Duboisi, acci cichlid (take note of his nicely shaped mouth). rusty cichlid.
RIGHT: Yellow Lab, Acci cichlid, rusty cichlid.

The awesome rock structure build by clay.


Another rusty shot. RIGHT: masked brichardi (tanganyika)

ABOVE: "Nemo" - this is my special acci cichlid who has a serious birth defect. He looks a little different from the others but his "lucky rounded face" gives him character!

I had a plan for this tank - to mix as many "semi-aggressive" species as possible in the tank. You see, in the wilds of africa these fish live in deep, clean lakes. these lakes provide ample space for fish to have territories of their own. while some fighting is inevitable, the extreme aggression that is often displayed in smaller hobby tanks is not the norm.

unfortunately the local store was lacking in a few species of interest so i resorted to an online purchase. yes, there are mail order brides, there is mail order dog food... and there are mail order FISH!

they come in a box via fedex. packed securly in a relatively temperature controlled cooler in baggies containing pure oxygen. i was amazed at how healthy they were upon arrival.


Here they are - left at my doorstep via the fedex guy.

packed in the cooler, i let them sit in the tank to acclimate leaving the lights low so they weren't shocked after being in complete darkness for a day!

And then they were lose. Here are a few of the yellow peacocks (a hybrid) with a yellow lab and nemo.

Probably the most beautiful - Aulonocara nyassae - Peacock Cichlid Orange Blossom.

So far a few scuffles aside, the packed tank, variety of species and hiding spaces seems to be working... it sure does look beautiful... the saga will continue tho as they grow acclimate to the tank becoming more territorial.