Atlanta Area - Looking For Certain Fish to Buy

[CoryBlue]

i Everyone.

I just found the Atlanta Aquarium Association website - maybe y'all can help me with this (I posted this also on Fishgeeks website)...

Since I just upgraded I would like to add some fish to my tank.

Can you point me to someone (private breeder or store) that sells fish and also takes trade ins?

I would like to add the following fish:

1 female Electric Blue about 3-4 inches large
1 female Red Zebra 2 - 3 inches large
1 female Icy Blue Zebra 3-4 inches large

I have a female Hap Venustus and would like to trade her in or sell her to a nice loving fish owner.

I realized that she doesn't really fit with the rest of the fish in my tank. I feel bad since I don't get rid of any animals I have - but she is very aggressive and a good 4 inches already and will get up to 7 inches and that is way too big for my tank.

Thanks,
CoryBlue

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55 gal long

2 Yellow Labs
1 Icy Blue Zebra
1 Red Zebra
1 Hap Venustus
1 Electric Blue
1 Pleco

___________________________

[ikevi]

So there are plenty of Sciaenochromis fryeri (your electric blues) around so I assume there will be some member that would be willing to even give you a female, or they might ask for a very small price.

As for the zebras, well first off I know of nothing called an icy blue...

For real names check here:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profile...gory.php?cat=2

And the traditional red zebra: Metriaclima estherae (Red) seems to pop up at most any store I have looked at. (Though sometimes you have to worry about if they are hybrids since they are in misc African cichlid tanks...)


Also do you realize that if you mix the zebras like you are planning you will get a bunch of hybrids?

And as for selling/giving away a Venustus that is likely to be tough... I would just call around the stores and see if any would want them. (A quick search will give you most of the stores in Atlanta.) I personally don't know much about them since I don't use them. (IE I just get my fish from either mail, or local people via the fish auctions and such.)

[emc7]

I have to agree with Kevin about mixing zebras. Maylandia estherae are red zebras. While ice blue are usually Metriaclima greshakei. If you have males and females in the same tank the fish may interbreed.

[CoryBlue]

Thank you for all the tips.

Unfortunately 6 months ago when I started this hobby I was malinformed at a local Petco - about how easy it is to have Cichlids and so forth.

Long story but I'll make it short. I bought the 10gal tank and added 4 Cichlids - all came from one tank but were various species. Once I realized (after doing some research - emphasis on some!) and the typical beginner tank mistake (and loosing two fish) I bought better equipment (filter and heater) and a 30gal tank. When I got the tank I added 4 more Cichlids - again without doing research....so I ended up with a bunch of different species.

Now I finally upgraded to a 55gal and want to add 4 more fish to have 10 fish in there. I know know the difference between male and female and also the different species.

I don't want to necessarily breed the fish but rather adding some more females to not add tension in the tank. So that's why I am looking for these fish. But I do admit the breeding crossed my mind - but then again...what would I do with those fish?

I was at various Petcos, Petsmarts, the Aviarium and non of them have the size fish I want to add. I don't want to have new fish that are too small so the others can easily pick on them.

Any suggestions what I could add otherwise?

This is what I have:
_____________________
55 gal long

2 Yellow Labs about 2 inches long
not sure - one of them might be male - black stripe on the anal fin)

1 Icy Blue Zebra about 4 inches long
(definitely male)

1 Red Zebra about 3 inches long
looks like a male - has only a few very small spots on the anal fin)

1 Hap Venustus - good 4 inches if not longer
(big female)

1 Electric Blue about 4 inches long
(definitely male)

1 Pleco about 3 inches long

Thanks,
CoryBlue

[emc7]

If you breed, you can give fry to pet stores for credit. It doesn't take long to saturate the market in this area, though. For breeding, you'd want no more than 2 kinds of fish in a tank that size and 1 would be better. If you don't want to breed, than a bachelor tank is the way to go. The males are much less mean with no females in the tank and you are halfway there already. There are really 2 good ways to keep these fish is a 55: 1 male to 4+ females, or no females at all. Lone males are easier to find than females (because we all keep 4:1 ratios) and you don't have to match the species, in fact its better if you don't. If you find a new home for the Venustus, you can prob. have 8 different species of males in that tank. Come to our club meetings and the spring auction, cichlids of all sizes pass though.

[ikevi]

I fully agree with what emc7 says. It would be much wiser to just go an all male route.

If you are going africans this place has a lot of good advice. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/

[fishfarm]

I agree with going with an all male tank, I have some extra adult male mbuna, if you can come to the Feb meeting and bring the venustus, I'll trade you a few of my males. Plus the Feb speaker is Chuck Rambo speaking on Malawi cichlids! Ken