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A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 3:26 am
by southernbreeze
I've got an A.S.C. (albino strawberry cichlid) - his name's Twitch, 'cause, well, he twitches like crazy. My wife brought him home without realizing what she was getting into. She said she checked the water parameters and they seemed close to our electric blue Acaras, but I think she stopped reading too soon. So, Twitch has been in our new world cichlid tank for about six weeks now, with the Acaras, a pleco, angel fish, green severum, and a gold severum. I know our 60-gallon tall tank is gonna be way too small when they all grow up. Now I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade to a bigger tank for everyone or just set up a separate tank for Twitch and get him some tankmates. Problem is, he seems to have adjusted pretty well already. I'm stumped. I do have a 125-gallon tank, but it's already occupied by two oscars - I don't think they'd be too keen on some new tankmates, and I'm pretty sure Twitch wouldn't be either.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 3:56 am
by coltin
What's the actual scientific name for a strawberry cichlid? @willie32, you might know this one.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 4:04 am
by southernbreeze
I think the scientific name for the strawberry cichlid is Aulonocara sp. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that's it.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 5:11 am
by southernbreeze
coltin wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 3:56 am
What's the actual scientific name for a strawberry cichlid? @willie32, you might know this one.
They're actually from Lake Tanganyika, not Malawi.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 5:40 am
by coltin
southernbreeze wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 3:26 am
I've got an A.S.C. (albino strawberry cichlid) - his name's Twitch, 'cause, well, he twitches like crazy. My wife brought him home without realizing what she was getting into. She said she checked the water parameters and they seemed close to our electric blue Acaras, but I think she stopped reading too soon. So, Twitch has been in our new world cichlid tank for about six weeks now, with the Acaras, a pleco, angel fish, green severum, and a gold severum. I know our 60-gallon tall tank is gonna be way too small when they all grow up. Now I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade to a bigger tank for everyone or just set up a separate tank for Twitch and get him some tankmates. Problem is, he seems to have adjusted pretty well already. I'm stumped. I do have a 125-gallon tank, but it's already occupied by two oscars - I don't think they'd be too keen on some new tankmates, and I'm pretty sure Twitch wouldn't be either.
I think I've got a plan for you. Your Aulonocara Sp guy is a Lake Malawi fish, so he's gonna want harder water. I'd say leave him where he is and get a new tank for the soft water crew. Then, you can adjust the water parameters for him and get him some females to breed. You can sell the babies and use that cash to fund more tanks.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 7:36 am
by southernbreeze
Alright, sounds like a plan. Leave Twitch in the 60 gal, he's adjusted. I'll grab a 220 for the oscars - they're going crazy, breeding like rabbits. Then I'll move the soft water crew to the 125, and repurpose the 36 as a fry tank. I'm loving this setup, and I'm not just fishing for compliments...
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 9:23 am
by graye
I've had experience with a similar situation. I bought a bag of fry in an auction, thinking they were something else, and grew them out. Turned out they weren't as aggressive as I expected when they matured. I ended up giving mine away to a local school for their classroom tank.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 9:44 am
by southernbreeze
We got him from a box store, so that's where we're at. He's a lake Malawi cichlid, rock fish, and we're trying to give him a good home. I'm talking about him, by the way - egg spots on the anal fin, that's how you can tell. Yeah, I get it, he's probably a hybrid. Thanks for sharing your expertise, but what I really need is help figuring out how to give him a good life.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 11:24 am
by graye
Not a rock fish, they're found in various environments, including sandy areas, unlike some of their territorial cousins. I've seen peacocks wreak havoc in breeding situations, males killing off tankmates, but my group coexisted with other fish just fine, they were all tough characters though. A lone male might work out in your tank, I had a group of five and they did alright until they hit the 3-4 inch mark.
Re: A discussion about albino strawberry cichlids
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 12:10 pm
by southernbreeze
graye wrote: ↑Wed May 21, 2025 9:23 am
I've had experience with a similar situation. I bought a bag of fry in an auction, thinking they were something else, and grew them out. Turned out they weren't as aggressive as I expected when they matured. I ended up giving mine away to a local school for their classroom tank.
We got him by accident, never meant to have an African cichlid tank. But he's made himself at home. Last month, he stuck to the bottom, now he's swimming everywhere, doing his own thing. No aggression yet, which is a surprise. Thought the water parameters would be his demise, but he's just chillin', like on vacation in Central America.