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Well, this seems like quite the pertinent topic to me, and seeing as how the question is frequently asked, and there is much confusion surrounding it, I’m going to sit down and explain the theories behind African cichlid behavior and overstocking an African Cichlid tank.

First, let me say that I’m talking only about mbuna, as these are the only fish that I have any experience with. Overstocking may work on other African cichlids, such as Haps, Tanganyikans, or others, but mbuna are the only fish that I have read about it being used with, and the only African I have experience with. My suspicion is that overstocking will work on any mouth brooding African, but I can in no way be certain.

The theory behind overstocking is this. In a colony of African cichlids, there is one hyper dominant fish. This fish is usually a male. I say usually, because there can be circumstances that promote a female to take the dominant position, such as a lack of males in the tank, or presence of only weak males. Either can cause this.

Now, aggression in African cichlids works different than aggression in other cichlids. These fish will establish a “pecking order”, so to speak, with the hyper dominant fish providing the main source of aggression. There will be aggression from every fish in the tank, but not at near the level at which this dominant male will display it. This fish will also be the only fish to claim the tank as territory, at least in the typical cichlid sense. All of the sub dominant fish will quarrel among themselves, and pick on outsiders (an important point I will discuss later), but at a much lower level than the dominant male.

The dominant male will claim a territory as his own that is enormous (among cichlid standards) for his size. Other fish may exist in his territory (such as his “harem”), but they will receive aggression. The argument for overstocking is this. As there is little aggression between “dominated” fish in the tank, as you increase the number of sub-dominant fish, the aggression of the hyper-dominant male will be spread over the rest of the fish in the tank, limiting individual aggression greatly. This allows for impressive set ups, as you may be capable of having as many as fifteen or twenty fish in a 60 gallon tank (depending on individual fish size and aggression).

There are a few points to be made about territoriality and aquascaping, as well.

While the sub-dominant fish are not near as territorial as other fish in the tank, they do claim their own territories. Therefore, in an African cichlid tank, you must provide LOTS of caves. The more hiding places you provide your fish, the more they will be able to escape the “Alpha Male’s” aggression. There will be minor territories claimed among these sub-dominant fish (the size will depend on individual species), but it will often be limited to a cave or two.

In my experience, the best (and best looking) aquascaping for an African Cichlid tank is stacked slate. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, look in my Photo Gallery at the picture of my 29 gallon Mbuna tank. The way the slate is stacked, it forms a honeycomb of caves. This provides the maximum amount of retreats per area in the tank, at least without sacrificing aesthetic appeal of the tank.

[i]About other fish in a community with your African Cichlids…[/i]

There are other fish that can be kept with African cichlids, but they must be hardy fish that are capable of taking a beating (the plecostamus comes to mind, but there are non-catfish community residents that can work in such a setup. I’ve heard of schools of African Tetras being used, but have never tried this myself). The reason for the need of durable fish is this-while the colony of cichlids will not pick on its own members very badly, they will, with a concerted effort, fight for territory with other types of fish. I have not observed this personally, as I’ve never cared to keep anything but Africans and Catfish together, but everything I have read and heard points to this as being true. Be very leery of keeping anything non-African cichlid in with your Africans, especially not New World cichlids. The problem experienced by people mixing African Cichlids and New World Cichlids is two-fold.

Suitable breeds of Catfish that I have read of, or know of first hand include Plecostamus and Syndontis catfishes. I have kept Corydoras catfishes with them, but never for any length of time. They cant seem to take the level of aggression that the cichlids tend to dish out.

Behaviorally, African Cichlids are different than American fish. They school differently (American Cichlids tend to form pairs, where Africans form colonies), and this can tend to cause trouble between the two groups. Also, an individual African is near as aggressive a fish as there is. Remember, that in a tank with no males, a female African will assume dominance. So, keeping just one in a tank with New World Cichlids can cause problems, as the fish begins to display hyper-aggressive tendencies.

Also, African Cichlids have different dietary requirements than do American cichlids. Many breeds of Mbuna will get a condition known as “Malawi Bloat” if fed a diet that is too high in protein. Mbuna need a large percentage of their diet to be vegetable matter, where many American Cichlids need a higher amount of protein.

Hopefully this clears some of the confusion on this much discussed topic. If anything doesn’t make sense, ask for clarification….I have frequently been known to type as if I were drunk. If you have any further questions about African Cichlid behavior, know that I am here to help, and would be glad to assist you. If I’ve forgotten anything, feel free to add on. If you have a question you'd like answered here, feel free to PM me, and I'll add on to the thread. Or, if you wish, you can post a message to the cichlid forum. Either will get you an equally fast response.

Good luck with your cichlids.

[i]Edit...6/19[/i]

I noticed I failed to mention anything about cycling such a tank...

This can be difficult, especially in smaller aquaria, as the first fish you introduce will remain dominant in your tank as you introduce new fish. The easiest solution to this that I have found is to buy a "cheap" hardy fish such as platies, and use a school of these to cycle the tank. Once the tank has sufficiently cycled, return these fish to the LFS (most fish stores will give you store credit for at least the wholesale value of the fish you return), and stock the tank immediately with at least three of the type of African you wish to introduce. As I´ve already stated, numbers are of utmost importance in an African tank. After adding the three, continue adding fish by two´s until the tank is stocked to the capacity you wish to stock it at, adding fish every two weeks or so.

Another option, that can be slightly more risky, and usually involves more work is to use a "Biological Accelerator" of some sort. This is the way I cycle my African tanks, as it requires a fraction of the time to have a tank up and running. In order to do this, you have to go buy a product such as "Bio-zyme" or other product that says on the label "Removes Ammonia from Tank Naturally"...what these products are is a culture of Nitrifying bacteria that you can add to your tank to accelerate the Nitrogen cycle. The problem is, it can be risky to use these, as there is still an Ammonia spike while the bacteria establish themselves. The spike is often small enough, though, for the fish to get through it without too much trouble, and it is normally no more than half a day of Ammonia spike, and half a day of nitrite spike. During this time, it is essential to monitor Ammonia and nitrite in the tank carefully, and be prepared to do massive water changes at the drop of a hat.

Using the "Biological Accelerator" method, start with at least three fish in the tank that you´ve allready set up and aquascaped with africans in mind. A week after ammonia and nitrites have reached zero, add 3 more fish at a time to the tank, adding more of the biological accelerator each time you add fish to the tank, and for the next two days following fish.

If your willing to do the work, the Biological Accelerator method is far superior, in my opinion, to the old fashioned method of swapping out fish. However, the Accelerator method is not recommended for Africans that require carefully maintained water conditions. For daintier species the only options are the "swap out" method, or adding pure ammonia (outlined below). The only other drawback to the Biological Accelerator method is that you have to be willing to do some work on the tank for the first few weeks following setting it up.

I´m told that you can also cycle a tank using pure ammonia, but I am not familliar with this method. That would require one of our local chemistry gurus, and I´ve never been much for understanding water chemistry... sorry about that one...

Feel free to PM me or anyone else on the site if you have any questions...