Sunfish and cichlids?

Thanks for bumping this thread Erica, great question.

The topic of compatibility is always interesting to me... some are somewhat purists about "mixing the continents", but that aside I assure you anything is possible.... especially with the right aquascaping and tankspace. Sunfish and many types of cichlids do quite well together IME. The best success I have had are with those from South & Central (some) America and West Africa... but like I said anything is possible. Had bluegill with oscars, other SA's and CA's, and a school of neon tetras for many, many years. No predation because everyone grew up together. I kept Madagascar cichlids much later but I bet those would work well too.

With all of that said, one of my last choices would be mbuna... no question about it. Just too hyper-nippy IMHO. Even in a 6-8' tank.

Hope that helps

Erica, do you have a picture of the mixed tank?

Usil

Alex Scharnberg said,
"I don't know how to share the picture I have it on my phone but the picture is doesn't really show the species exactly and you know

You just have to be very careful what you doin do it gradually you just don't throw a bunch of things together and East Africans pretty much don't go with anything

You could do East Africans in Central Americans possibly

But the picture isn't gonna help anything really its just a big hundred 40 gallon tank with sand on the bottom and logs in it

What people really mess up with is they have no concept of aquascaping they pretty much put a few rocks and have a big open space which is stupid they are not thinking how to fish wants to live if you look at wild habitats there's lots of places for them to hide in you can have a mixed company of fish providing you give them any different places to go piles of rocks big pieces of wood places for them to retreat... rock is a great thing to use or lace rock preferably lace rock is the best because it becomes fairly neutral overtime but you have to give them places to go it can be a big pieces of bog wood

If you follow the rules for African Cichlids which is giving them a big rock piles and creating a fresh water reef in effect and apply that to soft water with wood or neutral water with lots of rocks and would you'll be fine but most of quereis put colored gravel which is disgusting and lots of pirate ships and everything else and they think that's enough but its not you have to put a lot of things in there to make them want to hide the more places there are to hide technically the more fish you can have but for cichlids don't try it makes continent aquarium with the small one you want to go for at least a 90 or 75.... a 55 its not big enough"

Alex Scharnberg should do commas Good points though.

Yeah, they're good points.
I saw this background made of PVC caves and I really like it for aggressive fish to hide from one another. I've been thinking if I had a tank of big fish (my fish are all <2 inches at the moment), this is the background I'd use for them.

Here's the real question: will sunnies get along with Archerfish?

I have the following living in harmony all in the same tank:

A pair of convicts, a pair of senegal bichirs, an ornate bichir, 2 large common plecos, 1 large green spotted pleco, 1 frontosa, 1 electric yellow african cichlid, 1 giraffe cichlid, 1 green sunfish, 1 pumpkinseed, 1 jag cichlid (soon to be moved to his own tank), and a spotted catfish that I can't remember the name of. I also raised my spiny softshell and alligator snapper in this tank from babies til they were about 4 inches long.

We have a breeding pair of convict cichlids nesting among oil pans used a spawning sites of bluegill breeding colony. They have produced one brood of about thirty that is nearly 1.5 inches and have a brood of prolarvae currently in clear site. The bluegill males (n=6) are on average about 10". I just finished a tour with about 15 kids and they will likely get some of those fish for their classroom.