Mbuna expert needed!

[hari-goshi]

Well Ive decided to go with mbuna in my 55. I need a veteran mbuna keeper to help with the stocking. It should be a 1 to 5 male/female ratio right? What about the "all male" tank? Ive heard it can reduce aggression issues with no females present and that the only disputes would be territorial. Is this true at all? It came from a site specializing in malawi cichlids , but Im still skeptical. What species are not at all tolerant of each other? Are different color morphs of zebras compatible with each other? Are labs compatible with zebras? Ive heard that kenyi and bumblebees get too big for a 55 , correct? . Should I avoid any mbunas in the same genus and avoid fish that are overly similar?
Im considering the following for possible stocking options , but only with a mbuna experts approval.

Red zebras/Labs/Coblat blue zebras/pseudotropheus socolofi/ yellow tail acei. Acceptable? At what M to F ratio?


I love the blue johannis , kenyi and demasoni . Are any of those compatible with each other or those listed above? Sorry for the long drawn out question. Please help!

 

[exhumed07]

ok well I have labs and acei in my tank. they seem to get along pretty well but the acei are a bit more agressive. I would stay away from the johannis if ur wanting to keep agression down. I know alot of places that get johannis and mainganos mixed up since they are extremly similar. and mainganos are the bullies in my tank. as for the m to f ratio I've tried to stick with 2 female to every male. that way if they do decide to spawn the beating is spread out between 2 females instead of all the aggrssion towards just the one which can kill her. as for the other fish I have had no experiance with so I can't help u with them.

 

[hari-goshi]

Much appreciated.

 

[exhumed07]

to give u an idea of the agression of mainganos I just saw my juvinile 2 inch maingano picking on my large male venustus which is about 7 inches long and big enough to eat the maingano if it wanted to.

 

[hari-goshi]

I just read your sig. When you get the time I would love to see pics of your lab/maingano hybrids.

 

[exhumed07]

I have been trying to get good pics of them for a month or better but I just can never get them to stop for long enough or get the blue in the pic. usually in the pic they look pale and not so good but once I do get a decent pic of them Ill post them either on here for u or in the photography section.

 

[hari-goshi]

Haha I think thats why I find mbuna so interesting , they never stop moving. I wonder if they will inherit the colors of both parents? I know alot of people get REALLY worked up over crossbreeding , but IMHO if it happens there isnt a problem unless they leave the tank. Ill be waiting for the pics , thanks.

 

[exhumed07]

ur good luck or something. I try to get pics for myself and can't. but u ask and it's no issue. lol I could not get a pic of my smallest one. he has vertical bars on his sides as oppossed to horizontal.

now the first 2 pics are of one fish and the last 2 are of the other one. slight differences in each but still kinda interesting yet unique.

 

[exhumed07]

oh they did lol. both when it comes to the color question and, the fact that I got raped by a few members on here but I won't mention any names. I have no plans of getting rid of them.

they are about 6 months old right now and about an inch and a half to 2 inches now. I thought at first they were just labs but as they got bigger they developed the stripes. but somehow they managed to grow up in the main tank. I didn't even know I had them and not 100% on their age. I've known they were in my tank for about 6 months but they were hatched before them and lived inside the rocks.

 

[hari-goshi]

The first one is my favorite.They are all good looking but the first is just stunning. I dont understand the whole hooplah about accidental crossbreeding as long as the fish are healthy and never sold or given away. There are far worse things happening in the hobby to get frustrated over.

 

[exhumed07]

like I said the first 2 pics are the same fish. but the first one is with no flash and u can see what I see better. but the other ones I needed a flash cause they were in the rocks. but I love the blue in the dorsal, pectoral, and anal fins but also the blue veins in the tail. I think they are just kinda interesting and something most people don't have which in turn makes my tank even more unique

 

[SinisterKisses]

Lol in response to the original post...

No, an all-male mbuna tank is NOT a good idea. This works great with haps and peacocks, but mbuna are just too aggressive for it to work. You can try it if you like, but there's a very, very small chance it would work out for you, especially in only a 55gal tank.

Of the species you have listed - there's too many for a 55gal tank. You'll need to pick three, maybe four max, species and go from there.

The male/female ratio will depend on the specific species. With labs, I'd throw in a group of 5-6 and you wouldn't have to worry about the m/f ratio likely at all. With a lot of mbuna species, a ratio of 1m/2-3f is best. With very aggressive species like M. lombardoi (kenyi), I'd recommend no less than 1m/4-5f. And demasoni specifically, the actual m/f ratio doesn't matter so much as having an appropriate-sized group (at least 10-12).

In a 55gal tank, you'll want to avoid some species. Kenyi IMO don't do well in this tank size and should be kept in a 75gal minimum. You'll also want to avoid any species that look similar to each other to minimize aggression (at the least, IMO you should also be avoiding crossbreeding but that's up to you). So, don't mix Kenyi with demasoni, demasoni with saulosi are a big no-no, and most of the C. afra species should not be mixed as the males look very, very similar. Demasoni should not be kept with most afra species for the same reason. So on and so forth.

Of the species you have listed in your first post, in a 55gal tank you'll have to choose three, maybe four max, species to keep.

 

[SinisterKisses]

oops, double post somehow...

 

[exhumed07]

(at the least, IMO you should also be avoiding crossbreeding but that's up to you).


wow I got off light this time

 

[hari-goshi]

Lol in response to the original post...

No, an all-male mbuna tank is NOT a good idea. This works great with haps and peacocks, but mbuna are just too aggressive for it to work. You can try it if you like, but there's a very, very small chance it would work out for you, especially in only a 55gal tank.

Of the species you have listed - there's too many for a 55gal tank. You'll need to pick three, maybe four max, species and go from there.

The male/female ratio will depend on the specific species. With labs, I'd throw in a group of 5-6 and you wouldn't have to worry about the m/f ratio likely at all. With a lot of mbuna species, a ratio of 1m/2-3f is best. With very aggressive species like M. lombardoi (kenyi), I'd recommend no less than 1m/4-5f. And demasoni specifically, the actual m/f ratio doesn't matter so much as having an appropriate-sized group (at least 10-12).

In a 55gal tank, you'll want to avoid some species. Kenyi IMO don't do well in this tank size and should be kept in a 75gal minimum. You'll also want to avoid any species that look similar to each other to minimize aggression (at the least, IMO you should also be avoiding crossbreeding but that's up to you). So, don't mix Kenyi with demasoni, demasoni with saulosi are a big no-no, and most of the C. afra species should not be mixed as the males look very, very similar. Demasoni should not be kept with most afra species for the same reason. So on and so forth.

Of the species you have listed in your first post, in a 55gal tank you'll have to choose three, maybe four max, species to keep.

You are everywhere*SUPERSMIL! Im trying to avoid the crossbreeding because I dont really have the time or money to setup another tank if too many of the young survive , so no worries there. I really like the blue zebras/yellow labs/yellow tail acei. Would the blue color of the zebras and aceis be a problem? Are they different enough to avoid interspecies breeding? How about johanni/red zebras if the stocking above wont work? Thank you for your help.

 

[SinisterKisses]

The zebras and the acei would be the better combination over johanni and red zebras. I don't see there being a problem with the zebra/acei combination.

 

[Whiskers]

i can give you two examples of the fish i have in my tanks. in my 55 gal i have 3 pseudotropheus acei's, 1 rudi island nyerei, 2 placidochromis's (belive 1 M and 1 F), 1 frontosa, 1 yellow lab and did have 2 jacobfreibergi's (1 M and 1 F) and they all did ok with each other with minimal aggression.

In my 110 gal i have 1 masoni, 1 yellow lab, (and from reading this post (thank you exhumed07)) 1 maingano, 3 rudi island nyerei's, 2 synodontis petricola's, 1 synodontis eupterus, 1 OB Mbuna,1 15" pleco and a 6" to 8" columbian shark. the aggression in the 110 is a little more than the 55 but not bad. all my fish, as far as i can tell, are males except the ones i pointed out to be females.

what made me laught the hardest was reading sinisterkisses post on what fish to mix. so i had to google to double check mine, and the sight i first picked showed all my fish i have, and that they can be put in same tank. somehow i got lucky with the right mix.

From watching my OB Mbuna, and its aggressive ways , i wouldn't want too many Mbuna's in one tank.

 

[hari-goshi]

The zebras and the acei would be the better combination over johanni and red zebras. I don't see there being a problem with the zebra/acei combination.

I just read that the johanni females are orange. I could see how that would be no-no. How about a maingano/zebra tank? The females are colored the same as the males.

 

[hari-goshi]

i can give you two examples of the fish i have in my tanks. in my 55 gal i have 3 pseudotropheus acei's, 1 rudi island nyerei, 2 placidochromis's (belive 1 M and 1 F), 1 frontosa, 1 yellow lab and did have 2 jacobfreibergi's (1 M and 1 F) and they all did ok with each other with minimal aggression.

In my 110 gal i have 1 masoni, 1 yellow lab, (and from reading this post (thank you exhumed07)) 1 maingano, 3 rudi island nyerei's, 2 synodontis petricola's, 1 synodontis eupterus, 1 OB Mbuna,1 15" pleco and a 6" to 8" columbian shark. the aggression in the 110 is a little more than the 55 but not bad. all my fish, as far as i can tell, are males except the ones i pointed out to be females.

what made me laught the hardest was reading sinisterkisses post on what fish to mix. so i had to google to double check mine, and the sight i first picked showed all my fish i have, and that they can be put in same tank. somehow i got lucky with the right mix.

From watching my OB Mbuna, and its aggressive ways , i wouldn't want too many Mbuna's in one tank.

Im considering several of those fish(waiting anxiously for sinister kisses response*BOUNCINGS). Im not familiar with most of the other cichlids you listed. Id love to add a syno cat but Im limited with the 55. Thanks!

 

[SinisterKisses]

JUST a maingano/zebra tank, or with other species as well? (I assume you mean the red zebras in this case)