how many malawi cichlids can i keep in 15 G tank?

V

vikram

Small Fish
#1
Jul 26, 2005
35
0
0
42
India.
#1
Hi ppl,
I have a pair each of M.Auratus, Red Zebra, Yellow Lab each less than 2" in size in a 15 G tank.. only the dominant auratus chases the other one when it wanders into the dominant one' territory. rest all are peaceful for now.. can i add anymore to the tank. i plan on a couple more of yellow labidochromis OR red zebra.. And how long can i keep them in the 15 Gallon? i'm planning a 55 gallon soon.. Please suggest.. I do abt 20 to 25% water changes each week and at times twice a week. There are a few Vallisinaria, Amazons and a crypt. rock work for caves...

Thanks in advance
Vikram,
Hyderabad,
India.
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
3
0
#2
In the long term the answer is one. These fish become increasingly aggressive as they own, and the dominant auratus will simply kill everything else.

Frankly speaking the auratus is likely to be very hard on the other fish in the 55. They really are one of the more aggressive mbuna, and are really only suitable for larger tanks (5 feet, 6 feet long and up) - for these fish a 55 is not what would be considered large.
I would go out and do some reading and try to find some other moderately aggressive fish to go with the yellow labs, like Cynotilapia afra, P. saulosi (are they still Pseudochromis?)

Also it is best not to keep these fish in pairs as the male will try to breed the female to death by conrinually pestering her even when she is already carrying fry. Remember she cannot eat while she is brooding eggs, so repeated breeding will soon kill her. Keep one male to 3, 4 plus females. The labs are so meek as to be a bit of an exception to this (plus they're near impossible to sex)
 

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