Mbuna expert needed!
- Thread starter hari-goshi
- Start date
the biggest thing about mbuna is that what works for me may not work for u. I kinda found out how to to a controled overstocking. in theory and so far in practic for me. I have noticed that when I had fewer fish in the tank the agression was much worse then after i finished my stocking agression fell since no one fish gets picked on by all the others.
think of it this way. ur being chased by a gang of thugs. if ur on an empty street they can easily catch u. but say u run into time square and boom ur vertually invisible and u are lost in the crowd.
90% of people on this site will tell u that my 55 is overstocked and they are right. but my water is always taken care of and my fish aint just surviving they are thriving.
But as I said it works for me but it may not work for u. and to me is one of the best parts of fish keeping. all the different experiances people have and things some people are able to do. it's a none stop learning game with fish and u can NEVER know everything about ur fish.
think of it this way. ur being chased by a gang of thugs. if ur on an empty street they can easily catch u. but say u run into time square and boom ur vertually invisible and u are lost in the crowd.
90% of people on this site will tell u that my 55 is overstocked and they are right. but my water is always taken care of and my fish aint just surviving they are thriving.
But as I said it works for me but it may not work for u. and to me is one of the best parts of fish keeping. all the different experiances people have and things some people are able to do. it's a none stop learning game with fish and u can NEVER know everything about ur fish.
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).