mbuna vs angelfish?

[phOOey]

i am really stumped on what to get in my new 55g. I cant decide whether to get 4 angels in it and a festivum, or get about 8+ assorted mbunas. which do u lot think would be more rewarding and enjoyable to keep?

 

[Cichlid-Man]

HA, i am marking this thread because i have the very same problem.

Mbunas offer great color and energy throughout the tank.

While Angels can be a bit darker and more elegant.

I'd like to see what others suggest. I am either looking at some kind of Mbuna or some Altum Angels.

Many of you know i am one of the most undecided person in the world. I can't decide!!!!

 

[Managuense]

if you are TRULY stuck evenly between the two, why not do the one that more resembles you water parameters?

is your water more on the hard side or soft side?

 

[Jay]

I'd go Mbunas for the color and activness. I don't know about anyone else, but Angels get boring to me fast, besides breeding them

 

[Verse914]

mbuna of course...for their personality as well as their color.

 

[Somonas]

Why not have both in 2 tanks?

 

[Purple]

Mbunas - pretty and active fish with lots of attitude.

Never had Angels, but I reckon they only do the pretty bit - and not much else.

With 8 Mbunas you should get a lot of natural interaction between the fish.

 

[420Loach]

its was funny, when i had my angels in my 55 gallon all they did was hide in a group in the plants, so i figure id move them back to the heavily deco'd 40gal. as before, they swim around happily. (side note: they were also getting "whiskered" by my largest yoyo loach, that may have been the problem.)

mbunas would give you more color and activity. id go with mbunas

 

[phOOey]

cichlid-man- if ur the most undecided person in the world, i must be the second, its so hard to decide when you've got a pretty big, empty tank.

But after doing alot of research ive decided mbunas are for me, just a couple of questions. Has anyone had these fish before? is there any 'rules' of who goes in i.e different fish species males to females etc. and if any one has any recomendations of mbunas it would much aprectiated

 

[Somonas]

I would recommend 1/3 M/F ratio, and not to mix similarily coloured species. and to only have one type per tank for example (one pseudotropheus or metriaclima, one afra, one labidochromis, one labeotropheus)

As you continue your research on mbuna you will learn those fish names off by heart.

 

[phOOey]

'and to only have one type per tank for example (one pseudotropheus or metriaclima, one afra, one labidochromis, one labeotropheus)'

sorry you confused me do you mean one type of fish as one group of pseudotropheus or metriaclima. Or do you mean that that group of fish in brackets is compatible in one tank.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

cichlid-man- if ur the most undecided person in the world, i must be the second, its so hard to decide when you've got a pretty big, empty tank.

I hear that.

I've researched too.......but still can't decide. I guess i'll go see what my LFS has in stock.

 

[Somonas]

I mean one type of fish as one group.
Let us know what kinds you are interested in and we'll work with compatibility... mbunas can be fun

 

[KimandRob]

We have a 55 angel tank and a 20 gallon assorted african tank and I think the african tank is more colorful and interesting but I don't like the way they are mean and pick at each other. The angels longer and prettier fins. It all depends on what YOU want. I like the cichlids and my wife likes the angels, Go figure