okay everyone heres my list...

[fish_chic]

Cynotilapia afra (Cobue)
Cynotilapia sp. "Lion" (Magunga)

Iodotropheus sprengerae

Labidochromis sp. "Mbamba"
Labidochromis textilis
Labidochromis sp. "Hongi" (SRT)

Pseudotropheus polit
Pseudotropheus cyaneus
Pseudotropheus sp. "Elongatus Bee"
Pseudotropheus sp. "Zebra Long Pelvic"
Pseudotropheus sp. "Williamsi North"
SK told me to make a list of all the fish i like and here it is. it is in no order, so what do you guys think? can i do any thing with this.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Well, the next question is: can you get any of these fish locally (even if it means requesting a store get them in specifically for you) or will you have to search online and have them shipped - and are you willing to? Most of the fish on there are not something that most typical LFS carry, but some might. The afra cobues are popular enough - THE most popular of the afras - so that should make it easier to find some. Hongis and Mbambas seem to be semi-common anywhere that isn't where I live, lol, so they may be easier to find for you too. However, don't mix the cobue and the hongi, they look too similar to live together peacefully.

 

[fish_chic]

well i willing to look on line and i have about 5 lfs that i can ask to special order so that isn't that big of a problem but i just have to work a little. now what about male to female ratio. i know i tried to look at pics of the females too and they are a little dull looking for the exception of about one. but how do i figure that out. i like all of them but its the male coloring i liked. can i do a all male (i think i have asked for before, and i think you said no) and theres about 10 of them i listed can i do all of them of do i just pick a few. sorry for all the questions i am just trying to understand it all

 

[SinisterKisses]

All-male mbuna tanks don't typically work out very well. Males of most mbuna species are too aggressive, and a tank full of mini-monsters doesn't go well. Also, a lot of males (especially afra males) only colour up properly when there are females around to show off for. My polits, for example, are incredibly dull if I remove the females. Soon as I put them back in, they're almost instantly coloured again. Same with my afras and the kenyi. The aggression in the males will be heightened with the similarity of the species you have listed. Generally, mixing more than one species of the same genus (for example, all the pseudotropheus you have listed) isn't recommended. I've found that if you work it right, you can sometimes mix one or two of the same genus, but they have to be very different in appearance to ensure things go smoothly.

 

[fish_chic]

okay what i am going for is something that isn't so common. i like being different, in a way when people come over (that have a love for the hobby) and say "wow, look at those i have never seen them before". so i just want something different then the same old VERY commom african cichlids that you see in every lfs. so is there anything i can do with my list. maybe keep the others (if i can find them) and keep maybe 2 of the Pseudotropheus and some of the others? sorry i am just lost, i just can't seem to get the hang of it. looks like i have much much more to learn in the art of fish keeping.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Tell you what. Pick the one mbuna that is absolutely your favorite, that one species that you just HAVE to have in this tank. Make sure you have a source for it, and then we can work out an exact stocklist based on the fish you just ADORE.

 

[fish_chic]

okay i don't think that is an bad idea. well yesterday i brought my list in to one of my lfs and the owner is going to call a couple of his dealers to see if he can find any of the fish on there. so we'll have to wait and see what he can find.

 

[SinisterKisses]

Sounds good, hopefully you'll have a few options. Let me know when he gets back to you with what he's able to get

 

[fish_chic]

ya know i wouldn't mind haveing just 2 species like the cobue and the polit. but then problem is that he said that he would probably only be able to get juvies and i know how hard it is the sex them when they are young. would i just get maybe 10 of each species then when they are old enough to sex just take the others back.

 

[SinisterKisses]

That's pretty much the only - and certainly the best - way to do it...get a larger number of juveniles, and then when you can sex them, pick out your favorite male of each species and about 3 females for him, and sell off the rest.

The cobue and the polits will work fine in a tank together, but again, remember that the females of both species are basically just brown. So the only colour in your tank would be the two males.

 

[fish_chic]

is there any of the species that i listed that have somewhat colorful females

 

[Big Vine]

Keep it up, ladies! I'm finding this thread very interesting. It'll come in handy when I set up my big cichlid tank (it's only a matter of time).

I know you want attractive males and females, fish_chic, and yes, I've never owned a 'real' cichlid tank so I'm no expert by any means when it comes to any of this...but...have you considered how having even just 2 eye-catching males mixed in with a bunch of duller females will really work as a 'centerpiece' for the tank. I think it would work wonders for drawing attention to your best-looking fish. Personally, I sometimes find it distracting and somewhat of a 'smorgas board' (nice way of saying 'convoluted mess') when there's a crapload of multi-colored/multi-patterned beautiful fish. Seems contradictory, I know, but that's just me.

EDIT: Nothing like pointing out the obvious here, but I say 'convoluted mess' even despite realizing that many of my own tanks fall under this category.

Just my thoughts, for what it's worth...just in case you wanted another perspective.

BV

 

[SinisterKisses]

Haha

I agree, I wasn't saying that you shouldn't do the polits and cobues with the duller females. I have no problem with it myself..the males more than make up for the females, and the males really only show their nicest colours with females around. I'm just making sure that you're aware and okay with the fact that the females aren't the same colour, fish chic

The Labidochromis sp. "Mbamba" females actually have a fair amount of colour considering, still kinda of blue with yellow like the males, just not as bright. The Labidochromis textilis females look like the males, they're very hard to sex visually. Labidochromis sp. "Hongi" females are mostly a brownish colour, but they do still have a fair amount of orange in them, so they're fairly pretty as well.

 

[fish_chic]

well i think i have made up my mind. i think its going to be the polits (2 males and 4 females) and either the hongis or the cobues (2 males and 4 females). i hope that the female and male ratio is okay and i believe the polits dont get above 5 inches and i know the cobues are around 3 or 4 inches. not sure about the hongis. so what do you guys think?

and MUCH MUCH thanks to SK!!!!! and BV of course!

 

[SinisterKisses]

The two species (whether you pick the hongi or the cobue) will work just fine, but you need to add more than four females if you're going to try two males. At least 6 females. If you want to do just one male, then four females will be fine. Just make sure you don't keep any of the babies...with drab females, a lot of species will hybridize

Let me know when you get them in And, you're welcome.