Astatotilapia Latifasciata

[MojoDex]

in my lfs they have some cichlids labeled as Astatotilapia latifasciata heres a picture from the net which is the same as the ones in the lfs

the information i can turn up is limited at best but as far as i can gather there from a small lake called Lake Kyoga north of lake Victoria.

im sure many of you know im setting up an mbuna tank and the information i found on this species says they get on fine with mbuna in a good sized tank (mine will be 6x2x2) but i thought rather than commit myself to a fish that is all wrong id come here and ask will this cichlid live happily with mbuna?

 

[Ferris]

They are nowhere near as aggressive as most Mbuna species but in a tank of that size - they should work out just fine. Water requirements are pretty much the same but they are Carnivores wheras Mbuna species are either Herbivores or Omnivores so you will need to think carefully about a feeding regime.

A veggie flake/pellet/stick as a staple diet suplemented by brine shrimp should do the job.

A bit more info on Astatotilapia Latifasciata here:

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1556

 

[MojoDex]

thank you ferris

would krill be ok? im not sure if malawis will digest it or not just i have about 40 packs of it in the freezer at the moment i also have 40 odd packs of malawi mix to feed the malawis with as well as 3 brands of cichlid pellet/flake

 

[Ferris]

Krill contains a lot more protein than brineshrimp but should be OK in small quantities - just not every day.

 

[MojoDex]

theres gonna be about 60 fish in this tank would 1 cube of krill a day really make that much of an impact?

 

[Ferris]

Depends who eats it - Mbuna are likely to be the 1st to feed, whatever tankmates they are in with and therefore you could be in a situation where they eat all the Krill, which would not be good for them every day.

 

[MojoDex]

ill pick up a shed load of brine shrimp then and keep my oddballs on the krill, thanks ferris as always top stuff