We have some great pinned in depth topics on mbuna care, but I thought it would be nice to have a shorter basic guideline.
If you are interested in brightly colored cichlids, mbuna are the perfect group to choose. Mbuna are one of three groups of cichlids from Lake Malawi, Africa. Technically all the cichlids of Lake Malawi are haplochromines, however, they have been broken down into smaller groups, the mbuna (literally means rock-dwelling), peacocks (so named for the highly colorful males) and haps (all the left over species).
There is a lot of research needed to successfully keep mbuna; they aren't difficult in terms of feeding or water quality, but rather grouping species that are unlikely to destroy each other. They are quite aggressive and temperaments can range from mildly aggressive to unbelievably psychotic. And, because of their temperament and preference of hard alkaline water, mbuna should only be kept with other mbuna with the exception of some catfish, most notably several Synodontis species from Lake Tanganikya and Bristlenose plecos.
Tank: Most mbuna species can be kept in a minimum 4ft (122cm) 55gal (208 liters) tank, they are mostly bottom dwellers and while they generally average around 5 inches (12.7cm) or less, they are very territorial and need plenty of space. A couple of species get a bit larger than average, notably Pseudotropheus acei & Pseudotropheus crabro which both reach around 7-8 inches (17-20cm) and should really be kept in a 6ft (183cm) tank.
Exception: Pseudotropheus demasoni are, in my opinion, the one species that can be kept in a smaller species only tank. The minimum I would recommend for them is a 3ft-4ft (91-122cm) 40 gallon (151 liters).
Filtration: Mbuna should be overstocked to cut down on aggression, this allows sub-dominate or weaker fish to get "lost in the crowd" thus confusing the dominate fish (usually a male) who will randomly chase anyone nearby. So, as a minimum you'll need a total tank turn over of 8-10 times, you can get by with less (about 5 times) for a couple of months while they are juveniles. This can be achieved with a very large or multiple filters (should be the bulk of your turn over) and pumps/power heads. You can go much higher with your turn over as long as none of the fish are getting blown around the tank. A turn over of 25-30 times per hour is not unheard of!
Substrate: Mbuna thrive in high PH (7.8+) and hard water, so substrates that will buffer your water are preferred, that is unless your tap water can be considered liquid rock. Mbuna love sand, they'll happily dig in it all day long and it's great fun to watch; for their buffering ability, aragonite or coral sand are tops. You can find either in your LFS marine section; it does cost a bit more than play sand, but it's worth it. Very fine gravel can be used with them as well though they won't be able to dig in it as easily as with sand.
Decor: As I said at the beginning, mbuna means rock-dwelling and that's exactly what they are. In the wild they live, eat and breed in rock piles, so your tank will need lots of rocks or other decor that will allow them to stake out territories. To help cut down on fights try to have multiple caves/crevices for each fish. For some inspiration look at Members African Cichlid Tanks, a Photographic Database.
Plants are usually not recommended since mbuna are voracious herbivores and will either dig up or eat any plants added. However, fatheadminnow wrote an excellent topic on what plants can survive, Plants that will survive in a cichlid tank.
Compatibility: Here's where it gets tricky, it's always important to research any fish before you buy it, but it's doubly so with mbuna. The biggest problem new keepers have is putting together incompatible species in the wrong ratios. The vast majority of species should be kept in ratios of 1 male for every 3 females.
Exceptions: Labidochromis caeruleus & Pseudotropheus acei are both mild enough that they can generally be kept with multiple males. On the other hand, those species with higher aggression levels should be kept with only 1 male of that species per tank and 4-5 females.
And then there are some species that shouldn't be sold at all as they are notorious for killing their tank mates regardless of how carefully you stock it. Melanochromis auratus & Melanochromis chipokae should be avoided at all costs; in fact I don't recommend any of the Melanochromis species for beginner mbuna keepers. Metriaclima lombardoi, commonly called Kennyi, are also very aggressive though they can be kept in larger tanks with other aggressive species.
And then there's Pseudotropheus demasoni, one of my personal favorites, they are the biggest exception to the 1m/3f ratio. They have such high conspecific aggression (aggression towards their own species and those that look similar) that they should be kept singly or in groups of 12 or more. That said they do ignore any species that doesn't look similar so they're still a good choice.
I generally recommend to new keepers to go to their LFS and write down all the names of the fish they like the look of, then research them, and then post on here for help with compatibility. Grouping mbuna is just as much an art as it is a science, research and experience will tell you what will work and what won't which is why asking other keepers is so important. There are a couple of guidelines to follow though, avoid keeping species that all look alike and try to keep those with similar temperaments.
Additional Information: Using scientific names is very important with mbuna, there are no real common names for them like say a neon tetra, each LFS can and will call them whatever they want and so when identifying them you should always use their proper name.
Another thing that should be avoided is picking any fish from a Mixed African Tank; these often contain hybrids which should be avoided for two reasons. First, there are so many hybrids on the market now that it is becoming difficult to find pure strains and lastly, you don't know who the parents are, the cute little fishy you buy could turn out to be a killing machine.
My best advice is to research, research, research, it really is the key to a successful mbuna tank, or any other tank for that matter.
*Disclaimer: This information intended as a basic guideline for setting up and stocking an mbuna tank based on my personal experience and research. –Dawn
Basic Mbuna Requirements
If you are interested in brightly colored cichlids, mbuna are the perfect group to choose. Mbuna are one of three groups of cichlids from Lake Malawi, Africa. Technically all the cichlids of Lake Malawi are haplochromines, however, they have been broken down into smaller groups, the mbuna (literally means rock-dwelling), peacocks (so named for the highly colorful males) and haps (all the left over species).
There is a lot of research needed to successfully keep mbuna; they aren't difficult in terms of feeding or water quality, but rather grouping species that are unlikely to destroy each other. They are quite aggressive and temperaments can range from mildly aggressive to unbelievably psychotic. And, because of their temperament and preference of hard alkaline water, mbuna should only be kept with other mbuna with the exception of some catfish, most notably several Synodontis species from Lake Tanganikya and Bristlenose plecos.
Tank: Most mbuna species can be kept in a minimum 4ft (122cm) 55gal (208 liters) tank, they are mostly bottom dwellers and while they generally average around 5 inches (12.7cm) or less, they are very territorial and need plenty of space. A couple of species get a bit larger than average, notably Pseudotropheus acei & Pseudotropheus crabro which both reach around 7-8 inches (17-20cm) and should really be kept in a 6ft (183cm) tank.
Exception: Pseudotropheus demasoni are, in my opinion, the one species that can be kept in a smaller species only tank. The minimum I would recommend for them is a 3ft-4ft (91-122cm) 40 gallon (151 liters).
Filtration: Mbuna should be overstocked to cut down on aggression, this allows sub-dominate or weaker fish to get "lost in the crowd" thus confusing the dominate fish (usually a male) who will randomly chase anyone nearby. So, as a minimum you'll need a total tank turn over of 8-10 times, you can get by with less (about 5 times) for a couple of months while they are juveniles. This can be achieved with a very large or multiple filters (should be the bulk of your turn over) and pumps/power heads. You can go much higher with your turn over as long as none of the fish are getting blown around the tank. A turn over of 25-30 times per hour is not unheard of!
Substrate: Mbuna thrive in high PH (7.8+) and hard water, so substrates that will buffer your water are preferred, that is unless your tap water can be considered liquid rock. Mbuna love sand, they'll happily dig in it all day long and it's great fun to watch; for their buffering ability, aragonite or coral sand are tops. You can find either in your LFS marine section; it does cost a bit more than play sand, but it's worth it. Very fine gravel can be used with them as well though they won't be able to dig in it as easily as with sand.
Decor: As I said at the beginning, mbuna means rock-dwelling and that's exactly what they are. In the wild they live, eat and breed in rock piles, so your tank will need lots of rocks or other decor that will allow them to stake out territories. To help cut down on fights try to have multiple caves/crevices for each fish. For some inspiration look at Members African Cichlid Tanks, a Photographic Database.
Plants are usually not recommended since mbuna are voracious herbivores and will either dig up or eat any plants added. However, fatheadminnow wrote an excellent topic on what plants can survive, Plants that will survive in a cichlid tank.
Compatibility: Here's where it gets tricky, it's always important to research any fish before you buy it, but it's doubly so with mbuna. The biggest problem new keepers have is putting together incompatible species in the wrong ratios. The vast majority of species should be kept in ratios of 1 male for every 3 females.
Exceptions: Labidochromis caeruleus & Pseudotropheus acei are both mild enough that they can generally be kept with multiple males. On the other hand, those species with higher aggression levels should be kept with only 1 male of that species per tank and 4-5 females.
And then there are some species that shouldn't be sold at all as they are notorious for killing their tank mates regardless of how carefully you stock it. Melanochromis auratus & Melanochromis chipokae should be avoided at all costs; in fact I don't recommend any of the Melanochromis species for beginner mbuna keepers. Metriaclima lombardoi, commonly called Kennyi, are also very aggressive though they can be kept in larger tanks with other aggressive species.
And then there's Pseudotropheus demasoni, one of my personal favorites, they are the biggest exception to the 1m/3f ratio. They have such high conspecific aggression (aggression towards their own species and those that look similar) that they should be kept singly or in groups of 12 or more. That said they do ignore any species that doesn't look similar so they're still a good choice.
I generally recommend to new keepers to go to their LFS and write down all the names of the fish they like the look of, then research them, and then post on here for help with compatibility. Grouping mbuna is just as much an art as it is a science, research and experience will tell you what will work and what won't which is why asking other keepers is so important. There are a couple of guidelines to follow though, avoid keeping species that all look alike and try to keep those with similar temperaments.
Additional Information: Using scientific names is very important with mbuna, there are no real common names for them like say a neon tetra, each LFS can and will call them whatever they want and so when identifying them you should always use their proper name.
Another thing that should be avoided is picking any fish from a Mixed African Tank; these often contain hybrids which should be avoided for two reasons. First, there are so many hybrids on the market now that it is becoming difficult to find pure strains and lastly, you don't know who the parents are, the cute little fishy you buy could turn out to be a killing machine.
My best advice is to research, research, research, it really is the key to a successful mbuna tank, or any other tank for that matter.
*Disclaimer: This information intended as a basic guideline for setting up and stocking an mbuna tank based on my personal experience and research. –Dawn
