Cobalt Blue Wont Stop!

[Fish_Dude619]

Hey guys.
I have a 55G tank with 5 Electric yellows and 2 Cobalt blue zebras.

I dont know if this is normal, but one of my Cobalt Blue Zebras is constantly chasing every fish in the tank especially the other Cobalt Blue.Like it's non-stop from one fish to the other!

I started off with 5 Electric Yellow, 3 Cobalt Blue Zebras, 1 Demasoni.

So far I have lost 1 Cobalt Blue Zebra and a Demasoni. And now the other Cobalt is looking really weak....I think it might be because of this one Cobalt.

The guy at the pet store was telling me i was going to need like 20 or so fish to spread out the aggression. But thats insane 20 fish in a 55G.

Whats going on here, do i just need more fish? If I do what would be best to get?


Thanks.

 

[Ferris]

Your tank is currently understocked by Mbuna standards and will be more prone to high aggression/territorial problems. Provided you have no water quality/disease problems, i would suggest getting more fish to spread the aggression around. Just be sure that your water parameters are fine and that the problem is definately aggression before you add any more fish.

 

[Fish_Dude619]

awsome, thanks for the reply.
What kind of fish do you suggest mixing?

 

[Ferris]

Metriaclima Estherae (red zebra's) would provide a nice colour contrast with your current stock and are also compatible aggression-wise and readily available. Another option would be Pseudotropheus Socolofi albino, again a different colour and should be OK with the others you already have.

There are loads of species to choose from though, do some research and find some Mbuna that you like and post your choices here for some good advice on compatibility etc.

 

[dthoffsett]

I would suggest getting a few more cobalts as well. I have 6 of them in a 75gal (along w/yellow labs, and p. acei), and have found that with more, no one fish gets picked on too much, I've even decided to add three more to make them the center piece species so to speak.

In my tank, and as you've seen in yours, the cobalt pretty much leaves the labs alone, however this won't continue if your remaining cobalt dies. P. acei are another good species, as they are mostly in the upper part of the tank and also ignored by cobalts. I also agree that the red zebras would be a nice contrast.

I would probably add 3 more cobalts and 5 of another species. That would give you a nicely stocked tank. Good luck.