Decided To Go Mbuna

[arabballin]

Ok so i have a 30 gallon cycling right now and its almost ready for fish i think.
I have decided i am in love with african cichlids and i wanted help with what kinds i should get. Dont worry i know 30 gallons is not big enough and it will be upgraded soon( my birthday is in 2 months and ive been dropping hints) to about a 50 or 60 gallon depending on the prices and stuff i find.
My plan right now is to get a some cichlids as young as i can get them and when the time for a new tank comes ill pull out the birthday money.

here is what i want:
Johannii
electric yellow
kribs
powder blue
mpanga
salousi demasoni cichlid
bumblebee cichlid
acei

i was hoping i could get some help of what combinations will work out well.
the only suggestion ive heard is one of each kind but i know there are more knowledgeable people on this site that im hoping will help me out.
All Suggestions welcome.

 

[dthoffsett]

Well, I stand by my earlier post on your other thread, added below for continuity.

As far as your list goes:

"here is what i want:
Johannii - should be ok as juveniles in a smaller tank, but will need to be upgraded

electric yellow - Labidochromis Caeruleus. Possible in a smaller tank, again will need to be upgraded, or kept with only 1 adult male

kribs - not a malawi cichlid, and therefore not compatible with other malawis

powder blue - can be several different species, most common is Pseudotropheus socolofi, these are a fairly aggressive fish and even as juveniles will not do well in a small tank, as adults they will need 50gal or more

mpanga - scientific name Pseudotropheus sp. "elongatus mpanga", they are highly aggressive and will need to be housed in 50gal or more, even as juveniles

salousi demasoni cichlid - saulosi and demasoni are two different species.
Pseudotropheus Saulosi - in a small tank they should only be kept with 1 male to 3-4 females, in a larger tank you could have more.
Pseudotropheus demasoni - These are a highly aggressive fish and should be kept singely, or in groups of 12 or more. They do best in a species tank of 40 gallons or more as they aren't as hardy as most mbuna. Ferris is the resident demasoni expert and could give you more information on them.

bumblebee cichlid - Pseudotropheus Crabro. Extremely aggressive, and should only be kept in a tank of 75 gallons or larger. Only 1 male per tank, unless it is 100 gallons or more, even females can be aggressive.

acei - Pseudotropheus Acei are very peaceful, but they do grow fast, and at 7 inches are one of the larger mbuna, they do best in a tank of 75 gallons or more."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Personally, I recommend waiting until you get the larger tank, however, if you are determined to start with the smaller tank I would only put one species in. Even as juveniles, mbuna can be aggressive, and your tank is simply too small to mix species, even for only a few months. The two species that seem to do the best in smaller tanks are l. caeruleus (yellow labs) in a group of 1m/3-4f, or p. saulousi 1m/4-5f, the male to female ratio isn't as important when they are juveniles, but when fed well they will grow rapidly and agression can become a problem. You will also want to put in as many rocks as possible, this is very important in a smaller tank as weaker fish will need plenty of places to hide.

As far as eventual stock in the larger tank it depends on what sized tank you get. As recommended by others, 55gal really should be the minimum tank size, however since mbuna generally only occupy the lower part of the tank, dimensions are more important than gallons (ie. more floor space means more fish). And, the larger you go, the more variety you can choose from. Here are a couple of links to check out suggested stocking levels.

55gal: http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php

75gal: http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_75g.php

And check out our pinned african tanks for ideas in setup and stocking levels
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=169788

 

[Ferris]

I agree with pretty much everything dthoffsett has said - some really good advice there.

Just a couple of things:

The powder blue could also be Metriaclima Callainos, which tend to be more readily available than Socolofi (damn common names )

P.Crabro - much maligned fish IMO, i have kept several examples over the years and have never experienced aggression levels that would rule them out of a Mbuna community tank of 55 gal or larger. I certainly wouldn't reccommend mutiple males but keeping a single specimin or 1 male/3 females is an option IMO in a Mbuna community provided they are not being kept with the less aggressive species like Labs and Rusties.