Dither Fish For Labidochromis Caeruleus

[fry_forever!]

I have some Labidochromis caeruleus in a 57 gallon tank with a lot of rock work and some bristle nose plecos. It's been set up for about 6 months. I NEVER see the fish, as they are always hiding. I have the tank in the basement, and my Dad plays music down there quite frequently. I have a feeling this is the reason for their constant fright.

Would it be possible to get a dither fish for them, so they would come out more often??
Also, what kind of Mbunas can I mix with them that will still breed easily, but won't readily hybridize? Thanks!

-f_f!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

How many Labs have you got? For a tank of that size, it is quite normal for it to be stocked with ~15 Lake Malawi fish, as the clautrophobia prevents fish from permanently claiming areas and therefore controls aggression. Think of it like the "king of the hill" gametype in many first-person shooters, in that if you have enemies appraoching from all directions, it is near on impossible to hold the hilltop.

~5 Pseudtropheus acei; ~5 Lodotropheus sprengerae; ~5 Labs (each with one male in the hareem) with your BNs would be a ballpark stocking, but you could be right, the fundamental problem here could be bass from your dad's music (apparently it can really stress them out). Equally though, if you have just a small hareem of Labs, could all the females be looking after fry?

 

[SlyPolak]

I've noticed that my Mbuna always come to the front and top of the tank when they see a person because they associate it with whenever I feed them even though I've only had them for a little over a week. Dont get me wrong, at first they were scared and hiding but warmed up quick. So if your fish associate a person with loud music and bass vibration (something scary).. then I would just figure they associate people with "HIDE"!

Can you not move the tank ?

 

[fry_forever!]

How many Labs have you got? For a tank of that size, it is quite normal for it to be stocked with ~15 Lake Malawi fish, as the clautrophobia prevents fish from permanently claiming areas and therefore controls aggression. Think of it like the "king of the hill" gametype in many first-person shooters, in that if you have enemies appraoching from all directions, it is near on impossible to hold the hilltop.

~5 Pseudtropheus acei; ~5 Lodotropheus sprengerae; ~5 Labs (each with one male in the hareem) with your BNs would be a ballpark stocking, but you could be right, the fundamental problem here could be bass from your dad's music (apparently it can really stress them out). Equally though, if you have just a small hareem of Labs, could all the females be looking after fry?

I have 7 labs, and 5 bristlenose plecos... 4 of the 7 labs are juveniles still, as I got them at an expo a couple months ago as babies, so I'm not sure of the gender, but out of the 3 adults, there are 2 females and a male. I vented them. However, one female always spawns with another female, so she swallows her eggs right away because they're infertile. It's really strange, because I definitely have a male in there with them.

I've noticed that my Mbuna always come to the front and top of the tank when they see a person because they associate it with whenever I feed them even though I've only had them for a little over a week. Dont get me wrong, at first they were scared and hiding but warmed up quick. So if your fish associate a person with loud music and bass vibration (something scary).. then I would just figure they associate people with "HIDE"!

Can you not move the tank ?

Good theory. And no, I can't move the tank.. My parents wouldn't let me have it anywhere else in the house.

Thanks!