Is This A Mbuna

[fish_keeper2]

i was wondering if this was a mbuna? http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1008 can it even be kept with mbuna?

the one i have isnt faring well with my yellow lab and albino p. socolofi. hes been to scared to eat much and is starting to look really skinny and has started to get veyr pale and the p. socolofi keeps taking bites out of his fins. the yellow lab and p. socolofi dont bother each other at all.

never mind. i found out that what i have a Hap and not a mbuna. im gonna seperate him and take him to lfs where he will be better off.

quote i found:

Haps and Mbuna should not be mixed

 

[Ginge]

I though these are normally compatible.

 

[rixy]

i see no reason why they cant be mixed.as long as they all get along,get the correct food + amount of food and no major bullying,then,fine.i do keep them together and have kept them together in the past.i have had major bullying a couple of times,but when it happened,i simply removed the bullied fish.are these 3 fish in your 10 gallon tank ? i wont preach to you about the tank size etc,but in my humble opinion,you need a bigger tank and more occupants.3 different varieties of africans in a 10 gallon is going to cause major problems.

 

[fish_keeper2]

even if they are usually compatible mine is being picked on to the point he doesnt get much to eat. i feed frozen blood worms, frozen spiriluna enriched brine shrimp, zucinni, romain lettuce, and dried seaweed. he is starting to get very skinny and so stressed he isnt even blue anymore. more of a greyish color. the lab and the socolofi are doing just fine though.

edit to add: yes they are all in a ten gal. i know this isnt the correct tank for them. like i said above the p. socolofi and the lab are doing fine together just the hap that is stressed.

 

[rixy]

in that case,i'd remove the fish.i wasnt preaching to you by the way,only trying to help.i've had socolofi before and they are pretty aggressive fish.when i kept them in my tank of 25 ish malawi's,they were near the top of the pecking order ie could be nasty.the yellow labs are the other way around ie much more placid.just be careful when the socolofi gets bigger.

 

[fish_keeper2]

i know you werent preaching at me. my socolofi has a slight aggresive nature but its not too bad. he doesnt bother the yellow lab much and when he does the lab is pretty smart in getting away........he zig zags in bettween the rocks till the socolofi gets lost which is usually just a few secs. i will remove the hap. should i get another yellow lab in place of it to make sure the aggression isnt placed on one fish.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

in answer to your question, no it isn't a mbuna, it would fare far better in a bigger tank along with other haps. there is no way those 3 fish should be in anything less than a 40 gallon tank, they are far too aggressive to be kept in such a confined space.
can you imagine living with another 2 people in a room the size of your shower cubicle? can't imagine it'd be too much fun eh?