Mbuna's And Peacocks Together

[Tiger Tiger]

Sorry about another enquiry but just fishing around for some sort of combinations.

So.

Mbuna's with Peackocks....Yes...No...Takes your chance?

Thanks

 

[Davo86]

Sorry about another enquiry but just fishing around for some sort of combinations.

So.

Mbuna's with Peackocks....Yes...No...Takes your chance?

Thanks

I'd say it can be done in tanks of 100G or more but i think the biggest problem you'll find is that mbuna are mainly herbivores while Peacocks are carnivores,
you also need to make sure you don't get anything too aggressive or the peacocks will end up getting hurt

 

[dthoffsett]

As Davo pointed out, the two main problems mixing peacocks and mbuna are aggression and dietary requirements, however, it can be done with careful stocking and close observation.

To avoid most aggression issues, pick mbuna species that are on the lower end of the aggression scale, a classic pairing with peacocks is labidochromis caeruleus (yellow labs). However, every fish has it's own personality, so close observation is a must (which is true of any species).

For the dietary differences, look for the few species of mbuna that are omnivores such as labidochromis caeruleus, & cynotilapia afra.

Most of the mbuna species can handle some meaty protein, just avoid feeding it on a daily basis. A once per week feeding of spirulina enhanced brine shrimp would be perfectly fine for the mbuna, and would keep the peacocks in good shape.

 

[Tiger Tiger]

I have 5 afra's and 5 yellow labs at present and i am looking to mix them with some or all of these.

Aulonocara red orchid
aulonocara stuartgranti
phoso rostratus

Can any Auloncara be mixed in with the afra's and labs

 

[Tiger Tiger]

Views are short coming ladies and gents
Will just one m/f of the above peacocks be OK as the Afra's and labs are safer as dthoffsett said being omnivores.

 

[lgarvey]

Views are short coming ladies and gents
Will just one m/f of the above peacocks be OK as the Afra's and labs are safer as dthoffsett said being omnivores.

Yes, they seem fine! I have two male peacocks on a 75g tank along with about 20 mbuna. All the mbuna (apart from 3 acei) are about 2-2.5" long, whereas the peacocks are a good 4" and ironically the most alpha fish in the tank is one of the peacocks, inspite of what they say about "peacocks will live in a constant state of subordination." This may be true if mixing peacocks of the same size, I don't know. I have a male auratus that runs from the peacock. Again this may all change later on when the mbuna are bigger I don't know. But now they all seem fine!

The main problem, I found, was mixing multiple male peacocks. I tried to put in two smaller male peacocks and had to rescue them as the two other peacocks didn't like them. I should have done my research, but I found that male peacocks should not really be mixed full-stop.

What is interesting is I have an orange male aulonocara, and he will get chased by a smaller red zebra, which is also orange. It's mild and the peacock doesn't take it too seriously, it seems.

I would say go for it!

Also, not sure if a 1m/1f ratio is good for peacocks, as is the case with mbuna. I'd try a 1m/2f minimum, to disperse the males aggression.

L

PS. All the LFS tanks have mixed mbuna with peacocks and other haps. They say they never have problems. The other thing, they say the dietary requirements issue is blown out of proportion. They claim to feed their fish tetra prima (protein food) as a staple, have hundreds of mbuna, and rarely -- if ever -- see a fish suffering from malawi bloat. They say it does happen, but is extremely rare for them. Of course, I'm keen to give my mbuna lots of vegetable based food, but I'm also not averse now to giving them a regular feed of protein based food, such as tetra prima.

 

[dthoffsett]

Views are short coming ladies and gents
Will just one m/f of the above peacocks be OK as the Afra's and labs are safer as dthoffsett said being omnivores.

Labs and afras should do just fine with the peacocks. Just stick to your 1m/2-3f ratio for the peacocks.


And as I said before, while many mbuna can handle the occasional meaty protein, feeding it daily should be avoided. Bloat isn't the only problem caused by too much "meaty food" (though is the most noticeable), improper nutrition can lead to a higher susceptibility to disease and a shorter life span.

 

[Tiger Tiger]

What about Protomelas taeniolatus
I have a pair that have just been given to me. I was thinking of them and the Mbuna's instead of the peacocks

 

[dthoffsett]

What about Protomelas taeniolatus
I have a pair that have just been given to me. I was thinking of them and the Mbuna's instead of the peacocks

I've never kept them, but I read a couple of places that they should work with mbuna, but will likely eat any fry/juvies small enough to fit in their mouths (they are primarily herbivores, but like most cichlids will eat fry). However, you may have problems with just a pair:

Due to the size of this Hap, it is not recommended that you keep it in anything smaller than 75 gallons, with 100+ gallons being the preferred minimum. This Hap needs lots of room to swim about. Due to its strong temperment, it is not a good idea to keep more than one male in the same tank unless your tank is over 200 gallons. This species is a polygamous mouthbrooder and each male should be accompanied by at least three females. Females should be given lots of potential hiding places to avoid being abused.

Edit: Oops, forgot to add the link for the quote. [URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/p_taeniolatus.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/p_taeniolatus.php[/URL]