New 75g Mbuna Tank

[j@mie]

Hi guys, i have a new 75g tank and have decided to make it an MBUNA tank. I would love to breed these fish in my spare 20g. But how do i tell which are males and which are females?

Also how many could i put into my 75g ( 3 females to 1 male ratio (i think) ). It has large pieces of tuffa rock and gravel, with a powerful fluval 4 plus filter. Also at my lfs. they have loads of cichlids, so which ones shall i get? i like all i see, but i think some are americn cichlids. please can someone provide me with names of all the african cichlids ? i like the following so please advise if i cant keep them together

Melanochromis vermivorus http/photos.fishindex.com/mel/melanochro...e_mbuna3011.jpg

Nandopsis motaguense
http/photos.fishindex.com/nan/nandopsis_...cichlid3015.jpg

Neolamprologus brichardi
http/photos.fishindex.com/neo/neolamprol..._cichlid692.jpg

Labidochromis caeruleus
http/photos.fishindex.com/lab/labidochro...c_yellow784.jpg

these are just some of the mbuna fish, is it safe to mix up any mbuna fish?

thanks guys.

 

[j@mie]

oh, would i require a pump for bubbles etc ?

 

[gixer]

first of all i would suggest you get a better filter than the fluval 4+.

by all means leave it in there but an additional filter will be needed IMO.

heres a full list of mbuna. here

the fish you mention...are they all available in your area or are they just what you like the look of?

i wouldn't think some of them were that easy to find.

 

[j@mie]

first of all i would suggest you get a better filter than the fluval 4+.

by all means leave it in there but an additional filter will be needed IMO.

heres a full list of mbuna.

the fish you mention...are they all available in your area or are they just what you like the look of?

i wouldn't think some of them were that easy to find.

yeh ive seen them at my lfs im gonna put a fluval 2+ in aswell.

where is the list

 

[gixer]

its there now...i had to edit . i forgot it

 

[j@mie]

u sure this fluval 4 + wont be big enough on its own? its huge

 

[j@mie]

are cichlids very hardy? cos the tank has only just been filled, i stole water from my established tank, and some of the filter media. What i wanna know is, will they be ok in these water parameters? as they are now ?

thanks

 

[freddyk]

will they be ok in these water parameters? as they are now ?

You forgot to mention what the parameters are.

are cichlids very hardy? cos the tank has only just been fillter, i stole water from my established tank, and some of the filter media.

Yes, they are hardy, but ammonia will kill them as surely as any fish, so don't go filling the tank up all at once.

Melanochromis vermivorus : Melanochromis varieties are quite aggressive, so stocking this means you are choosing a more aggressive tank (not a bad thing, but good to know for when you choose tankmates)

Nandopsis motaguense: New world, not recommended

Neolamprologus brichardi: Tanganyikan, not recommended

Labidochromis caeruleus: Great fish that are very hardy and get along in most mbuna setups. Very popular, and also very overbred, so use discretion buying them - there's some pretty bad lines of these fish going around.

Here is a recommendation: Go to the fish store and make a list of what they have. Post the results here and we can help you sort out a nice tank.

 

[j@mie]

great idea, im looking for lots of colour. thanks for that suggestion.

can Melanochromis vermivorus and Labidochromis caeruleus: be kept together ?

 

[j@mie]

if the above can go together, can i buy these tomorrow? if so how many should i get? ta

 

[freddyk]

Yes, they will do well together. For the Melanochromis you'll want either a single specimen, or one male to at least 3 females. If you are unable to sex them, purchase more. If, for instance, you want 1 male and 3 females, you can buy 6 of them, in hopes of achieving this number, and then return sub-dominent males as you can pick them out.

How many to get depends on how many species you want in the tank. Typically more numbers of less species results in a more successful mbuna tank. 4 species in numbers of 5 would be nice. Of course, you don't need the tank to be perfectly symmetrical - you can have, say, 6 Melanochromis and 4 labs, or whatever.

The Lab. Caeruleus you will not be able to sex, but they are not as finicky - I've kept them at 1:1 ratio's without a problem.

 

[j@mie]

Yes, they will do well together. For the Melanochromis you'll want either a single specimen, or one male to at least 3 females. If you are unable to sex them, purchase more. If, for instance, you want 1 male and 3 females, you can buy 6 of them, in hopes of achieving this number, and then return sub-dominent males as you can pick them out.

How many to get depends on how many species you want in the tank. Typically more numbers of less species results in a more successful mbuna tank. 4 species in numbers of 5 would be nice. Of course, you don't need the tank to be perfectly symmetrical - you can have, say, 6 Melanochromis and 4 labs, or whatever.

The Lab. Caeruleus you will not be able to sex, but they are not as finicky - I've kept them at 1:1 ratio's without a problem.

ok how can i tell the sex? what should i look out for. I will not be able to return stock as my lfs doesnt allow this Also, are you saying it would be ok to get 6 Melanochromis and 4 labs even though my tank isnt yet cycled properly ? like i said i only filled it yesterday, will they survive or shall i just get 3 or so ? thanks

 

[freddyk]

Mbuna are sort of a catch 22. It's best to add them at once, so that they grow up together, increasing chances of compatibility. Of course, this leads to the obvious problems.

With these fish more then any I'd really recommend doing a fishless cycle and holding of on the fish for now.

Unless you can find established filter media to fill up your own filter with, which is essentially instantly cycling your tank.

As young fish you won't be able to sex them. Your lfs won't give you store credit for returns? that bites. any other stores in your area?

 

[j@mie]

Mbuna are sort of a catch 22. It's best to add them at once, so that they grow up together, increasing chances of compatibility. Of course, this leads to the obvious problems.

With these fish more then any I'd really recommend doing a fishless cycle and holding of on the fish for now.

Unless you can find established filter media to fill up your own filter with, which is essentially instantly cycling your tank.

As young fish you won't be able to sex them. Your lfs won't give you store credit for returns? that bites. any other stores in your area?

no they dont allow any returns ar all cos of desease etc - erm i used some of the filter media from my established tank, put it into the fluval between the new sponges, does that help?

also, what would be the harm in keeping the ones i choose? do they get 2 nasty or sumot

 

[freddyk]

You may or may not be able to keep multiple males - subdominent may end up overly harassed - there will only be one dominent in the tank. There isn't much you can do - at worst you may end up losing some fish - it isn't uncommon when setting up an mbuna tank. You are now dabbling in very aggressive fish.

For media, add as much as you can, when you add the fish. If you've already added the media the bacteria could be starved by the time you add the fish. Ask the lfs if he can give you established media too - floss, gravel - anything. The more you have, the better.

If the lfs isn't even willing to help you out on this, I'd wonder how badly they want you as a customer.