What Fish Can I Put In This Community Tank

[australia]

i have 3 electric yellows in a 4 foot/160litre tank at the moment and i want to add more mbuna that will get along together, any suggestions on what mbuna cichlids i can mix with them?

here is a link to all the fish i have access to: Livefish.com.au

 

[WaterBender1995]

Ya know, Australia, I gotta admit, I feel really sorry for you fishheads over there, the prices you folks have to pay is UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked thru the list on your livefish.com site and IMHO your best bet is the Pseudotropheus Aceii Msuli Point 4.5cm @ $26.13 (choking on those numbers) they go for around $6.00 in the US !!

Their a calmer species and are great to watch and feed!
Both the labs and acei will reproduce for you if given good conditions and who knows, maybe you could make a few dollars off the fry to lfs in your area?

 

[australia]

okay i had a look at the Pseudotropheus Aceii Msuli Point i like them are they Mbuna? i will be getting one of these...

i want to stock my tank so would you please name a couple more mbuna`s that are compatible, cheers

 

[australia]

i have to make my order tomorrow for my Mbuna`s but i do not know what ones to pick from, my fish selection is here:

www.livefish.com.au

can someone please name some mbuna`s from that website as i do not know the scientific names for the fish so it makes it hard, Cheers

 

[parker313]

To get a list of mbuna, you can compare your list to what they have at www.cichlid-forum.com It's not aussie based, but they do have a good breakdown of the different types of cichlids.

 

[WaterBender1995]

how many acei are you thinking of buying?
you really dont have alot of room in that tank for much more

 

[australia]

i am now now putting my new fish in a tank i have setup a few months ago, its a 6 foot tank and it holds 360 litres, i am running a Aqua One CF1100 Canister filter

okay the fish i have selected so far are:

Melanochromis Johanni


Melanochromis Auratus


Melanochromis Maingano


Labeotropheus Fuelleborni


Cynotilapia Afra Cobwe

are all these fish Mbuna`s?

once again my selection of fish is at www.livefish.com.au

if i am wrong about these fish being Mbuna`s can someone please help me select all the mbuna`s from livefish.com.au? as i am having alot of trouble......Cheers

 

[parker313]

i am now now putting my new fish in a tank i have setup a few months ago, its a 6 foot tank and it holds 360 litres, i am running a Aqua One CF1100 Canister filter

okay the fish i have selected so far are:

Melanochromis Johanni


Melanochromis Auratus


Melanochromis Maingano


Labeotropheus Fuelleborni


Cynotilapia Afra Cobwe

are all these fish Mbuna`s?

once again my selection of fish is at www.livefish.com.au

if i am wrong about these fish being Mbuna`s can someone please help me select all the mbuna`s from livefish.com.au? as i am having alot of trouble......Cheers

I would take a look at this stocking list, from the link I posted above. It's for a 75g tank, but I would think you would be able to adapt it easily

Select 1 species from 4 of the various groups below (Max 4 of each) , for a max total of 4 groups, and 16 fish. :

Group A:
• Labeotropheus trewavasae

Group B:
• Melanochromis johanni
• Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos
• Melanochromis auratus

Group C:
• Metriaclima callainos
• Metriaclima estherae
• Metriaclima lombardoi

Group D:
• Labidochromis species

Group E:
• Tropheops tropheops

Group F:
• Pseudotropheus elongatus types
• Pseudotropheus flavus

Group G:
• Cynotilapia afra

So, I would go with the cynotilapia afra, labeotropheus fulleborni, & a melanochromis.

It's my understanding that you don't want to mix any of the same genus fish b/c of the risk of hybridization.

 

[australia]

okay thanks alot, i have selected the following fish becuase this is all i can get/want atm:

1 x Cynotilapia Afra Cobwe 4cm
1 x Labeotropheus Fuelleborni 4.5cm
1 x Melanochromis Chipokae 4.5cm
1 x Melanochromis Johanni 4cm
3 x electric yellows 5c.m
2 electric blues 4cm

what do u think about having these in a community tank?

 

[parker313]

From my understanding, that would not be a good mix. From my understanding, the electric yellows and blues are much less aggressive than especially the Chipokae. Hopefully someone more knowledgable can come along and say for certain though.

 

[dthoffsett]

okay thanks alot, i have selected the following fish becuase this is all i can get/want atm:

1 x Cynotilapia Afra Cobwe 4cm
1 x Labeotropheus Fuelleborni 4.5cm
1 x Melanochromis Chipokae 4.5cm
1 x Melanochromis Johanni 4cm
3 x electric yellows 5c.m
2 electric blues 4cm

what do u think about having these in a community tank?

Scratch the chipokae, they are probably THE most aggressive mbuna, and will probably kill all the other fish. The electric yellows (labidochromis caeruleus) are very peaceful (by mbuna standards) and do best in groups of 5 or more. The electric blues on the website are haps and would not be compatable with the other fish. I would suggest sticking with 4 species and getting 4-5 of each. So based on the list you've given I'd go with:
5 labidochromis caeruleus m/f ratio doesn't matter
4 cynotilapia afra 1m/3f
4 Labeotropheus Fuelleborni 1m/3f
4 Melanochromis Johanni 1m/3f
If you can't afford all of them at once, add them one species at a time.

 

[australia]

okay thanks alot, can you please tell me why it is best to have 1 male to 3 females? and can i see there there sex at 4cm?

 

[australia]

the one problem for me is that my fish shop only stock small mbuna`s around 4cm and they seem to not realy be able to sex them so i just have to hope for the best that i get the correct male to female ratio, anyway here are the fish i have now order`d, and i have also added the price`s for use that want to know what the australian prices for fish are like, here goes:

1 x Cynotilapia Afra Cobwe 4cm $44.00

2 x Labeotropheus Fuelleborni 4.5cm $26.40

3 x Melanochromis Johanni 4cm $35.07

Sub-Total: $105.47
Table Rate (Best Way): $13.95

Total: $119.42

anyway that order was the best i could come up with becuase i only had $120 to spend atm

my only concern now is the female to male ratio.....and will these fish be fine entill i get more of them?


ohh yeah i have 3 electric yellows i am pickking up tomorrow so i will have them to add as well...

 

[dthoffsett]

Mbuna are harem breeders, meaning a single male will breed with as many females as possible. And if you have multiple males, the males will constantly fight for territory, dominance, and females. If there is only 1 female in the group, she will be continually harrassed to breed, and will likely be stressed to death. It's hard to sex under 2 inches, I'd check with your lfs to see if you can exchange extra males.

That's terrible you have to pay such high prices. The lengths we go to for this hobby.

 

[australia]

Mbuna are harem breeders, meaning a single male will breed with as many females as possible. And if you have multiple males, the males will constantly fight for territory, dominance, and females. If there is only 1 female in the group, she will be continually harrassed to breed, and will likely be stressed to death. It's hard to sex under 2 inches, I'd check with your lfs to see if you can exchange extra males.

That's terrible you have to pay such high prices. The lengths we go to for this hobby.

okay thanks for your info

yes we do go to very very high lengths for this hobby.