Another Malawi Question

Hi all. I'm back with another question. Are there any other Malawi cichlids, besides Labidochromis caeruleus and Maylandia estherae, in which both males and females are colorful?

Thanks.
Bob

A lot of the mbuna have males and females that are colorful.

Are you looking for the males and females to be the same color (like labs and red zebras) or could they be different colors (like say..pseudotrophues saulosi)?? Regardless, like maddog said there are quite a few mbuna that both sexes are colorful.

Thanks, guys. I didn't know that. I'm interested in either one--both males and females of the same color, and both males and females of different colors. Can you guys name some? This is part of the research I'm doing for my Malawi tank. After years of fish that don't have much color, or color up only seasonally, or in which only the males show any bright colors, I'm looking to work with some species in which both males and females are colorful.

Thanks!

Are you looking for the males and females to be the same color (like labs and red zebras) or could they be different colors (like say..pseudotrophues saulosi)?? Regardless, like maddog said there are quite a few mbuna that both sexes are colorful.[/b]

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How big a tank are you talking about and are there any confirmed occupants? I thought I remembered you saying you'd have labs in there.

Yeah, the fish I'm definitely going to be working with are the yellow Labs. As I move out the current crop of fish that I'm raising now, I'll have free a 65 gallon high (my main show tank) and several bare bottom tanks for breeding, separating comabatants and whatnot: a 55 long, a 29 high, and assorted 20s and 15s.

I'd like to keep more than one species in the 65 and the 55, so I guess I'm looking for fish that aren't too aggressive. I haven't definitely made up my mind on anything yet, although I'm leaning towards Maylandia estherae, because both males and females are colorful, and a group of peacocks (even though only the males are colorful).

Thanks.

How big a tank are you talking about and are there any confirmed occupants? I thought I remembered you saying you'd have labs in there.[/b]

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The estherae or the peacocks would give you some blue to go with the labs. Other things to look at --
Not sure of the dimensions of your tank, but you could put several male fryeri in there to give it an eye popping blue. Some fryeri stay in the 6" range but I've seen some giants that were near 9".
For mbuna, you could consider demasoni (striped blue and black). At least a dozen are recommended as they fight quite a lot among themselves.
Dwarf mbuna like saulosi or afras. (blues, yellows and stripes).
I used to like the elongatus groups as the males had very nice stripes blue/black or black/yellow. Females were a yellowish brown. I think they've been renamed a couple times.
Socolofi are also nice (powder blue).
Pat could probably hook you up with albino eureka red peacocks.

Lots of options.

You'll find color in both males and females in any of the Mbuna species. Sometimes they have the same coloration, sometimes different colors, but both have color. In the Peacocks, Utaka and Haps, the females are brown or silver. For Mbuna species, check out some of the Cynotilapia species. They'd do well with Yellow Labids in a 65 gallon tank. They'd also do well with the Metriaclima esterae.
Tim

Use the Force Sonny.....Then and only then will you become a Jedi! Let go Luke...I mean Sonny.

The Dark side is with the other lakes. :FIREdevil:

Bob, here is a pic of some Cynotilapia afra (Puulu) that I have (still have 20-30 fish, at about 2"). 2 1/2" is usually as big as they get.

Regarding the other lake--

From the very brief, but very thorough, introduction that Longstocking gave when I interviewed her for the Biotope, my take is that keeping Tanganyikans is a lot like keeping natives: complicated, behaviorally very interesting fish, that, with some exceptions, aren't quite as colorful as the Malawians. Right now, I'm looking for something that I can just breed and not have to pay quite so much attention to.

Use the Force Sonny.....Then and only then will you become a Jedi! Let go Luke...I mean Sonny.

The Dark side is with the other lakes. :FIREdevil:[/b]

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Then you are going for the right type of tank

You can combine them... just use the basic principle of not combining the same genus and try to stay away from similar looking fish.

pseudotrophues saulosi *

yellow labs *

Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" *

Pseudotropheus demasoni

Metriaclima estherae

Iodotropheus sprengerae *

Tropheops sp. Albino or "pombo rocks" .. I sold some of these to someone in the club... had quite a few fry. Great yellow color on the females.... not sure if they still have them or not though.


These are all fish with colorfull females... at least a little bit of color... more than your average female from malawi.

All are available around here as well.

Personally I would pick 3 from these.... and add at least 6 of each. Remeber don't combine 2 Pseudotropheus and you shouldn't have any X-bredding provided you have females of all species. Although I really doubt that a demasoni would cross with any on this list. But I can't guarantee it as I haven't tried it.

Before I kept Tangs... I kept Malawi

The ones with stars by their names aren't as aggressive as most Mbuna.

Here is what c-f recommends for a 55 gallon tank.... not a bad sugestion.....

Smaller, Less Aggressive Mbuna Aquarium

Select any 3 species (max 12 fishes):
• Metriaclima estherae
• Pseudotropheus saulosi
• Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
• Labidochromis sp. "Hongi"
• Labidochromis caeruleus
• Labidochromis sp. "Perlmutt"
• Labidochromis chisimulae
• Iodotropheus sprengerae
• Cynotilapia afra
Do not mix any Labidochromis species.[/b]

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Just trying to give you more ideas and options.

I actually kept the Aulonocara and Cynotilipa that I have together in a divided 75. The divider really wasn't that necessary, especially since the female afras were able to just pass right through 1/2" openings in the divder. I had about a dozen of each species and they got along just fine.

Thanks everybody, this is very helpful. There's a lot to pick from:

If possible, I'd like to grow my Potomac River val in the tank.

Of the species you listed, are there any that won't eat the Val or dig it up?

I actually kept the Aulonocara and Cynotilipa that I have together in a divided 75. The divider really wasn't that necessary, especially since the female afras were able to just pass right through 1/2" openings in the divder. I had about a dozen of each species and they got along just fine.[/b]

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Most mbuna by nature eat/dig up plants.

Yellow labs don't though. Peacocks don't as well.

Thanks again, Sarah. What about Maylandia Esterae? Are they big plant eaters as well?

Most mbuna by nature eat/dig up plants.

Yellow labs don't though. Peacocks don't as well.[/b]

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Yup... they will eat the plants.

Most on the lists above will. Haps/peacocks don't... mbuna do !