Hi, I have recently decided to transform my 55G into a Malawi tank and currently have 4 Yellow Labs, 4 Red Zebras and a Plec (The LFS was very limited at the time) and was going to keep it pure mbuna, although, a lot of posts and threads I have looked at say that other lake cichlids are compatable which has left me confused :wacko:. I want to fill my tank with colourful fish around the same adult size as the labs but don't want too much conflict so was going to add some Rustys and Cobalt Blue Zebras (when I can find some!) and maybe a Comp for something different, would this work? And what is bad about cross-breeding? I've never understood. Can anyone suggest any other cichlids that match what I'm looking for?
Rasta Fish
Members
Mbuna are very colorful
You can go that route but you need to over stock your tank
Also consider
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
You can go that route but you need to over stock your tank
Also consider
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
Oh ok then, guessing the over-stocking is to help disperse aggression etc. I was looking into Acei but I thought they grew a little too large compared to Labs and Zebras. Thanks for the advice. Does anyone know if I could successfully house Afra or Demasoni with the rest of the fish on my want list and what kind of stocking numbers I should be aiming at?
Tony
Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately, general advice in mixing mbuna says that red zebras and yellow labs are very likely to hybridize.
If you were to keep them both, you'd have to keep an eye on them and grow the fry out to a pretty decent size before passing them along to make sure they weren't hybrids.
Is there any possibility of trading one of the species back to your local fish store for another mbuna? Rusties are a great choice, as are Cynotilapia.
For stocking a 55 with most non-aggressive mbuna, you could probably pull off three groups, with ideal size being 8 +/- fish. Cobalt blues as well as demasoni are both on the more aggressive side (not to mention that they look a lot alike). With either of these two species, I'd drop the tank down to two species instead of three.
For demasoni, you're going to want to start out with at least a dozen fish.
Good luck.
Unfortunately, general advice in mixing mbuna says that red zebras and yellow labs are very likely to hybridize.
If you were to keep them both, you'd have to keep an eye on them and grow the fry out to a pretty decent size before passing them along to make sure they weren't hybrids.
Is there any possibility of trading one of the species back to your local fish store for another mbuna? Rusties are a great choice, as are Cynotilapia.
For stocking a 55 with most non-aggressive mbuna, you could probably pull off three groups, with ideal size being 8 +/- fish. Cobalt blues as well as demasoni are both on the more aggressive side (not to mention that they look a lot alike). With either of these two species, I'd drop the tank down to two species instead of three.
For demasoni, you're going to want to start out with at least a dozen fish.
Good luck.
Thankyou Tony, and thanks for the reply too, great advice. I wasn't aware of that chance although I don't plan to sell any fry on (unless they breed too much and I have to). Not really a chance of me trading them back so will have to hope for the best and learn from my mistake. I love the Rustys but I'm just having trouble finding any in my area. I'm happy about the thumbs up for the Afras so will start a search for them and hopefully I'll have some good luck.
Thanks again for the great advice
Thanks again for the great advice
Tony
Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
No problem. Where are you from? It'll save a lot of confusion down the road if you list it on your profile.
Do you have any local fish clubs in your area? It's an easy way of trading/buying/selling fish.
As for holding onto the hybrid fry, I think most fish keepers have gone through that mindset at some point. The problem arises when you get good at raising fry and end up with 50 hybrid cichlids in your tank. Most folks don't have the heart to cull them, so it's easy to get overrun if you're not getting them out of the house.
mscichlid
Founder
There's a pike for that.
minifoot77
Members
I can say from experience, red zebras and labs will hybridize. If you never strip them and they get spit into a tank where all the fry get eaten, no problem. Otherwise you'll have challenges. I loved both species and quickly put them in separate tanks but if you can't do that I'd suggest sell one of the groups locally. A well gender balanced and/or medium to large sized group of fish should be appreciated.
I have a cyno cluster and would speak well of them. Mine stand their ground with some other rowdy fish but aren't unduly mean. Demasoni are beautiful and I love mine but you have to start out with the understanding that it could take a lot of doing to make them work, and be ready to work through that. They can be challenging as well as expensive.
I have a cyno cluster and would speak well of them. Mine stand their ground with some other rowdy fish but aren't unduly mean. Demasoni are beautiful and I love mine but you have to start out with the understanding that it could take a lot of doing to make them work, and be ready to work through that. They can be challenging as well as expensive.
Sorry for the late reply, phone problems. I'm from Doncaster, England, and don't think there are any clubs near me. I'm struggling a little to find the right fish in my area, all the aquarists just seem to stock community fish and brackish so I was wondering whether there were any non-Malawi fish I could add? I have adopted a Jewel from a friend who needed rid and he gets along with the mbuna very peacefully so that's what put the idea in my head. I'm REALLY drawn to Blood Parrots ( don't know why ). I know they shouldn't get along because of the BP's peacefullness but after seeing the Jewel not get bothered at all by the mbuna it's got me wondering if it would work...
Tony
Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Rainbowfish and barbs are a couple of common companions to Malawi cichlids.
