Breeding Angry Mbuna?

[Tony]

So I sort of unintentionally waylaid Sarah's contracted maintenance thread a bit responding to Matt Quinn's comment about not stocking the client's tank with auratus. I joked back that I was more leaning towards M chipokae, M. crabro (bumblebee), P. polit or M. lombardoi (kenyi).

Funny, having multiple tanks now sort of makes me want to try getting a group of polits. I know it's an ambitious project that will ultimately result in me having tons of fry that no one wants... sort of like some of my other obscure large hap projects, I guess.

I've thought the same about trying auratus....

Most of us have bred stuff accidentally, spawned from misguided, but well intentioned purchases out of the Petco "mixed African" tank. Personally, when I started keeping Africans, I've had all sorts of permutations of kenyi/bumblebee/zebra, but never tried a species (or two species) tank with groups of these meanies.

The worst I've done were demasoni and those are little guys.

So I want to ask the membership, what's the meanest group of mbuna you've (intentionally or unintentionally) bred and how was the experience? What size tank? Were they from Lake Nyassa at the time (for all you old guys who've since sworn off Africans)?

 

[verbal]

When I got back into cichlids, I started out with a group of kenyi. At one point I also got a Nimbochromis livingstonii, that was killed by them at some point. There also were some losses amount the kenyi.

I still have the kenyi and have had some breeding in a community tank. I have been able to avoid a murderous rampage by removing the dominant male from the kenyi when they get too big. The tank is a 65 gallon tank with probably about 20 fish(Kenyi, Red Empress, misc Peacocks, Labeotropheus, Labidochromis chisumulae). It is one those tanks that should be a disaster on paper, but apparently works out in practice.

 

[jonclark96]

I'm interested in other experiences as well. Tony's original post reminded me of a lone male chipokae that I had when I was a kid. I picked him up from a LFS for next to nothing because he was missing an eye and plopped him into my 10G community tank. Needless to say, he didn't have any tankmates within a day or two, and spent a few years being an angry loner. Although I have never ventured back to africans since I got back into the hobby a few years ago, I always wanted to keep a group of chipokae.

I'll stay tuned and maybe try it one day if I can.

 

[davidhusker]

I have bred Polits before.

55 gallon tank i had 2m/5f
also in the tank were about 3 demasoni, 2 cyno white top hara, and 4 yellow labs.

 

[longstocking]

Tropheops are the meanest ones I bred. 125 gallon and they still had ripped fins etc.

 

[Tony]

I have bred Polits before.

55 gallon tank i had 2m/5f
also in the tank were about 3 demasoni, 2 cyno white top hara, and 4 yellow labs.

How did it go? Aggression? Inbreeding? Was the setup long-lived/ did everything make it to adult size or breed as sub-adults?

Tropheops are the meanest ones I bred. 125 gallon.

Which ones? How big and how many? Tank mates?

(Yeah, I'm needy)

 

[fischfan13]

Kenyi.
They are one fish that I will never allow in any of my tanks no matter what size they are. It was one of those fish that actually took the fun out of the hobby.

Tony, if you are looking to do a Mbuna tank give me a call or we will talk on Saturday.

 

[longstocking]

The albino red cheeks? This was soooooo many years ago. I'm rusty on my malawi lingo :lol: I know they were from pablo's farm as that is when he came out with all the albino strains.

They got to a good 6 inches. I actually kept them with petros and tropheus. Great match for them.

 

[dogofwar]

The key with auratus (and other crazy mean Melanochromis) is two males and lots of females...and lots of hiding spots. Oh yeah, and a good-sized tank. A good hiding spot approach is to rubberband together pieces of PVC pipe.

Another key is to give females some time after they spit to fatten up before returning them (during a water change or other disruption) to the main tank.

I bred lots of polits in a 2'x2'x1' tank (back in Sacramento). They're not too bad as mbuna go.

One of the nicest but most aggressive mbuna is the zebra variety from Chilumba. Gorgeous light and dark blue barred fish with yellow highlights that gets every bit of 6-7". Males tend to be psychos...

Auratus (or chipokae) and Chilmuba zebras packed together in large groups would be a nice tank

Matt

 

[Rasta Fish]

i think the chipokae is the worst they will hunt and kill anything thats a treat to them even Kenyi ...

 

[davidhusker]

How did it go? Aggression? Inbreeding? Was the setup long-lived/ did everything make it to adult size or breed as sub-adults?

No inbreeding at all. They were all young and grew up in the tank together. Lots of rock and a few clay pots. The male polit was full color. However the demasoni male ran the tank. The polits sort of bullied but nothing any other mbuna wouldnt do. They spawned often. I sold some fry then sold the group since i was switching the tank to Aulonocara.

I wouldnt say they were adult size. They bred as sub-adults, but were almost full grown in size if that makes sense.

 

[verbal]

No inbreeding at all. They were all young and grew up in the tank together. Lots of rock and a few clay pots. The male polit was full color. However the demasoni male ran the tank. The polits sort of bullied but nothing any other mbuna wouldnt do. They spawned often. I sold some fry then sold the group since i was switching the tank to Aulonocara.

I wouldnt say they were adult size. They bred as sub-adults, but were almost full grown in size if that makes sense.

I would make sense from an evolutionary/competition point of view that young males would be focused on breeding and fully adult males would be focused on eliminating competition.

If the young males are too aggressive they have a much higher chance of being eliminated before they produce any offspring. For an old male that is full size he presumably has the advantage in a fight. Also he has already produced offspring, so he does not have the risk of being eliminated before he produces offspring.

 

[Pat Kelly]

What are you guys talking about.
Demasoni are the most peaceful fish around.
I did breed them once.