Mbuna combo :)

bubbles1

Kk so short story quick 55 gallon, mbuna biotope, no mbuna and need advice!

K so here's my first attempt, btw majority females 1 male for each combo, tell me what you think!

4 yellow labs
4 esthereae
4 kenyi
4 Auratus
4 socofoli
3 hongi
3 petricola
1 bristle nose Pleco
Pair of kribs

rrcoolj

No kribs that is a recipe for disaster. The kenyi and Auratus are too aggressive so I would scratch them too. Also you should not mix yellow labs and estherae because they have a tendency to hybridize. Pick one or the other.

Tazman

Mbuna are harem fish, so would you want 1 male to 4 Females otherwise you'll see aggression to the weaker less dominant fish.

Auratus and Kenyi are extremely aggressive fish and you would want more than a 1m4f ratio, probably near 1M 6F. This way the male when he gets into spawning mode, will take his aggression out on several females and not beat on one and kill her.

They can also quite easily take over half of a 55 Gallon tank and will defend it extremely aggressively.

You want to really aim for 3 species of about 12-15 fish maximum in a 55g.

You have a very aggressive stock list there and I hate to say it but it will cause major problems in a 55G which WILL result in a lot of dead fish.

Yellow Labs and Red Zebra will crossbreed, so if you want to keep them, DO NOT sell, giveaway, trade any of the fry, they will all be hybrids.

Here is a stock list that would be more suited to a 55g tank.

Metriaclima estherae
Pseudotropheus saulosi
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei"
Labidochromis caeruleus
Iodotropheus sprengerae
Cynotilapia Afra

Max of 12-15 fish spread over 3 species. (More if they are juveniles until they are old enough to sex), This will allow 1M 4F ratios to be established.

bubbles1

Okay so how about this ?

Trio estherae
Trio socofoli
Trio of labeotrophues trewawvasae
Trio of crabro
Trio of cyanberahbos
Trio of synodontis
Ok it not neccisarily what most recommended.. But can it work? Or can some one please make me a stock list cause I'm really bad at this lol :) thanks!

rrcoolj

The crabro and trewavasae are too aggressive for this tank and get too large for a 55 gallon tank. I have never heard of the 5th species and it is not showing up on google. I would reccomend getting hongi and rusty cichlids to replace those heavy hitters you chose. Remember to aim for a 2-1 or 3-1 ratio. And you must over filter.

Tazman

4-1 is the best ratio to aim for, it will help spread aggression once the fish get to breeding size. Mbuna females can be just as aggressive as males so it is best to aim for that ratio. You do NOT want trios...can cause problems.

I have been keeping mbuna for 10+ years and also have never heard of that 5th species, can you provide a link to where you found it?

bubbles1

Uhhm I might have spelt it slightly wrong but it's more commonly known as Maingano (pseudotropheus cyanbeorhabdos)
And okay so how about this:

4 rusties
4 Maingano
6 saulusi
4 estherae
4 socofoli

How about now? :p

Tazman

too many species for the size tank.

Really you want 3 species, 4 Maingano - NO - too aggressive in that size tank.

4 rusties - Nice - I would keep them but in 1M 4F
4 Maingano - NO too aggressive.
6 saulusi - Can keep them, nice fish.
4 estherae - 1M 4F, get to about 6"
4 socofoli - They should not be kept in any ratio less than 1m 4f or 1m5f. I would not recommend keeping these in groups of less than five because they tend to harass each other to death. With a larger group, aggression is spread out and the chaser tends to lose the chased in the crowd.

With mbuna you really cannot have that many fish in a 55G tank, as I mentioned before you are looking for about 12 fish MAXIMUM.

Unless you like pulling bodies out, then this is what you should be aiming for in a 55g Tank.

The list I posted in an earlier post is what you should be looking at, aggressive mbuna are hard to keep, need a larger tank and also spare tanks so to remove any beat up or aggressive fish. Being a beginner with them, I cannot stress enough that you STAY AWAY from the aggressive species. It will likely only result in DEAD fish quickly.

It is your personal choice but not only is it not going to be a happy environment for your fish, it will likely only lead to heartache and a hit on your wallet.

I have 2 mbuna tanks, 75G with mixed mbuna and a 180G with all male Haps/Peacocks.

ladayen

Also you dont need 3 pleco. You could try 1 bristlenose. Mbuna may or may not tolerate it.

Tazman

agreed on not needing 3 Plecos,

I have 3 in my 75g and 6 Synodontis in my 180G tank. BN are hit and miss with mbuna.