Any success mixing Haps/Peacocks/Mbuna?

[SCZ28]

I recently had my 120g tank free up(my F1 trimac died) and want to set up an African tank. I have mainly kept SA/CA cichilds in the past but never an African tank. Looking through all the fish I like a mix of all of them but it seems mixing the 3 is not a good idea but going species specific or Hap/Peacock male tank.

With the tank being decent size is there any way to make a mixed setup work assuming similar diets for the fish selected?

Any input is appreciated.

[mahemaheman85]

haps are ok to mix with peacocks but mbuna should pretty much only be kept with other mbuna, have you considered maybe a group of fronts??

[SCZ28]

haps are ok to mix with peacocks but mbuna should pretty much only be kept with other mbuna, have you considered maybe a group of fronts??

The guy who I bought my 240g from had it setup as a Front tank and it was nice but not what I am looking to do.

[BarroomHero]

I have an all male hap/peacock tank, with the exception of 2 mbuna. I have 1 male yellow lab and 1 male Rusty cichlid, everyone has been getting along fine but I have only had the tank up for about 2-3 months. For the most part mbuna are too aggressive for haps and peacocks, but my to mbuna are very mild mannered.

[jhutch]

I have mixed mbuna and haps, haps and peacocks, and mbuna and peacocks. The mbuna and peacocks was a mistake as I lost most of my peacocks. The mbuna and haps was a good mix because the haps were to big to really be bothered by the attempts of the mbuna to harass them. I still have a tank with haps and peacocks mixed and they are doing great.

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

we have a tank that has mbuna mixed with haps, but the haps definitely get pushed around. ideally, I wouldn't mix mbuna with haps, but if the tank is large enough no harm in trying.

[mike dunagan]

I tried on many occasion in many tanks with many different mixes. All failed.

[ibr3ak]

Same here, all mbuna but yellow labs were way too hyper in a peacock tank.

[roombo]

my tank is 3 months old, no aggression and all have fry

[Pagan]

I've had all three in my 75 for over a year with no problems. But, I firmly believe that I was just lucky and got unusually mellow Mbuna's. I think I have the only Red Zebra that will run from peacocks/haps half his size.

[ikevi]

As said, usually a bad idea in the long run. Hap/Peacocks tend to work well. (Assuming your haps aren't so big they see the peacocks as food). And yellow labs are about the only mbuna that never caused a problem.

(Heck I have had zebras take chunks out of haps 3-4 times there size... and the haps couldn't really do anything to stop it from happening.)

And honestly if you do buy haps/peacocks you likely aren't going to want to chance killing/hurting them with cheaper mbuna. If you do try it just be prepaired to buy another tank...

[SCZ28]

Is there any magic number to male to female ratio for an Mbuna tank?

[navygirl76]

i have tried mixing the malawi haps with mbuna-and failed miserably.. just remember if a fish can cram another fish in their mouths in any way-they will! lol..i had a huge male venustus i grew out with a few dozen mbuna, and he was fine for about the first year, then one day started eating his tankmates (the tank was 180 gallons). so he had to be separated.. which sucked because he loved his big tank.

id keep mbuna by themselves.. and you can mix some of the smaller haps with peacocks..

i do have a flameback (Victorian) mixed in with my mbuna, and he seems to be doing good, but i think they overwhelm him sometimes and he gets stressed.

ive also learned that sci. fryeri dont do well mixed with mbuna. i have a male that was stressed to the point of starving, but the female seems to be okay with the mbuna for now. He's a beautiful male, i have him in another tank right now but ill need that tank soon for my sa/ca stock. so i dont know what ill do with him..

[mike dunagan]

My males fyri also was stress to death, but they let the females live with problems...

[Allan01230]

I have been keeping fish for a long time. Haven't done Africans in awhile. Anyways tried to put some mbuna in with my large haps in my 90. I failed miserably. The worst was a 4 inch P.elongotus. He kept harrassing my boreyli constantly. I had a lot of rockwork and plants in this tank and the zebras were impossible with the haps. Even terrorized my 10 inch buccochromis. Only electric yellow were mellow. I guess everyone was right. IT DOES NOT WORK IN THE LONG RUN. Anyone that think it does try a few adult male pseudotropheus elongotus. LOL

[mitchkulis]

Yeah i would just stick to mbuna. Or get a bigger tank so the mbuna dont get cramped and angry and unleash on the haps.:(

[NOLAGT]

I have only had my tank for a short time now but I have had 0 problems with my mix of the 3. Its all male haps and peacocks but the usual pack of 4 male yellow labs but I also added 7 acei (yellow fin) into the mix. They all get along pretty good. I went with the acei's because there not as agressive, they school a little and interact mostly with them selves, swim in the upper reagons of the tank where as the others are lower, and eat algae off wood and I have a decient amount of wood for them with 800w of MH light. The only bully of the tank is my flavescent....he runs the show but the fins are staying in tact so far. Those are the only ones I would mix.

[mikem2]

...

[mikem2]

I have mixed mbuna and haps, haps and peacocks, and mbuna and peacocks. The mbuna and peacocks was a mistake as I lost most of my peacocks. The mbuna and haps was a good mix because the haps were to big to really be bothered by the attempts of the mbuna to harass them. I still have a tank with haps and peacocks mixed and they are doing great.


:iagree::mwave::clap