African cichlids in a 40!
- Thread starter Tankd
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I have 'dwarf' Jewel Cichlids. They are good as long as both are the same sex. If you have a male and a female, when they spawn, they can get real mean.
Without question and won't be long. Brace yourself. Will get bumpy.
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yeah - the bloodbath they're talking about stems from the fact that you've got your hands on some of the most aggressive africans out there. i guess there's a chance if they all grow up together, but the bumble bee and the auratus are killers.
Unfortunately, it's true. With your current stocklist you're not going to get long-term success. Sexual maturity is the time bomb you're waiting for.
M. auratus get nasty. Nasty. They need lots of space and plenty of their own kind to disperse aggression.
The P. acei and M. crabro (bumblebee) get big for mbuna. I know most sources will list them topping out at 6" but I find this to be average size and they reach this size quickly. Most well kept adult acei and crabro I've seen have easily hit 7 or 8".
While acei are the most docile of this group I haven't experienced crabro to be much worse as long as they have space and plenty of it. Once they hit sexual maturity a 4' tank won't be big enough for them. They should have a 6' tank minimum IMO.
If I was you I would look to trade these guys back for something that maxes out at a smaller size and don't exhibit such high conspecific aggression. P. demasoni may be the most readily available to you but they can be pretty rambunctious. You'll need to start with a large group and pull extra males as they pop up to keep the peace.
Look into Cynotilapia species and Pseudotropheus saulosi. P. saulosi would be great for color as males are blue and females are orange/yellow. In most Cynotilapia sp. the females can be very dull compared to males but I personally find female C. "sp. Lion" variants to be subtly attractive.
If you're gonna want to keep males and females together make sure you keep a good ratio of females (3-4) per male. Dominant males will hound females to death if there aren't enough to keep them busy. Avoid keeping species together that look very similar to avoid hybridization. Keeping only males is an option and you won't have to worry about having a lot of or drab females and hybridization.
Keep a breeder net or another tank handy just in case. Mbuna can get really rough and having to "save" females or battle losers is common practice.
There are tons of resources around to get you started on an African tank with lots of color and movement to enjoy.
M. auratus get nasty. Nasty. They need lots of space and plenty of their own kind to disperse aggression.
The P. acei and M. crabro (bumblebee) get big for mbuna. I know most sources will list them topping out at 6" but I find this to be average size and they reach this size quickly. Most well kept adult acei and crabro I've seen have easily hit 7 or 8".
While acei are the most docile of this group I haven't experienced crabro to be much worse as long as they have space and plenty of it. Once they hit sexual maturity a 4' tank won't be big enough for them. They should have a 6' tank minimum IMO.
If I was you I would look to trade these guys back for something that maxes out at a smaller size and don't exhibit such high conspecific aggression. P. demasoni may be the most readily available to you but they can be pretty rambunctious. You'll need to start with a large group and pull extra males as they pop up to keep the peace.
Look into Cynotilapia species and Pseudotropheus saulosi. P. saulosi would be great for color as males are blue and females are orange/yellow. In most Cynotilapia sp. the females can be very dull compared to males but I personally find female C. "sp. Lion" variants to be subtly attractive.
If you're gonna want to keep males and females together make sure you keep a good ratio of females (3-4) per male. Dominant males will hound females to death if there aren't enough to keep them busy. Avoid keeping species together that look very similar to avoid hybridization. Keeping only males is an option and you won't have to worry about having a lot of or drab females and hybridization.
Keep a breeder net or another tank handy just in case. Mbuna can get really rough and having to "save" females or battle losers is common practice.
There are tons of resources around to get you started on an African tank with lots of color and movement to enjoy.
Why not go with some of the haps and peacocks instead. Lot less agressive and nice looking. Yellow blaze O. lithoblates come to mind---probally not correct spelling. Anyways google Yellow blaze cichlid. The males are gorgeous and you could do 4-5 in your tank. Also they are pretty docile as far as agression goes for an African.
