Ahh! Malawi!
- Thread starter L021
- Start date
That's kind of what I'm going for, a large group of zebras and a large group of melanchromis. The maindango is dark blue, and really doesn't look much like/interact with the auratus. The yellow lab is STILL ruling over everyone. Anyways, could I do the zebra/auratus group I previously mentioned? I previously thought this was all going to heck, but most of my species are ID'ed as equally aggressive, with the exception of the lab, who's a bit of an exception unto himself, what with chasing my other ones. So far I've got melanchromis, metraclima, the kenyis and the lab. If I find a way to get rid of the kenyis I'll get myself to do it, but the only place I can get rid of them would likely use them as feeders, or would end up as such in the african tank.Blue2Fyre;4461488; said:
Metriaclima and melanchromis are genus names not species names. If you want auratus and red zebras then that should be ok. It may not work out though and you'll have to be ready for that.
Like I said before maindango=maingano which look VERY similar to male auratus and have the exact same pattern as female and male auratus. Patters seem to be more important to mbuna than color.
Also as I said before, yellow labs seem to be more aggressive when small. Once the other fish mature the lab will most likely be bullied.
You'r fish are still very small so you won't know for sure how it turns out until they start maturing. Then the true aggression will come out. It could work with the red zebras auratus and kenyi since they look fairly different. But these guys are known for killing their females and other members of the tank. I had a red zebra group for a while until the male thought it would be fun to start killing his females. This started right after he hit 3 inches.
Like I said before maindango=maingano which look VERY similar to male auratus and have the exact same pattern as female and male auratus. Patters seem to be more important to mbuna than color.
Also as I said before, yellow labs seem to be more aggressive when small. Once the other fish mature the lab will most likely be bullied.
You'r fish are still very small so you won't know for sure how it turns out until they start maturing. Then the true aggression will come out. It could work with the red zebras auratus and kenyi since they look fairly different. But these guys are known for killing their females and other members of the tank. I had a red zebra group for a while until the male thought it would be fun to start killing his females. This started right after he hit 3 inches.
^The only male in the tank is the Lab, maybe the maingano...
Ah, yes, just remembered most fish are color blind *wall*. At any rate, if I'm doing auratus/red zebra, should I get more to stop the aggression or hold the cards and see how it plays out?
Ah, yes, just remembered most fish are color blind *wall*. At any rate, if I'm doing auratus/red zebra, should I get more to stop the aggression or hold the cards and see how it plays out?
How do you know they are male? Honestly they look way too small to tell for sure. Mainganos are super difficult to tell gender without venting them. Getting more of each should help with the aggression. In a 55 gallon you are looking at 15-18 individuals with plenty of rocks and hiding places.
Got it. I found slate when I was at Big Als, which I'll collect and stack when I can. I can't tell the maingano, but I'm assuming the lab is male based on behavior, though I guess that's not very professional. The auratus are abut 2" and 3" ATM, and no evidence of changing colors. Here's what I'm considering for a rough stock plan, any suggestions are appreciated 
10 auratus
6 zebras
Along with any others that make it through that disaster stock plan (kenyi, etc)
What should I do for m/f on the auratus? PetSmart has a tank of females and one male, should I do that or stick to female only?
10 auratus
6 zebras
Along with any others that make it through that disaster stock plan (kenyi, etc)
What should I do for m/f on the auratus? PetSmart has a tank of females and one male, should I do that or stick to female only?
They aren't morphs they are different species. Red zebras are Metriaclima estherae and cobalt zebras are Metriaclima callainos. I tried a tank once with a bunch of different zebra species but it ended up being a war zone once they matured.
