ALBINO stocking.

[..puSkar..]

The lfs got in two albino groups .
Wanted to know of these guys could do well in a 40*20*20 ?
I'd just go with 1 species group .
How many should I stock it with ? And should I put in many caves and territories or less ? Thanks.

 

[DJRansome]

I would not put mbuna in a 40" tank. Greshakei is more aggressive than socolofi.

For socolofi I would want 48x12 minimum. For Greshakei I would want 48x18 minimum.

 

[..puSkar..]

Would like to know a word from RD. J Joshuakahan Milingu

 

[RD.]

I would not put mbuna in a 40" tank. Greshakei is more aggressive than socolofi.

For socolofi I would want 48x12 minimum. For Greshakei I would want 48x18 minimum.

I concur with this previous comment.

 

[..puSkar..]

I concur with this previous comment.

Could I do yellow labs ? If so how many ?
I personally like shellies , but they're not available . It's just your regular mbuna ( yellow labs/ albino/auratus/kenyi/bumblebee) , jewels , and peacocks that are readily available . And yes also a hap ( venustus)

 

[RD.]

I kept & bred different strains of L. caeruleus for many years, using different sized set ups, and even for the less aggro species, I would still recommend a 48" long tank. (55 gallon)

One day after 2 yrs of being together in the same 125 gallon tank with several females, my dom male lab swam across the full length of the tank & tore into a sub dom male that had been flexing his muscles. By the time I got a net, it was already over. Mbuna are nasty pieces of work, numbers help distribute aggression, tight spaces do not.

 

[Deadeye]

I tried mbunas in a 36 gallon tank, about 30x11 at the shortest and 30x15 at the widest. It didn’t really end well, once one thing got upset in the setup it all went to hell.
I understand why a 4 foot tank is a month.
Only ones I could consider for a tank your size is some of the smaller mbunas that don’t get over 3-4 inches, but territorial wars will still be a very big problem.

 

[RD.]

If your heart is set on Mbuna, and you only have access to the more common species, in a 40x20x20, you could probably get away with 1 male, and 6-7 female L. caeruleus without too much issue. If they are unsexable sizes, buy enough to weed out a few extra males as they mature. Give the females plenty of escape routes, and hidey holes. Feed sparingly, keep them small. In the wild adult males are typically a max of 3 - 3.75" TL, females 3" and under. Check out this past discussion for what wild labs look like.
Wild Caught Labidochromis caeruleus "Lion's Cove" | MonsterFishKeepers.com

 

[Milingu]

I would not put mbuna in a 40" tank. Greshakei is more aggressive than socolofi.

For socolofi I would want 48x12 minimum. For Greshakei I would want 48x18 minimum.

Agreed.
For the greshakei 48*18 can be enough if you keep only one male with a group of females and he doesn't pick any other fish as his permanent target. I would normally recommend at least 60*18 if you want to keep it with other mbuna.

 

[..puSkar..]

If your heart is set on Mbuna, and you only have access to the more common species, in a 40x20x20, you could probably get away with 1 male, and 6-7 female L. caeruleus without too much issue. If they are unsexable sizes, buy enough to weed out a few extra males as they mature. Give the females plenty of escape routes, and hidey holes. Feed sparingly, keep them small. In the wild adult males are typically a max of 3 - 3.75" TL, females 3" and under. Check out this past discussion for what wild labs look like.
Wild Caught Labidochromis caeruleus "Lion's Cove" | MonsterFishKeepers.com

The one's available are 1-1.5" , should I get 10 or more so that I could weed them out ?
And by when should I start weeding?