Breeding group for a 40 gallon that are also good hosts for cuckoo catfish?

[Omrit]

I have a 40 gallon that I would like to keep a breeding group of some sort of mouthbrooding African cichlid in.

I want to accomplish two things with this tank. First I want a tank with an attractive mouthbrooder. Second I have a group of cuckoo catfish in my 300 gallon that are old enough to breed and I would like to try my hand at that at some point as well.

Are there any cichlids that would be a good fit? The Auratus(golden mbuna) had initially caught my eye. I especially like that the male and female look different while both being colorful.

After more research I wonder if they will be too aggressive for my cuckoo catfish to use as a host though? I have never seen a cichlid that reacted to a synodontis, but still the auratus is so infamous that I worry.

Maybe someone has a better suggestion(aside from yellow labs ideally).

 

[danotaylor]

What size and how many in the cuckoo cat group?
I have a small breeding group of 3” red bishop tropheus in a 40B. 2M14F. Once upon a time I would never have suggested or tried this, as a 75gal has always been my “smallest” appropriate tank for tropheus. I saw a planted 40B w an ikola group a decided to give it a try. The bishops have been in the 40 for 3 weeks now, no adverse aggression, seem to be doing ok for now, 3 females holding eggs already. We’ll see.
A small group of trophs could work…until they hit 4”+ of course

There are other labidichromis species other than yellow labs that might work. I love the Chisumulae & Mbamba

 

[DJRansome]

I would want a 72" tank for auratus. What are the dimensions of your 40G? Not sure if I would keep 5 Synodontis multipunctatus in a tank that small. I would probably try a timid hap like Lethrinops.

Note they do not breed regularly for me. I had maybe 2 spawns in 15 years in a six foot tank.

 

[phreeflow]

If it were my tank, I’d go with pseudotropheus saulosi. They’re on the smaller side, milder than most mbuna, and are dimorphic with males being blue and females yellow.

 

[Omrit]

I would want a 72" tank for auratus. What are the dimensions of your 40G? Not sure if I would keep 5 Synodontis multipunctatus in a tank that small. I would probably try a timid hap like Lethrinops.

Note they do not breed regularly for me. I had maybe 2 spawns in 15 years in a six foot tank.

I was hoping to return the synodontis to the main display after their first breeding which I assumed would take weeks not months. The 40 is going to be a problem then for sure.

Synodontis aside do auratus need a 72 inch tank even for a mono-species group? The male is that bad?