Stocking, sex ratio mbuna?

[GermanDude]

Hi,
I am pretty sure I want orange, yellow and blue mbunas for my 100g tank, but don't know what to order online, because different vendors offer several options.

I aim for 3.7 yellow labs and powder blues as well as 5 or 6 female red zebras.
No, I don't raise any fry.

Vendor 1: 10 unsexed yellow labs, same for powder blue cichlids, but 5 red zebra females at 2.5 inches

Vendor 2: 10 unsexed yellow labs, 1.5 blue zebras (roughly 3 inches), 6 red zebra females at 2 to 2.5 inches

Vendor 3:

10 yellow labs and 10 powder blues at 2.25 inches, but unsexed (?) , and 5 red zebra females (blue male morph) at 3 inches

Vendor 4: all three wanted mbunas at 1,75 - 2 inches, red zebras slightly bigger, promises to try his best to assort the wanted sex ratio.

Vendor 5:

all I want, surely sexed, but more than double the price! All mbunas about 3 to 3.5 inches.

What would you do?

Thanks in advance, happy independence day!

 

[tlindsey]

Hi,
I am pretty sure I want orange, yellow and blue mbunas for my 100g tank, but don't know what to order online, because different vendors offer several options.

I aim for 3.7 yellow labs and powder blues as well as 5 or 6 female red zebras.
No, I don't raise any fry.

Vendor 1: 10 unsexed yellow labs, same for powder blue cichlids, but 5 red zebra females at 2.5 inches

Vendor 2: 10 unsexed yellow labs, 1.5 blue zebras (roughly 3 inches), 6 red zebra females at 2 to 2.5 inches

Vendor 3:

10 yellow labs and 10 powder blues at 2.25 inches, but unsexed (?) , and 5 red zebra females (blue male morph) at 3 inches

Vendor 4: all three wanted mbunas at 1,75 - 2 inches, red zebras slightly smaller, promises to try his best to assort the wanted sex ratio.

Vendor 5:

all I want, surely sexed, but more than double the price! All mbunas about 3 to 3.5 inches.

What would you do?

Thanks in advance, happy independence day!

james99
RD.

 

[GermanDude]

You like confused mbuna newbies, tlindsey?

 

[james99]

Either option will work. All 3 species are hard to sex and will have to be vented to know for sure. I would get double of each and just re-home males until you get what you want.

 

[tlindsey]

You like confused mbuna newbies, tlindsey?

Tbh I don't have too much experience myself lol.

 

[RD.]

Easy decision if it was me ..……..

Vendor 5:

all I want, surely sexed, but more than double the price! All mbunas about 3 to 3.5 inches.

 

[GermanDude]

Thanks, you are great, trying to help me immediatly!
But no one wants male mbunas here, everybody is looking for more females unfortunately.
And I have no other tank, except the severum's one.
I think he would not appreciate an exiled rowdy red zebra male.

I 've read, when yellow labs and powder blues live in groups of about ten fish, sex ratio is not that important. That makes me think I prefer vendor number 3?
What is your experience about this?

 

[RD.]

I 've read, when yellow labs and powder blues live in groups of about ten fish, sex ratio is not that important.

I would not live & die by that information. Sex ratio is always important, at least to some extent.

Years ago I had a group of yellow labs in a 6ft 125. I don't recall for certain what else was in with them at the time, but I believe a group of P. cyaneorhabdos, possibly something else. Groups of 10-12 fish. After 2-3 yrs of living in harmony one day the dominant male yellow lab swam across the tank to where the sub dom male was hanging out, and tore him up to the point that the sub dominant male later died from his injuries. The sub dom male had been showing off to females for a few days prior to this attack, and attempting to mate with a few of them. Sex always matters.

Had there been 3-4 males this probably wouldn't have happened, too much at risk for the dom male, and I believe that he would have played things smarter/safer with additional males present.

 

[RD.]

Here's the thing that you need to remember, the most dominant male mbuna in this tank could potentially dominate the entire tank, and possibly all of the females. The chances of that are much greater when there is only 1 male of the species present, or too many males, and not enough females to go around. All this collection of fish does is eat, fight, and breed. IME you either buy exactly what you want, which will hopefully result in a sexual balance of sorts, or you do as James stated and buy unsexed and tweak the m/f ratio as the fish mature.

 

[GermanDude]

So better spend 400 bucks at number 5 is the best thing to do!

Please don't hit me, but I am thinking of buying a hap/peacock, all male stock instead,at least as alternative.
It shows a tank close to what I am thinking of.
There are a couple of same species males- and all colored up, no youngsters no more.
Really like it.
But I would have no females at all.