My Mbu is OK with tank mates (meaning he doesn't eat them, so long as I don't dump them in with his lights on, as he hits anything that hits the water). His tank mates up to this point have been a Chinese Algae Eater and 11 Neolamprologus marunguensis. These are great because they are attractive and elegant and mellow.
To add some colour I recently added three lemon yellow labs (basically hybrid Labidochromis, but brighter yellow without any black on the fins). He did not seem to mind them for the first few days. They are kind of obnoxious and huge pigs, constantly charging around when I am in the room, begging for food. They occasionally bonk into the Mbu (who is about six inches). As I say, this did not seem to bother him initially. He was the same as always, coasting around, tail fanned, begging for food, etc. Last night and today, however, he has been sulking in a back top corner, nose in, mottled and unhappy looking. Water is the same as always and pretty much perfect (untraceable nitrate, no ammonia or nitrite, 77 degrees). He is still happy to feed if I drop in a snail or a crayfish or a clam or a prawn, so I don't think he is sick. I am guessing these rambunctious fish are bugging him.
I will probably give it a couple of weeks and see if things change, and remove them if not. I suppose I am just wondering if others have found their Mbu sensitive to things like this and whether they got over it. Or, if thanyone thinks it might be something else.
To add some colour I recently added three lemon yellow labs (basically hybrid Labidochromis, but brighter yellow without any black on the fins). He did not seem to mind them for the first few days. They are kind of obnoxious and huge pigs, constantly charging around when I am in the room, begging for food. They occasionally bonk into the Mbu (who is about six inches). As I say, this did not seem to bother him initially. He was the same as always, coasting around, tail fanned, begging for food, etc. Last night and today, however, he has been sulking in a back top corner, nose in, mottled and unhappy looking. Water is the same as always and pretty much perfect (untraceable nitrate, no ammonia or nitrite, 77 degrees). He is still happy to feed if I drop in a snail or a crayfish or a clam or a prawn, so I don't think he is sick. I am guessing these rambunctious fish are bugging him.
I will probably give it a couple of weeks and see if things change, and remove them if not. I suppose I am just wondering if others have found their Mbu sensitive to things like this and whether they got over it. Or, if thanyone thinks it might be something else.
