Umbies with mbuna

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lunsforj

lunsforj

Aimara
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2009
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corvallis, OR
I recently bought 2 WC blue Columbian umbies from the Wet Spot in Portland. I have always admired this fish but have never kept them. I have kept CA cichlids since I was 12 years old, everything from octofasciatum through dovii and anything in between including various Amphilophus, Vieja, Thorichthys etc.... I am quite certain they are a male and a female since they are showing strong signs of pair formation despite their small size. The female is around the 3 inch mark where as the male is probably closer to 5.

After observing these fish in their new home for the last 3 weeks or so it is apparent that these guys are quite different from many other CA/SA Cichlasomines. They almost behave more like a big angry hap from lake malawi. They seem very at home in the open spaces of the tank and are almost always in what I would describe as a cruise mode.

These fish are currently living in a standard 6' 125 gallon with my mature group of Frontosa temporarily. I strongly emphasize the word temporarily. As it stands now I am avidly shopping craigslist for a 300+ gallon in order to house them permanently.

My question is this; given their open water nature, has anyone ever kept them with some of the the larger rough and tumble mbuna species as dithers. I feel like some of the more robust Melanochromis, Metriaclima, Bumble bee/kenyi types might actually cohabitate with these bruisers if given the proper cover to do so.
 
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I wouldnt recommend it due to the fact that umbies can be stone cold killers espescially if you have a pair. my male is about 9 inches and housed in a 125 also and loves to swim in the open and is prolly my favorite fish ive ever owned but he already decided that he doesnt want any tankmates. thinking about getting him a nice female from the wet spot as well. it would be cool if you could pull it off though cause that would be an awesome tank. good luck. I may have to try that myself.
 
Not going to work IMO....Your umbie will kill the mbuna eventually.Even with enough hiding places,they have to come out to eat...I wouldnt try it....
 
So is size the real x-factor with umbriferum? Thanks both of you for your responses.

On a side note both of them have their spawning tubes down today. I'm hoping to get lucky and spawn them at such a young age. Here's a couple of pics for reference.
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Am I missing something? Why would you put African Cichs which want a higher ph, in with your Umbees, anyway. You want dithers, use convicts or tinfoil barbs. Not Africans.
 
very nice umbee! I wouldn't recommend as the umbee will eventually kill the fish I've had silver dollars as ditchers for my umbees and the umbee killed it within minutes
 
Madness said:
Am I missing something? Why would you put African Cichs which want a higher ph, in with your Umbees, anyway. You want dithers, use convicts or tinfoil barbs. Not Africans.
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Our well water is naturally around 7.6. I don't think pH is too much of an issue considering umbriferum hail from the eastern part of the Andes in Columbia. Water systems there tend to quite different than the amazon drainage regions of South America where pH and water hardness levels are much lower. Currently my two umbriferum are sharing space with my mature breeding colony of frontosa in a system where the pH is around 8 and are showing no ill effects. The reason I was considering mbuna is they are really fiesty, quick and happy scrapping it out on a regular basis. I thought maybe they would act as a sort of flock of barn swallows that would continuously harass the large red tailed hawk(umbees) but not pose a real threat to their well being.
 
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