Do I have a problem?

[Chad08]

I went to the fish store today and got the following fish to go with my red zebra:

3 Labidochromis caeruleus-Electric Yellows...I think they are all males
2 more Pseudotropheus estherae-Red Zebras
3 Pseudotropheus lombardoi...but I Thought I was getting males...but I researched them and found out the male are an orangish color...so My question is will the Red Zebra breed with my Pseudotropheus lombardi? And are the fish ok together? Also, Would it be ok to get more lombardis and how many? Sorry guys I'm new to Africans. Any advice would be great. Thanks Chad

 

[freddyk]

Hey Chad

Lombardoi males turn orange later, but they all start off blue, so if they're still young you won't be able to tell what sex they are.

Lombardoi are now by far the most aggressive fish in your setup. Whether they work or not is impossible to say - your tank is a good size and you have no real docile mbuna that can't handle them, in general. A couple of extra of these guys would be a good idea, to make sure you end up with enough females, and to distribute the aggression. These guys really need an overstocked tank.

As far as your mbuna you've got a fine mix. There is always the possibility of interbreeding between the varieties of pseudos, but it only really matters if you plant to raise the fry to adulthood, and are unwilling to cull if you discover mutts. The fish will tend toward their own if the females are available though.

As you build up the tank with aggressive mbuna I become more concerned about your peacocks. They generally do not do well in this kind of environment and I'd highly recommend either returning them for more mbuna, or sticking to less aggressive mbuna types.

 

[Chad08]

Thanks a lot for the info. Right after I posted that I found out that all the lombardoi start out blue with black stripes. I think I may have one male and 2 males cuz earlier I looked and one seemed to have lighter stripes that the other two. I have a 37 gallon I plan to move my peacock in. And I plan to add some more peacocks also. How many for a 37 tall? I know tall doesnt help with africans but hey it should work. And possibly to my other 55 that I have 4 goldfish in and I'm setting up outdoor pond (90 gallons) for my goldfish.

 

[Ferris]

Peacocks get pretty big and you're right the tall doesn't help, not an ideal tank type. They generally do not do well with Mbuna, believe me i've tried and had to take Peacocks back on 2 occasions, they are nowhere near as aggressive as Mbuna, especially Estherae and Lombardoi. Sorry

 

[freddyk]

Is that 37 gallon 30" long? It is a very small tank for the fish, but you can do 4 of them in it and get away with it.

 

[Chad08]

Yeah my 37 tall is 30 inches long. Should I add more fish so I can have 15? Five of each. Right now I have 3 of each. And 2 upside down catfish.

 

[Ferris]

I think freddyk is right, 4 of each might be OK, 5 is pushing it.

 

[freddyk]

Chad, you mean to keep the peacocks in the 37, and you want 5 of each of the mbuna in the 55, right?

If I've gotten everything in order, then yes, 5 of each is fine, and 15 is a good number for the 55, plus the catfish.

 

[Chad08]

Yeah peacocks in 37. I probably will get five of each for my 55 mbuna tank.

 

[Ferris]

Yep, sorry lost the plot there, forgot about the 55 . 5 of each Mbuna is no problem in there.