My Stock List

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Any advice on how my Demasoni and Auratus will be long term? I have heard they are 2 of the most aggressive cichlids around.....although people do love to exaggerate

The convict is a baby I was given...i stuck him in and shes fine...will keep a eye out and put it in another tank if it gets picked on to much.....the Female kribensis is still in there from my old New World tank...never can catch her as she hides in the rocks...so again will keep a close eye.

Of the other non Mbunas....the Clown Loaches fit in fine and actually bug the Mbuna swimming with them all the time the Bristlenose...although not in its native PH/hardness seems to be happy and growing well (extremley fast!) and the Jewel cichlid i plan to get is for a little bit of red in the tank...it seems these are commonly kept with Mbuna but again will be under a watchful eye with another tank set up incase of anything bad.

What do you think of my wanted list and my current Mbuna mix?

Dont give me to much of a hard tiem about the non Mbunas...i do know its not normal to keep them with Mbuna and they come from different enviroments....they are being watched closely....they dont even interact with my Mbuna in anyway and there is a tank in my garage ready to be set up if a problem should arise.

5 x Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric Yellow Labs)
2 x Labidochromis perlmutt
2 x Labidochromis Hongi
1 x Pseudotropheus estherae (Red Zebra)
2 x Pseudotropheus socolofi
1 x Pseudotropheus Demasoni
2 x Pseudotropheus Elongatus Mpanga
1 x Pseudotropheus Kingsizei or Cynotilapia Afra White top...unsure.
4 x Pseudotropheus callaninos (Cobalt Blue Zebra)
2 x Pseudotropheus Greshakei (Ice Blue zebra)
2 x Melanochromis auratus
1 x Melanochromis Johanii

non Mbuna

1 x Archocentrus nigrofasciatus (Convict Cichlid)
1 x Pelvichromis Pulcher (Female Kribensis)
2 x Chromobotia macracanthus (Clown Loach)
1 x Ancistrus Sp. (Bristlenose Plec)

This is what I want to finish my stocking.....a

1 x Female Bumblebee cichlid (Pseudotropheus Crabro)
5 x Yellow labs
3 x Melanochromis auratus
2 x Pseudotropheus socolofi
2 x Red Zebras
4 x Pseudotropheus Elongatus ruarwe (neon spot)
4 x Pseudotropheus acei Msuli
1 x Featherfin Synodontis catfish
1 x Hemichromis bimaculatus (female Red Jewel Cichlid)

 

[dthoffsett]

If I recall correctly most if not all of your fish are still juveniles/young adults right? TBH to call you stocking successful from an aggression stand point you'll need to wait a year until they are all adults and breeding regularly. If you have had few to no deaths due to aggression you have a successful tank, if you have frequent deaths then you seriously need to rethink your stocking.

P.demasoni are well know for their aggression, but if you've done any reading on them you'll know it's their conspecific aggression that causes problems. When kept as a single specimen in a mbuna/malawi community they tend to be more reserved, even shy. Again, M.auratus are very well know for their aggression and there's a reason for it, unlike P.demasoni, with M.auratus everyone is fair game and they rarely work out long term, and there is not exaggeration in that statement, if anything I'm understating things.

The biggest problem I see with your stocking (aside from keeping the M.auratus) is that some of the species you are keeping groups and yet others you have one or two of each. This may be a problem when breeding starts, the species that don't have enough females or if they are only females will likely try to interbreed with the other species. That or if you have 1 male and 1 female of a species the female may be constantly pestered by the male. My suggestion would be to fill out the numbers on the species you have instead of having only one or two of multiple species. Or, rehome any females and keep an all male tank though that creates challenges of its own.

Hopefully all of that made sense, I've been on the road all day and I'm a little spacey. If there's something you didn't understand just ask and I'll clarify.

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Nah its all good, thats the kinda advice i'm after

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

I think when i finish stocking the majority will be in larger groups if you look at my wanted list....I want more mixed species rather than fewer....lots of mixed colours.

A couple of local breeders say Auratus are easy...so i'm still on the fence on the 'internet' opinion until i see it first hand.

If any interspecies issues arise i'll address it then, problem is most where given to me as a group and to get more is a issue....there is a mix of ages/sizes in my tank between 3"-5" notably the 2 Aurautus and Demasoni are all 3"....if anything with the Demasoni i'm concered how they will react to the similar looking species such as the Mpanga....same with the Auratus with my Electirc Blue Johanni (which i was planning more to but heard the Auratus will give them a very hard time)

My final stocking idea would be

10 x Labidochromis caeruleus (Electric Yellow Labs)
2 x Labidochromis perlmutt
2 x Labidochromis Hongi
3 x Pseudotropheus estherae (Red Zebra)
4 x Pseudotropheus socolofi
1 x Pseudotropheus Demasoni
2 x Pseudotropheus Elongatus Mpanga
1 x Pseudotropheus Kingsizei or Cynotilapia Afra White top...unsure.
4 x Pseudotropheus callaninos (Cobalt Blue Zebra)
2 x Pseudotropheus Greshakei (Ice Blue zebra)
5 x Melanochromis auratus
1 x Melanochromis Johanii
1 x Female Bumblebee cichlid (Pseudotropheus Crabro)
4 x Pseudotropheus Elongatus ruarwe (neon spot)
4 x Pseudotropheus acei Msuli

non Mbuna

1 x Hemichromis bimaculatus (female Red Jewel Cichlid)
1 x Archocentrus nigrofasciatus (Convict Cichlid)
1 x Pelvichromis Pulcher (Female Kribensis)
2 x Chromobotia macracanthus (Clown Loach)
1 x Ancistrus Sp. (Bristlenose Plec)
1 x Featherfin Synodontis catfish