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August 4th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| help ID this cichlid please :)
just wondering what type of cichlid this is :
the black and the yellow one please  | 
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| Melanochromis auratus, Malawi mbuna, nasty disposition in general. Males claim about a 4-5' territory. Males are black, females yellow. | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddnbecka  Melanochromis auratus, Malawi mbuna, nasty disposition in general. Males claim about a 4-5' territory. Males are black, females yellow. | wow i thought they were like normaly behaviored cichlids. Whats the minimum to keep 1 or 2? | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| Malawi mbuna are some tough customers in general, and auratus are probably the worst of the lot. I'd recommend a 75 for one male or a breeding group (1m/3-4f) with plenty of rocks for cover. You could also mix some other similarly aggressive mbuna with them like cobalt zebras. They're an inexpensive and commonly available fish, mass-produced in outdoor ponds in Florida. That, along with their overall nasty disposition, makes it hard to move fry along if they do breed. Very few folks who know better will want any, and the rest will soon find out about them the hard way. | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| haha ok then they are out of my list then  any "nicer" ones i could keep in a 32? maybe just a pair? | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| Not many Malawi cichlids will work in that size tank. SA or CA fish would be a better option. Honduran red points would be fine, similar in size to convicts but overall much easier to get along with. Geophagus are another possibility. What species do you have available to choose from? | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddnbecka Not many Malawi cichlids will work in that size tank. SA or CA fish would be a better option. Honduran red points would be fine, similar in size to convicts but overall much easier to get along with. Geophagus are another possibility. What species do you have available to choose from? | pffft lets just say my LFS doesnt have their names written down. I know they have
mbuna
they have BP's (dyed unfortunatly)
Oscars
and what seem to be Jelly bean cons. but i am still not sure. They are labeled as " albino parrots" but they are not even close to looking like a BP | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| Ask them to order something suitable in for you? | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddnbecka Ask them to order something suitable in for you? | i already ordered some cons (that i am sure are cons) so i will be getting them in around 2-3 weeks | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| Great, now you just need something to eat convict fry... If you were within shipping range I could hook you up with some great cichlids for that size tank. I have a few dozen chanchito juvies I'm about to start listing on aquabid. Similar in size to convicts, but nowhere near as aggressive and much better looking. Unlike the cons, you could keep a school of tetras or something similar, and a BN or two in the tank along with a pair. | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddnbecka Great, now you just need something to eat convict fry... If you were within shipping range I could hook you up with some great cichlids for that size tank. I have a few dozen chanchito juvies I'm about to start listing on aquabid. Similar in size to convicts, but nowhere near as aggressive and much better looking. Unlike the cons, you could keep a school of tetras or something similar, and a BN or two in the tank along with a pair. | i dont think im within shipping range 
im in mexico. I amjust undecided between a community or con tank. its so hard to CHOOSE! | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| Community tanks can be great eye candy, but cichlids have more personality. You could probably keep some danios with the cons for dither fish. A raphael catfish would also work, provided it had a hiding place far enough away from the con's territory. It would clean up fry after dark. | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| but arent raphael catfish too large for my tank? i already looked into those  | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| How big is your tank? One should be alright in a 36" wide tank. They don't grow much over 8". | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| yup its 36" long | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| That's large enough for one raphael. I'm not sure how territorial/conspecific aggressive they are, and there's no way to sex them, so I wouldn't try 2 in hopes they're a compatible pair... | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Those are def mel aurartus. The toughest of the tough when it comes to mbuna... This is the one species I thought I would breed, I bought a male/female and within a day the male killed several of my mbuna.
I took them back to the lfs... and didn't even bother with a store credit or refund..
They do need at least a 55g tank, high pH, hard water with loads of caves. ALso stocking 12+ mbuna in a 55g tank to lower aggression (ha, lower aggression with that species? I don't really think its possible).... | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| well i have a male and 2 females and hes ok so far had him for close to a week the male is the biggest in the tank him and my lab male get along so far but he aurtas chases his femlaes for sure he is a really cool fish!!!!! i guess its all on the individual | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| I agree with angela...they are mean critters..I have one male in my 75 tank and he is tank boss...even compared to a 6 inch con....but im overstocked and he keeps everyone in line and not a fish for a 36 gal for sure.... | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| maybe mine will get mean but he has 2 felames to keep him busy and pleanty of caves so ill see how it goes | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| ok thanks y'all! ya i was just wondering what they were
they have very catchy colors IMO | |
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August 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| i named mine deisel cause hes a beast  | |
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