Golden Mbuna Tank

Hello all. I'm considering starting a 75 gallon Golden Mbuna tank. Has anyone personally had experience with owning a tank like this? I know they're extremely aggressive, but they're so pretty. What did you like or dislike?

 

Melanochromis Auratus, are very high octane & aggressive Mbuna, but in a 75 gal. Tank, with a well planned hardscape, a colony of them is doable.
You could even mix in a couple other small colonies of different Mbuna such as Red Top HongI or Exasperatus.
Auratus are common & always on display at Walmart, Petco, ect. They are nice looking cichlids that often end up being the first fish beginning, unassuming African Cichlid keepers buy.
Unfortunately Auratus aren't really a good African to start with due to their high aggression level. Be sure to thoroughly research Auratus.

 

I currently have one. My son named it Boss Baby. Lol. I'm either going to have to get rid of it or get rid of another fish. I'm trying to find out what they're like as far as if they're fun to keep or if I'd be better of with another option. I've researched them well. I'm hoping to find someone with personal experience who can tell me their experience with a Golden Mbuna tank.

 

I keep Africans, mainly Peacocks & Haps. My first African Cichlid was a male Auratus. That was many years ago. I just included him in the mix of non-African fish I was keeping at the time. The Auratus was an overnight serial killer (Lol) and I
quickly removed him.

 

That's what happened to us. We currently have him in a tank with a Jewel Cichlid, a Frontosa, and a bristlenose Pleco. There are tons of hiding spaces, so it works for now, but won't for future state once the Frontosa outgrown his hidey holes. The Mbuna is just too big of a jerk. But he's a pretty cool little guy.

 

My first batch of mbuna included 3 males and one female kenyI and a bunch of others. The one I use as my avatar got removed because he became a killer. Wiped out 4 other fish before I figured out what was going on. One of the remaining two males has now outgrown the rest of the tank and he is digging it up like mad. His aggression level has me thinking he needs to go. All of my other fish are starting to show bites. He is constantly beating on the female but she won’t mate with him.

 

stay away from super aggressive species. They have these reputations for a reason.