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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
My all albino cichlid I noticed has lavender spots on its gills. Does that help to identify what kind it is?
My new 115G Cichlid tank - What you think?
- Thread starter spoonman
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Sicklid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Regarding your question on the Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, I believe it is the same fish as the maingano, the nomenclature (name) has been revised. This happens often in the fish world, especially cichlids... The scientific community just seems to constantly change the names of these fish just to confuse us!
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
Can you get a clear close up of the albino? Does it have any color at all in the fins? A faint blue or yellow?
An albino Blueberry (which I am getting tomorrow) is white with a blueish sheen to it. An albino Greshakei is white with yellowish fins. A Ice White Cobalt Zebra is a white with fluorescent blue to it. If the store still has some from the same batch your chances are good of getting more of the same.
So many look so alike it can be really hard to tell. I make sure to write down the scientific name when I buy so I can go home and look it up to make sure that is what I got.
Your fish could be a Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos. Only you will be able to really tell. The Johani males are blue, females are orange. The cyaneorhabdos are the same color. I just suggest to watch it and if it gets too aggressive return it. All the Melanochromis species are really aggressive and best to stay away from until you have had Africans a long time. Another one to watch out for is the Demasoni. It is a beautiful blue striped fish, but you can only keep one or 12. It is highly aggressive towards its own kind so needs to be kept to a single fish or a lot of fish. I had a single male for a long time until it died on me. It was the sweetest fish on its own.
Try to pick fish that don't resemble each other. Example, if you get a blue striped fish the Jo may attack it because it looks too similar. Keep only Electric Yellow Labs, don't get any other yellow fish like a male Kenyi, that are yellow as adults. If males see another male that looks similar to it, it will fight with the new one.
My set up is very bright and beautiful. It is filled with the common fish store fish, with a couple I grabbed when they came in that are harder to find. I have the purple/blue of the Acei, the deep orange of the Red Zebra, the bright yellow of the Yellow Labs. I have a ice blue color in my Greshakei and a light lavender in my Hongi yet tho, its still young and a dark purple most of the time).
You would have a very beautiful display if you up your numbers of the ones you have except for the Johani. The Labs, Zebras and Acei will get along fine when they grow up. They will chase each other and have little wars, but that is the way it is with Mbuna, what makes them so interesting.
An albino Blueberry (which I am getting tomorrow) is white with a blueish sheen to it. An albino Greshakei is white with yellowish fins. A Ice White Cobalt Zebra is a white with fluorescent blue to it. If the store still has some from the same batch your chances are good of getting more of the same.
So many look so alike it can be really hard to tell. I make sure to write down the scientific name when I buy so I can go home and look it up to make sure that is what I got.
Your fish could be a Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos. Only you will be able to really tell. The Johani males are blue, females are orange. The cyaneorhabdos are the same color. I just suggest to watch it and if it gets too aggressive return it. All the Melanochromis species are really aggressive and best to stay away from until you have had Africans a long time. Another one to watch out for is the Demasoni. It is a beautiful blue striped fish, but you can only keep one or 12. It is highly aggressive towards its own kind so needs to be kept to a single fish or a lot of fish. I had a single male for a long time until it died on me. It was the sweetest fish on its own.
Try to pick fish that don't resemble each other. Example, if you get a blue striped fish the Jo may attack it because it looks too similar. Keep only Electric Yellow Labs, don't get any other yellow fish like a male Kenyi, that are yellow as adults. If males see another male that looks similar to it, it will fight with the new one.
My set up is very bright and beautiful. It is filled with the common fish store fish, with a couple I grabbed when they came in that are harder to find. I have the purple/blue of the Acei, the deep orange of the Red Zebra, the bright yellow of the Yellow Labs. I have a ice blue color in my Greshakei and a light lavender in my Hongi yet tho, its still young and a dark purple most of the time).
You would have a very beautiful display if you up your numbers of the ones you have except for the Johani. The Labs, Zebras and Acei will get along fine when they grow up. They will chase each other and have little wars, but that is the way it is with Mbuna, what makes them so interesting.
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think part of my solution is going to be to start another tank. A friend has a 50 gallon hex that they want to get rid of. I think I might start a brackish tank and put the mono argentus and the puffer in it. That way the girls dont have to part with them and all I have to do is find a home for the Frontosa. Then just get some more Mbuna. Everyone wins and I get another tank, how sweet is that?
JustOneMore20
Algae Fighter
Is your albino one, one of these: Species Profiles -- Cichlid-Forum?
I had some in a 55g Malawi tank once and they are pretty aggressive (well, for Mbuna).....but they are a nice color!
I agree with the groups of the Mbuna suggested by DizzCat. Definitely get 3-4 more of each type now and you could get more later if needed. Most you won't be able to sex until the grow some.
DizzCat, I love Greshakei! I never kept them, but have always thought them to be pretty fish. Something to consider for a future addition, Spoonman.
I had some in a 55g Malawi tank once and they are pretty aggressive (well, for Mbuna).....but they are a nice color!
I agree with the groups of the Mbuna suggested by DizzCat. Definitely get 3-4 more of each type now and you could get more later if needed. Most you won't be able to sex until the grow some.
DizzCat, I love Greshakei! I never kept them, but have always thought them to be pretty fish. Something to consider for a future addition, Spoonman.
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
Mine is really cool! He is my avatar, which is not showing up for some reason. He is definitely the tank boss. I have a bunch of fry now too. 5 under 2" in the main tank and 15 in a grow out. They are all brown now, but the males are starting to show the blue. The small ones in the main tank do not get picked on at all! They are always out in the open and my big adults ignore them completely.
Spoon, sounds like a solid plan! I love the look of totally different habitats. I have my rocky Mbuna tank and I have a planted Bolivian Ram tank that has driftwood and is full of small fish like Tetras. The look of the 2 tanks are so completely opposite it really catches attention from people. Do some reading up on the Mono's and Puffer, they may like heavily planted tanks. If so you could do that too.
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
So, while talking to the LFS guy about setting up another tank he said he would take back the mono and the puffer. So, he gave me store credit and I picked up 3 more acei and 3 more yellow labs. My next mission is to get a few more fish and work on the rocks to build some caves and such. DizzCat, JustOneMore20 and SickLid, your advise and understanding is going to make for some happy and healthy fish and fishkeeper. Thank you soooooo much. BTW, once I explained the problems with the other fish to my girls they understood and were fine with it. Great to have smart people like you guys around. Thanks again.
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
Your very welcome Spoonman, any time you have a question, just ask. Wait till you have a holding female and your girls can see the tiny fry peeking out of the mom's mouth! They will get a huge kick out of that! Or when they shine a light and see a tiny one look out at them from under a rock. Then you know all the work you put in was so worth it!
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
BTW, very beautiful girls you have!
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
New fishes
Thank you very much for the compliment on my girls, they take after their Mom. Here is a couple pics of the new additions. I did keep the frontosa. I am told that it will do ok with the flake food and veggies that the cichlids eat but is not ideal. I am like a little kid. I am sooo happy.
Thank you very much for the compliment on my girls, they take after their Mom. Here is a couple pics of the new additions. I did keep the frontosa. I am told that it will do ok with the flake food and veggies that the cichlids eat but is not ideal. I am like a little kid. I am sooo happy.
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
Also, my albino has a bluish/purple sheen to it. So, I am thinking maybe a albino blueberry? When I went back to get the yellow labs and the Acei they have several abinos, some with a bluish hue and some with yellow and a couple others that looked kind of like a pale peach color. Was thinking maybe a mixture of 3 of those. What do you think????
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
Either that or was thinking a few more zebras. Can I go with any color zebras, or more of the same colors I have? Here is my current stock:
4 Acei
4 Yellow labs
1 Abino Blueberry
1 OB Zebra
1 Red Zebra
1 Maingano
1 Frontosa
Had 9 large fish in the tank that I removed to put these in so the bioload is not an issue. Give me some ideas. All input appreciated. Thanks again.
BTW, if you're new to the thread it is a 115G tank.
4 Acei
4 Yellow labs
1 Abino Blueberry
1 OB Zebra
1 Red Zebra
1 Maingano
1 Frontosa
Had 9 large fish in the tank that I removed to put these in so the bioload is not an issue. Give me some ideas. All input appreciated. Thanks again.
BTW, if you're new to the thread it is a 115G tank.
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
IMO you should get more red zebras. It will give the mix a splash of dark orange. They really stand out. Shine a flash light on the Red you already have, if it has a blue tint to its body and fins chances are its a male. Then you will want to get more females. You have to be careful mixing the Zebra species because you may get some fighting between them going on. Especially if they look similar.
With the albino zebra, its hard to tell. So may albino's look alike. I would not mix them up, you may have trouble down the line if they all turn out to be males. They will fight each other for dominance because they look so similar. I am getting an albino zebra tomorrow and it will be the only one. It will be a stand out male. In other words, people will see all the other colors, but the white one will add that blast of wow to the tank.
Your next step is to add rocks in there for the ones you have to have shelter and feel more at home. Keep an eye on them until you do to make sure one or two are not getting picked on.
Also, your fish will stand out so much better if you put a background on your tank. A plain color, like dark blue or black really makes the yellows and orange stand out. Without it, they kind of blend in to your decor and the wall behind the tank.
With the albino zebra, its hard to tell. So may albino's look alike. I would not mix them up, you may have trouble down the line if they all turn out to be males. They will fight each other for dominance because they look so similar. I am getting an albino zebra tomorrow and it will be the only one. It will be a stand out male. In other words, people will see all the other colors, but the white one will add that blast of wow to the tank.
Your next step is to add rocks in there for the ones you have to have shelter and feel more at home. Keep an eye on them until you do to make sure one or two are not getting picked on.
Also, your fish will stand out so much better if you put a background on your tank. A plain color, like dark blue or black really makes the yellows and orange stand out. Without it, they kind of blend in to your decor and the wall behind the tank.
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks Dizz, I am going to a friends house in a couple of hours. He has some rock left over from a tank that he did. He said he has a bunch of flat stones that are stackable and a bunch of round river rock. So I think I will spend the next couple days soaking and cleaning the rock and then arrange it in the tank this weekend. I have been looking for backgrounds for the tank, but the LFS's that I have looked at dont have anything that tall (its 32"). The next option that I was going to try is the craft stores. I thought maybe I could use tagboard. I was thinking dark blue or black also. I also considered cloth but I think It would be too thin. I will wait on more fish until I get those two things accomplished. But I will go with more Red Zebras. Would a couple more OB's be ok also or not? Dont know if it makes a difference but the one I have now has very pronounced egg spots on his anal fin. He is a male maybe?
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
In my experience, females can have as many egg spots as males, so it not a good indicator of male/female. I have one female Acei who has 6 egg spots and my male only has 2. Both my Red Zebra females have just as many as the male. The only sure way of knowing is to vent them. That is looking at their "parts" This is what I mean: Malawi Cichlids, Malawi Species Profiles, African Cichlids, Lake Malawi, Malawi Forum, Tanks, Articles, Books, Videos I had a OB Zebra for awhile and was sure it was a male because of its aggressivness, but found it one day with a mouthful of eggs. So, I was wrong. You could get a few more OB's. They are very pretty.
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
The Red Zebra's are all the orange color correct? I have seen some articles that say the male and female are different colors in the wild but not in captivity.
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
Yeah, in wild Red Zebras, the males are blue and females are orange. The captive ones, the males are orange but they have a blue sheen to their bodies and fins. Here is a picture of my male with one of his females. See the difference? I can usually tell with their fry which ones are male when they get about 1.5" by shining a light on them. If the fry has a blue to all the fins its usually a male. I have not got it wrong yet.
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
Gonna have to bring my flashlight to the LFS.....LOL
DizzCat
Aquarium Advice Freak
Really LOL. I have 3 small juvies growing out in my main tank. They are all about 2" and there is one I am still confused on. Sometimes I swear it has blue fins, other times not. I guess I will just have to wait and see. I could be seeing two different ones thinking its the same one LOL. My one female has some blue in her anal fin, but with males its all fins that will have it. Its hard because all the fish in the LFS are usually small. I like getting them at 3" and above now because most of mine are 3"-6", but there is a very limited supply of adults. I have been trying to replace a female Yellow Lab who died on me. She had wonderful black in her and her fry where beautiful, but she died for an unknown reason one day. I have been trying to get one with strong black but each one so far grows up to be a male! My other adult female has hardly any black and her fry come out that way too. The LFS and people on Craigslist want Labs with the strong black. I had the same issue with Acei. It is almost impossible to tell them apart until they get about 4". I started out with 4 and they are all females. I then bought a couple who turned out female. I traded them for 2 more, both females! UGH! My LFS finally got in some adults and I finally got a male. I now have my first batch of Acei fry! YAY!
When my fish spawn, I will keep about 10 fry to grow out. I seperate them to a 10 or 20 gallon tank. When they hit 2" I will post an add on Craigslist. If I get no takers I take them to my LFS and they give me store credit. That is how I got a lot of my fish. In fact, I have 15 Ice Blue (Greshakei) that I am taking over there tomorrow to trade. If I don't see any I want I will just get some food. Its a pretty sweet deal. But, it takes time to develop that with an independant fish store. They will also take back a fish I bought if it grew up too aggressive or the wrong sex.
When my fish spawn, I will keep about 10 fry to grow out. I seperate them to a 10 or 20 gallon tank. When they hit 2" I will post an add on Craigslist. If I get no takers I take them to my LFS and they give me store credit. That is how I got a lot of my fish. In fact, I have 15 Ice Blue (Greshakei) that I am taking over there tomorrow to trade. If I don't see any I want I will just get some food. Its a pretty sweet deal. But, it takes time to develop that with an independant fish store. They will also take back a fish I bought if it grew up too aggressive or the wrong sex.
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spoonman
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm hoping that if I do most of my stocking now that they will all be the same size and mature together and not be so apt to be aggresive to each other. Got my rock today and they are soaking in water and bleach. Gonna rinse them tomorrow and scrub them down and then soak them in plain water. Gonna be a challenge to build formations and stuff with fish in there.
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