mbuna/malawi community in a 90 gallon?

[dax29]

I hope I haven't jinxed myself by posting this, but I think I've got my wife talked into letting me get a bigger aquarium. I'm looking at a 90 gallon.

Is a 90 gallon adequate for sustaining a mbuna/malawi community?

What species comprise a mbuna community? My water is pretty hard already so I think I can sustain a mbuna/malawi community better than a south american community.

[greenmaji]

The 90 gallon is plenty big for a mumba tank.. It has the same footprint as the 75 gallon tank.. so you could just add a few fish (to make a few larger groups) to the recomendations for the cookie cutter list for the 75 gallon on the cichlid fourm..
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article...cutter_75g.php

[dax29]

Great website greenmaji! I'll keep lookin at it for ideas.

[Fishyfanatic]

90 [acronym:a1fb36baa0="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:a1fb36baa0] is more than adquate. Most Mbuna's are fine in a 55 [acronym:a1fb36baa0="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:a1fb36baa0] until you start getting into the larger ones. Do you have any Mbuna's in mind?

[dax29]

I'd like to know what the difference is or the subset designation requirements for being a mbuna community. I like yellow labs but I'm not sure of the other fish that can be housed together. Many of them look similar. I like Pseudotropheus saulosi. I also like the haplochrome Sciaenochromis fryeri, but it doesn't go with mbunas, I think. Can you mix haps with mbunas? If not, then why? I also like the Aulonocara baenschi or benga peacock. Heck, I like the peacocks in general and would probably like most Lake Malawi cichlids b/c of their bright colors. I just don't know all of the whys and why nots and I guess I just need to read more on them. I've got plenty of time b/c I won't get the potential new tank until Christmas. I just like to think about possibilities.

[Jchillin]

Congrats on getting the approval for the 90!

The problem with the Africans is simple...different species just don't like having to compete with each other and hence, the battles will begin.

These are probably the most colorful and personable of the cichlidae family but that is precisely why the problem exists...more color...more competition.

Egads!

[tetrin]

I like yellow labs but I'm not sure of the other fish that can be housed together.

yellow labs are one of the mellowest of mbunas. they can be housed with either mbunas or haps/peacocks (because they are omnivores, more on this later)

I like Pseudotropheus saulosi

saulosi females have a coloration almost similar to labs (more orange though). only the dominant male will take on the beautiful blue-barred color.

haplochrome Sciaenochromis fryeri, but it doesn't go with mbunas, I think

you are right.

Can you mix haps with mbunas? If not, then why?

the main problem is related to diet. mbunas have to be fed a veggie-based diet because of their long and convoluted intestines. if they are fed mainly protein-based diet, they get the deadly malawi-bloat. the haps/peacocks on the other hand thrive on a protein-based diet.
also, peacocks are much less aggressive than mbunas. some haps are mild, but some haps are even more aggressive than mbunas.
over-crowding works very well with mbunas (with good filtration), because that's how they interact in nature. but it doesn't work that well with haps/peacocks.

but in the end, a lot of people keep them successfully in large enough tanks (or even in a 55g). but its not advisable to do so.

I also like the Aulonocara baenschi or benga peacock

another popular tank is an all-male peacock tank. since the peacock females are all drab and very hard to distinguish, the chances of cross-breeding are very high. and then the fry are not very desirable. so people just have males in a tank. but you can have other haps in there too.

good luck with the tank.

[dax29]

Thanks tetrin! This certainly clears up a lot of questions. I think I may go with haps and or peacocks and throw in some yellow labs b/c of diet. Kudos to you!

[travis simonson]

Another lesser reason that Mbuna and Haps are not frequently kept together is terrain preference. Mbuna, as a whole, tend to favor broken rocky terrain with plenty of nearby shelter/caves. Haps are more of deep, open water fish. This is not to say that the two cannot co-exist in the same environment. You just may want to consider the needs/preferences of both types of fish in your final design

[dax29]

Feeding both types would seem to indicate a dietary conflict, right. The mbuna need veggies and the haps need meat. How can you make sure they get what they are supposed to have in a tank when they need to eat different stuff. If the mbuna eat too much protein they get sick.