Mixed mbuna from liveaquaria

[mikeybabs]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking of ordering between 10-16 mixed mbuna from liveaquaria and was wondering if anyone has had experience with getting these type of fish from them or just liveaquaria in general...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+831+2936&pcatid=2936

That's a link to the fish I want.

Will they mix them in a good compatibility for a 55 gallon?

How many should I put into a 55g?

Anyone have pictures of the mixes they've ordered online and any recommendations?

Thx

Mike

 

[Homedog98]

I've heard good things about live aquaria. Kinda expensive though.

 

[mikeybabs]

It's actually pretty competitive pricing compared to all of my LFS... Do you think they'll send me a good compatible mix if I order 12+

I wish I could see customer shots of their fish mixes they get from live aquaria

Thx for your input

 

[carey]

I keep cichlids and to be honest, I would pick and choose rather than get "mixed" ones. That way you can set up your m/f ratios and stock appropriately. They could send you a dozen fish and some could be fish that don't get along for one reason or another. I prefer picking and choosing. Just my opinion.

 

[Homedog98]

It's actually pretty competitive pricing compared to all of my LFS... Do you think they'll send me a good compatible mix if I order 12+

I wish I could see customer shots of their fish mixes they get from live aquaria

Thx for your input

It's probably hit or miss on the mix. I'll wait fir someone else to chip in on how many though.

 

[HUKIT]

I've had great success from Liveaquaria, that's where I received the stock for my German and Ngara peacocks. Don't worry about male/female ratios yet because at such a small size their almost impossible to sex. I've ordered some mixed mbuna from there because I had a credit to burn, and they were truly mixed between labs, zebras, and johanni. I would skip on the mixed and concentrate on what your final stocking options will be. Just purchase extra fish the after they mature and you can sex/vent them just sell or rehome the odd ones.

In a 55g you can stock 3 spieces of fish with a final stock of around 15-18 fish. Research your list or post what some of your wants will be and we'll be glad to help.

 

[mikeybabs]

Thanks a lot hukit... I plan to spend about 100 on fish from liveaquaria and I'd like to purchase 2 more species that would contrast well with electric yellow cichlids...

Right now I have 12 electric yellows in my 55g but I plan to take maybe half out and put the rest in my 4 ft long 40 gallon...

What's a safe max amount of mbuna that I can keep in the 55 while they are young and small? Considering I will sell or rehome the ones I don't want when they grow larger?

If you don't recommend the mixed mbuna can you link me to some nice ones on liveaquaria that would go well with the electric yellows? I'd like to purchase between 10-16 of some different kinds... And I'm looking for compatibilty... I am happy with 3 species in the 55g. I don't want to push it to the limits... In the 40g I am going to keep the electric yellow extras for breeding... So I don't need to maximize breeding chances in the 55g

There's a nice blue striped one that I heard goes well with the yellows but they're 20 bucks each the most I'll pay per fish is maybe 10?

Thx for any suggestions!!

Mike

 

[HUKIT]

Demasoni are the blue ones but they are hyper aggressive and need to be stocked with at least 13-15 fish to reduce aggression otherwise they'll kill everything. But demasoni and yellow labs are my favorite mix. Gotta love the blue and yellow. I don't think they have alot of options with mbuna, but if your ordering online I would recommend Aquabid over Liveaquaria, there is a much larger selection of fish.

 

[mikeybabs]

Ok so after looking at the cichlids more at liveaquaria I had an idea for these 3 species. How's does:

- 6 electric yellows
- 6 red zebras
- 6 johanni

Sounds? Orange yellow and blue would look cool for a total of 18 fish... Is this combo compatible for a 55g?

I liked the names of the fish you got in your mbuna mix so I'm also thinking of taking a risk and going with the mix since it's a little cheaper... Can you elaborate more on your mbuna mix? How many did you get? Good quAlity? Colorful? Compatible?

Thx

Mike

 

[jetajockey]

I'd try to find a breeder or a smaller place that you can talk to the owner about what you are looking to do. Find one with a good rep and go with it. And if going through liveaquaria and your budget is 100, you can expect to spend about 35% of that just on their mandatory overnight shipping.

 

[HUKIT]

I couldn't be happier with the peacocks I received from them but the mbuna were a little less that satisfactory. That's why I recommended Aquabid where you can buy from breeders specializing in these fish. And with a budget of $100 I think you'll get better stock and overall be happy with your purchase. Or check for for local breeders, I'm lucky to be a member of the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association which has some of the best breeders in the country. I'm not bashing Liveaquaria but I think you'll be happier buying mbuna elseware.

 

[mikeybabs]

Thx for the input guys... I will definitely consider aquabid!

What about my combination of 6 red zebras, 6 yellow labs and 6 johanni ... Will that work ok in a 55g?

Thx

*shops on aquabid*

 

[mikeybabs]

Also: I am considering peacocks... Can you link to some good peacocks either on liveaquaria or aquabid?

 

[HUKIT]

I wouldn't mix mbuna and peacocks due to different aggression issues. But check out Cichlid-Forum and look at some of fish.

Species Profiles -- Cichlid-Forum

 

[mikeybabs]

I wasn't planning to mix them... Was gonna do either or...

Anyone have input on my 6/6/6 combo? (zebra/yellow lab/johanni)

Thx

 

[kay-bee19]

Those species should work (there may be some that may say that red zebra's and yellow labs are prone to hybridize but that shouldn't be a factor if you maintain each species in 1m/5f gender ratio's. 2m/4f might also work.

To structure that type of gender ratio one usually needs to obtain a larger starting group and weed out the excess males as their genders become appparent (because if you go with just getting "six of each" you may end up with a 50%+ representation of males which may result in aggression issues down the line).