Metriclima Msobo Magunga

[MbunaBrotha]

Next of my species to be introduced to the forum are the Metriclima Msobo Magunga!

These fish are a perfect addition to a large (55g minimum) african cichlid tank. I say large because these fish get up to around the 5-6" mark and have a tendency to get a bit aggressive during breeding time. As juveniles, these fish all start off a very beautiful orange color, but as they mature, the males morph into a beautiful sporadic blue/black pattern. Opposed to the typical mbuna vertical stripes, this pattern is a bit unique, and gives a breath of fresh air to a community tank.

These fish, at least in my experience, are very slow to develop. Out of my breeding colony, all the fish kept their orange coloring from juvenile stages for a long time. At around the 3" mark, and after causing me worry that I've somehow ended up with 8 females, the males finally developed their trademark colors, and a healthy breeding attitude to go along!

Well, enough of the talking, heres some pictures! First up is the male! Notice the color change in the last pic!

 

[MbunaBrotha]

Next up are the females!

 

[kay-bee19]

Msobo's are one of my favorite mbuna, and I keep them in three of my tanks.

I find that msobo's 'play well' with most other mbuna species, though they can be fairly aggressive among their own kind, particularly the females (female vs female aggression seems to be very pronounced). I've been able to mediate this by increasing keeping at least 8 females in group.

In my experience from rearing broods of msobo fry, I actually find that the dominant males mature early on while sub-dominant male color transition may stall or halt when in their presence (though even in this state they are distinguishable from the females). The suppression of full breeding colors by the sub-dominant male seems to minimize male vs male aggression.

Some of mine:

Sub-adult male (left); sub-adult female (right)

Dominant sub-adult male (with dark fin markings); sub-dominant juvie male (directly below him) and three females

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Matured male (top); matured female (bottom)

Mouthbrooding female

Msobo fry

Due to individual variations in their scribbles and blotches, no two matured males are identical:

Sub-dominant male (right) suppressing full his colors when in proximity of the alpha male (left)