I have a 29gal with two adult rusties that I've had for over a year.
I would like to add a few small yellow labs.
Can I do this?
I would like to add a few small yellow labs.
Can I do this?
Adding Mbuna?
- Thread starter Ken
- Start date
You can, but it will lead to disaster. The yellow labs will quickly outgrow a tank of that size, and you'll likely end up with dead fish. Most mbuna really need at least a 40G breeder to be comfy. A single yellow lab might be OK in your tank, but I would still advise against it.
Justin
Justin
No, really malawis get too large for that tank. As was mentioned before, 1 yellow lab might be okay, but they reach a total length of over 4 inches so a larger tank is reccommended.
A 33 is absolute minimum for malawies, and you could only do a trio of yellow labs in that tank. And thats pushing it.
In such a small tank there is no room to escape an aggressor, and the dominant fish will chase the others to death. There just isnt enough space.
If your rusties are doing ok in that tank then leave it at that, dont push it, or else you will end up with some deaths.
Or... you could... UPGRADE!
You know you wannnnt it 
A 33 is absolute minimum for malawies, and you could only do a trio of yellow labs in that tank. And thats pushing it.
In such a small tank there is no room to escape an aggressor, and the dominant fish will chase the others to death. There just isnt enough space.
If your rusties are doing ok in that tank then leave it at that, dont push it, or else you will end up with some deaths.
Or... you could... UPGRADE!
You know you wannnnt it 
With Mbuna, my personal experience is that overstocking is the best weapon against aggression...I have had 10+ Mbuna that are a lot more aggressive than labs and rusties in a 29g with a lot of rock with no problems or losses and great growth...the key is to over-filter and lots of water changes. I have had fish for over 35 years and I have bred many africans from both Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika. One thing I have learned in this hobby is that there are always exceptions to the rule. Remember, we are keeping fish in little glass boxes. It is hard to predict what will happen sometimes. I have had very peaceful Mbuna communities in 20g tanks and I have seen zebra danios and tetras go postal and start killing every other fish. There are no guarantees. There is a huge range of personal experiences out there. That is why you will always get a range of opinions. It doesn't mean that one is right or one is wrong. It just reflects the range of experiences in a varied hobby. Good Luck!
To add my two cents worth...
I don't believe overstocking generally works in tanks smaller than 55 gallons. The principle behind overstocking is that aggression by one fish onto another gets dispersed: the bully starts picking on Fish A, who swims away to escape. In the process of pursuit, the bully is distracted by Fish B, goes after him, then is distracted by Fish C, etc. In my experience, smaller tanks don't have sufficient swimming room for the initial victim to get away from the bully. As a result, the bully never gets distracted and continues to pick on the original victim.
I don't doubt that some smaller tanks can find stability at high densities of mbuna, but I wouldn't want to put money on that happening often. Also, overstocked tanks require much higher maintenance and have a thinner margin of error, meaning the tank can go south quickly if something goes wrong (and Murphy's law suggests that occurence will generally be when your away on vacation).
I have to agree with those who suggest against adding more fish. I think a 29 is just too small for mbuna.
Jim
I don't believe overstocking generally works in tanks smaller than 55 gallons. The principle behind overstocking is that aggression by one fish onto another gets dispersed: the bully starts picking on Fish A, who swims away to escape. In the process of pursuit, the bully is distracted by Fish B, goes after him, then is distracted by Fish C, etc. In my experience, smaller tanks don't have sufficient swimming room for the initial victim to get away from the bully. As a result, the bully never gets distracted and continues to pick on the original victim.
I don't doubt that some smaller tanks can find stability at high densities of mbuna, but I wouldn't want to put money on that happening often. Also, overstocked tanks require much higher maintenance and have a thinner margin of error, meaning the tank can go south quickly if something goes wrong (and Murphy's law suggests that occurence will generally be when your away on vacation).
I have to agree with those who suggest against adding more fish. I think a 29 is just too small for mbuna.
Jim
