Mbuna Observations and thoughts

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DrgRcr

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Dec 17, 2008
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Since it's been 2 weeks now from getting the Mbuna(all juvies) in my 125, I thought I'd post some things I watched and get your thoughts.

1. These guys are VERY active, swimming all over, sometimes it looks like one big school. If one or two swim to the top real fast, they all follow like they're going to miss something!

2. The Acei (itungi) act like a schooling fish more than any of the 4 other species. Sometimes, all of them look like they're in a conga line. They look like bullets when they swim.

3. The Yellow Labs, Fuelleborni, and Rusties seem to graze on the rocks(covered with brown) more than the Acei or Afras.

4. The Afras and Acei seem to generally stay higher in the tank, above the rocks. They do venture into and around the rocks too though.

5. Some seem to have developed more coloration and markings. Could this be a sign of becoming the dominant male? I especially noticed this in one of the Labs. The black on his dorsal has become distinct, and I watched him/her doing the spiraling/circling routine with a couple of other labs. Establishing dominance/territory?

6. They love to dive into, grab and spit mouthfuls of sand, mostly the Rusties, Fuels, and Labs. I watched 6 of the Rusties all dig in one spot last night, like they'd found gold.

7. I love when they are "standing still" with all of their pelvic and dorsal fins extended. It shows how beautiful they are and all of the coloration on the fins.

8. Lastly, if ANYBODY comes ANYWHERE near the tank, they think its feeding time, all at the top. And they have no qualms about taking it right from your fingertips! Some in my community tank still wont do that.

So what are your thoughts/experiences based on mine so far, being new to them?

Here are a few more pics. Not the best yet I know, but I just haven't had the time to take 100 to get 2 good ones, but I will soon.

IMG_0578.JPG IMG_0582.JPG IMG_0597.JPG IMG_0603.JPG
 

myswtsins

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Since it's been 2 weeks now from getting the Mbuna(all juvies) in my 125, I thought I'd post some things I watched and get your thoughts.

1. These guys are VERY active, swimming all over, sometimes it looks like one big school. If one or two swim to the top real fast, they all follow like they're going to miss something!
Yup. The entire stock schooling together will die down after they grow a bit but I do see them do it once in a while. When one sees another go to the top though they all follow expecting that that one must have seen FOOD!

2. The Acei (itungi) act like a schooling fish more than any of the 4 other species. Sometimes, all of them look like they're in a conga line. They look like bullets when they swim.
Yup. The acei are awesome for this quaility!

3. The Yellow Labs, Fuelleborni, and Rusties seem to graze on the rocks(covered with brown) more than the Acei or Afras.
Never noticed this, mine very rarely graze on the rocks though because my water doesn't grow yummy algae just PITA algae.

4. The Afras and Acei seem to generally stay higher in the tank, above the rocks. They do venture into and around the rocks too though.
Yup. I don't have afra but again a great quality in the acei!

5. Some seem to have developed more coloration and markings. Could this be a sign of becoming the dominant male? I especially noticed this in one of the Labs. The black on his dorsal has become distinct, and I watched him/her doing the spiraling/circling routine with a couple of other labs. Establishing dominance/territory?
Yup. Sounds like it to me. IME you can tell who is going to be the dominant ones fairly early, especially if you spend hours watching them like I did. :D

6. They love to dive into, grab and spit mouthfuls of sand, mostly the Rusties, Fuels, and Labs. I watched 6 of the Rusties all dig in one spot last night, like they'd found gold.
Oh yeah! Rustys especially like to dig, make sure those rock piles are secure. :)

7. I love when they are "standing still" with all of their pelvic and dorsal fins extended. It shows how beautiful they are and all of the coloration on the fins.
I do not think it is technically considered displaying but a couple of my mbuna will be in full display most of the time.

8. Lastly, if ANYBODY comes ANYWHERE near the tank, they think its feeding time, all at the top. And they have no qualms about taking it right from your fingertips! Some in my community tank still wont do that.
Yes they sure love their food & they should always be eagerly looking for food too. Mine seem to hide more often now that they are grown (and have seen a net a few times) but they definitely prefer me to any one else in the house. Yours will too once they learn YOU are the one that brings the food.

So what are your thoughts/experiences based on mine so far, being new to them?

Here are a few more pics. Not the best yet I know, but I just haven't had the time to take 100 to get 2 good ones, but I will soon.
I think you are doing a great job with your fish! Everything you are observing is signs of good health & happy fish. Keep up the good work and enjoy those fish.
 

CornBreadjiffy

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Sep 8, 2009
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yea i agree with the other guy i have a mixed african malawi tank and athey do school alot at first but my acei only hangs out at the bottom with the only other similar looking fish but i am goin today to pick up about 2 more and maybe some other high color fish. wish you the best of luck
 

blue2fyre

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Oct 7, 2008
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Sounds like everything is going well!

1. These guys are VERY active, swimming all over, sometimes it looks like one big school. If one or two swim to the top real fast, they all follow like they're going to miss something!
I love how active mbuna are. I could watch mine for hours (and I have lol). Mine swim all over the tank.

2. The Acei (itungi) act like a schooling fish more than any of the 4 other species. Sometimes, all of them look like they're in a conga line. They look like bullets when they swim.
Acei are one of my favorite mbuna. If I had a larger tank I would love to have a huge school of them. I had 7 originally but I remove some extra males and now I have 5. They don't school as much now that they are larger I think if I had more they would stick together more.

4. The Afras and Acei seem to generally stay higher in the tank, above the rocks. They do venture into and around the rocks too though.
I love that my acei use the higher postions of the tank. It really adds to the activity. My afras stick around the rocks for the most part and really make use of all the caves. But I think that's because my male is constantly trying to breed. I have so many afra babies now.

5. Some seem to have developed more coloration and markings. Could this be a sign of becoming the dominant male? I especially noticed this in one of the Labs. The black on his dorsal has become distinct, and I watched him/her doing the spiraling/circling routine with a couple of other labs. Establishing dominance/territory?
In my tank I have dominant males of each group/species. I have a dominant acei, afra, and OB zebra. They pretty much stick to themselves since I upped the numbers of each group. I do have a rougue demasoni and he only backs down from my female greshakei. She rules the whole tank.
7. I love when they are "standing still" with all of their pelvic and dorsal fins extended. It shows how beautiful they are and all of the coloration on the fins.
AS my fish have grown I have been stunned to see how much their color tends to develop. They are just amazing and so beautiful.

8. Lastly, if ANYBODY comes ANYWHERE near the tank, they think its feeding time, all at the top. And they have no qualms about taking it right from your fingertips! Some in my community tank still wont do that.
Mine are the same way. Anyone walking into the room causes them to all rush to the top and beg for food. I'm the only one who feeds them but they haven't realized that yet.

I have found owning mbuna to be very rewarding once the stocking is correct. It looks like you planned everything well and should continue to enjoy them and their behavior as they grow. Congrats on some beautiful fish!
 

DrgRcr

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Thanks guys, I love watching them and so does my wife :thm:. After writing that, I then went and watched my community tank. My big Goyder River Rainbow was chasing EVERYONE! Turns out, he was(and the other big male) courting the female(know that for sure now!). Amazing to watch! I took 6 minutes of video, maybe I'll get it to YouTube.
 

Schneider

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My observations of my fish are in line with yours aside from a few points. My acei grazed on algae more than anything else in my tank. The fish that are exhibiting more color may just be males-not necesarily dominant. Your fish may act like they are starving when it is feeding time. My fish are two years old now and they dart and hide for a few seconds when someone besides me walks by the tank. When I sit on the couch by the tank, my fish still act like they are starving! Most of your fish wiil probably reach maturity by 8 months of age. You will get a whole new set of behaviors to observe at this time. What I mean by this is you will probably witness a lot of territorial disputes. Don't worry though, from what you said you have stocked, this shouldn't get too bad, since all the species you talked about aren't too aggressive as far as mbuna go. When you bought your acei how large were you told that they get? I was told they get four inches. I have a single male who is about seven inches long! Cool looking peaceful fish though. When your fish mature you will also observe reproduction. Malawi cichlids are all tramps. Think about you will do with all the babies now while they are still juvies.
 

ibr3ak

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Dec 15, 2007
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Totally agree with the above said, I've had experienced that mainly aceis, zebra sp. (estherae, callainos, etc.. ) and fuelleborni (labeotropheus in general) spend the bulk of the time grazing on the rocks.

The schooling of juvies of different species will stop once they reach maturity, on the other hand aceis school with each other the most, irregardless of the ratio of males to females and are definitely the least ones exhibiting conspecific aggression or dominance.

And all mbuna are greedy eaters, is why alot of beginners get their fish come down with malawi bloat, overfeeding them when they see fish begging for food at all times.
 

DrgRcr

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Thanks for all of your replies. I guess I must be doing something right! I generally feed them once a day, but occasionally I will do it twice, being that they are all juvies. I will eventually make it once a day only, after they get a little bigger.
 

myswtsins

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Actually with Mbuna it is better to feed them smaller amounts more often, it helps cut back on aggression. Or so they say, I've always fed 2-3 times a day so I have no comparison.
 
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