How well do juvenile mbuna fair with larger mbuna?

[jameshilljr]

I'm sure this is a duh? sort of question, but I was wondering how well would juvenile mbuna(1-2 inch fish) do with the 3"-5" cichlids that I have? I have (1)4" yellow lab,(2) 3" yellow labs, (1)4" C.Afra(i think it's a c.afra), (1)5" CAE,and (1)3" FM
At my local LFS, the size cichlids I have cost about $20 a piece, and I am trying to not spend as much on the fish:sillythe juvie's cost about 5 bucks a piece)
Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[jpappy789]

It would probably depend on what you add, how large the tank is and what you have in terms of hiding spaces...but in general I would say that it might not turn out pretty.

 

[jameshilljr]

It would probably depend on what you add, how large the tank is and what you have in terms of hiding spaces...

The tank is 55g with alot(probably 150lbs. of slate rock)of cave structures, about 10 live plants, and a large piece of driftwood.

 

[jpappy789]

Hmmm...its hard to tell.

If you have another, smaller tank you could always use that as a grow out tank

 

[toddnbecka]

It mainly depends of tank size and available cover. I've had multiple broods of mbuna growing out in the tank with the parents. As the males mature they get chased a bit more, but basically size alone isn't a major issue unless they're small enough to be eaten.

 

[ibr3ak]

I always add new fish as juvies only, bigger fish don't seem to bother them or be bothered by them, in my experience fish of similar size take longer to adapt to their new community.

P.S. though I'm not too sure how it'll be with a fire mouth, I've never had that type of combo.

 

[jameshilljr]

P.S. though I'm not too sure how it'll be with a fire mouth, I've never had that type of combo.

I know the combo is a big negative, but I have been waiting to see if the FM would be able to hang with the other guys. The funny thing is, he's just as aggressive to them as they are to him. The FM actually flares up and chases the CAE almost everytime it swims(or creeps) by. I had another FM and a con pair that I removed because they were getting beat up pretty bad.

 

[nchoe123]

i dropped four of the five young labs in when they were fully colored-- and about 1" long. the runt of the bunch i put into a tank by herself to grow out-- which she did. she's now over 1.5", and is bigger than her siblings (who are maybe 1.25" now... who's bossing whom now eh?)

they were fine. but clearly they did not get to eat as well as when they were the big fish in the tank essentially by themselves. my holding female is now in seclusion, and when her fry are born, i'm going to keep them in a growout tank until they're maybe 1.25-1.5" (in other words, longer than i kept the last batch).