how many mbuna?
- Thread starter SquirrelOsO
- Start date
What particular species are you interested in?
Generally you could maintain a dozen in there, give or take a few. Mbuna are probably best kept in tanks 48" in length or longer (65gal is a 36"?). You may want to stock with less aggressive species (acei, yellow labs, etc).
Generally you could maintain a dozen in there, give or take a few. Mbuna are probably best kept in tanks 48" in length or longer (65gal is a 36"?). You may want to stock with less aggressive species (acei, yellow labs, etc).
yes its 36"x18"24"
currently in a grow out tank i have four yellow labs and four p. acei
id like to get four L. trawavasae
some p. zebras and some johanni
i know the norm suggested is a 48" tank, most of those are 12" wide however, wouldnt the extra 6" of width make up or count as floor space?
currently in a grow out tank i have four yellow labs and four p. acei
id like to get four L. trawavasae
some p. zebras and some johanni
i know the norm suggested is a 48" tank, most of those are 12" wide however, wouldnt the extra 6" of width make up or count as floor space?
The extra width may help some (depending on aggression and aquascaping), however 12" of extra length is probably better than 6" of extra width and may make a difference when housing aggressive species (which zebras, labeotropheus and johanni's probably are). Utilize lots of rocks to break line of sight and stock one male per several females per species to tilt the odds in favor of success.
I have 4 in my 30 gallon. despite the classic rules of keeping mbuna, I only keep 4 in there. over a year later they live a luxury life and dont eat each other. now if i add 1 more it may become a different story. But for your purposes, what kaybee said is best. long length and width is best. Now, I only recommend such smaller sizes real early on but in the end you will need a larger tank simply because they get much larger and you want to put in more.
If you buy them all at the same time, and stock with juvies, the tank size itself is fine. Many people overstock their tanks because there is less aggression. As long as the little fellas grow up together, you can minimize problems.
I would say that 10-12 would be fine, and you can really get a good variety if you do only 1-2 of each species. If there is only one of a species, there generally isn't the same territorial aggression.
I would say that 10-12 would be fine, and you can really get a good variety if you do only 1-2 of each species. If there is only one of a species, there generally isn't the same territorial aggression.
yea my 65g is 48" x 18" x 18" thats a better foot print.
my first african tank was 36" x 15" x 18" with 8 zebras of all different colours.
no problems untill you interupt the balance
my first african tank was 36" x 15" x 18" with 8 zebras of all different colours.
no problems untill you interupt the balance
:iagree:
Thats what im doing in the 46g
Stocking with 9 juvies all different species
That would depend on several factors since there are various types of aggression. Aggression is a likely potential in any tank housing african cichlids especially if they're members of a particularly aggressive species (kenyi, auratus, etc).
Problems can (but not always) manifest once the fish reach maturity. Did your eight zebras coexist fairly well after they attained 5" inches?
Not a problem if the fry aren't retained. But if the fry are retained then you're absolutely correct.