Idea for 55g African: Cichlids + Congos?

[SubRosa]

Think about Giant Danios for your dither fish. I use them with Mbuna all the time. If you can find them and the budget allows Lamprichthys tanganicus is the real way to go!

 

[efors]

Haha... good point on the emphasis, jpappy!

 

[efors]

Think about Giant Danios for your dither fish. I use them with Mbuna all the time. If you can find them and the budget allows Lamprichthys tanganicus is the real way to go!

IMHO, I don't see the need for dither fishes with mbunas. It is more appealing and practical to have just a Mbuna tank and Syno catfishes are OK; just my opinion.

 

[joel.uejio]

I was able to check one of the nicer local petsmarts yesterday and collect some data. They have the following species:

[FONT=Courier New]COMMON           SCIENTIFIC [/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Yellow Tail Acei Pseudotropheus acei[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Auratus          Melanochromis auratus[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Kenyi            Maylandia lombardoi[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Ahli             Sciaenochromis ahli[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Elec Yellow Lab  Labidochromis caeruleus[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Red Peacock      Aulonocara hansbaenschi[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Red Zebra        Metriaclima estherae[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Bumblebee        Pseudotropheus crabro[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]Jewel            Hemichromis bimaculatus[/FONT]

So from this list, I'm thinking: P. acei, L. caeruleus, M. estherae, and H. bimaculatus - lesser aggression and a good color mix. Of course, I'll be expanding this list as I vist more LFS. They only had feather-fin cats (Synodontis euptera) so I'll also look for more varieties elsewhere. I think the feather-fin get to be 6.5" and are pretty aggressive.

Does that mix look good?

Thanks!
Joel

 

[jpappy789]

LOL

Have to agree with efors...no need for dither fish in a malawi breeding setup. If you keep enough females per male of each species their aggression should be spread out enough.

Technically, "dither" fish are used to lure out shy species. "Target" fish are used as even out the aggression of the dominant species.

 

[efors]

Joel, of that list I would only buy the yellow labs and yellow tail aceis (5 of each). They are great fishes for a Mbuna setup. The Jewel isn't a Mbuna, but a riverine species that I wouldn't mix with mbunas. The Ahli and Peacock aren't mbunas also and the other mbunas in the list are very aggressive, IMO. The problem with red zebras is that they crossbreed easily with the labs and are more aggressive. Another kind of zebras would be better for your setup.