Malawis

[Indy]

What are the differences between haps, peacocks, and mbunas? I mean like you walk into a LFS, tank isn't marked, or it has alot of different fish marked on it, idiot store person, questions, duh!!! Do they have different head, mouth , eye, body, finnage, etc.? I really don't want to mix the wrong fish with what I think are the peacocks I currently have. New at the African fish thing. I'm used to the big CA/SA guys. Must sound like an idiot, but I think I'd like to have a nice all male tank, with the smaller busy, colorful guys for another addition to aquarium nest.
Thanks for any replies!

 

[jimbo]

'Haps' is short for Haplochromis.
A collective name that was used a couple of years ago for all the cichlides from Lake Malawi other than Mbunas.
Most LFS still use this name but during the last ten years or so, all the 'Haps' from lake Malawi got their own family name. Haplochromis Electric blue (Electric blue hap) is actually Sciaenochromis fryeri and Haplochromis chrysonotus is in fact Copadichromis azurus. More species like Placidochromis, Protomelas, Otopharynx, Mylochromis and Champsochromis, used to be called 'Haps'.

For as far I know 'Peacock' is a collective name for all the Aulonocara species.

Mbuna is a collective name for species like the Pseudotropheus, Melanochromis, Metriaclima, Labidochromis, Labeotropheus, Tropheops and a few others. Sorry, I don’t know them all.

I’m not sure this will answer your question, but at least it will give you some idea.

Jimmy

 

[jimbo]

To be more specific;
Non-mbuna’s (most of them were called 'Haps' except the Aulonocaras) are to a certain extend not depended on a rock-substrate to find their food. Although they eat about everything in our tanks, most of them are Carnivores or Piscivoor and just some of them are Omnivores. There are about 250 species devided into 38 genuses.(incl.Aulonocaras or Peacocks)

Mbuna's are depended on a rocky environment where they feed on algae, which contains some small crustacean and other small organism on which they feed on too. They are mostly Herbivores and Omnivores. There are more than 250 species known divided into 10 genuses.

The best thing to do is to google for Mbuna's or Non Mbuna's to get a bit familiar with all the names.

Jimmy

NickH 's page is even beter

 

[NickH]

The Cichlid Recipe

 

[Indy]

Thanks guys!! Learning more and more. More than my old brain cells can absorb in one sitting. The Recipe is awesome! May have to make some adjustments to the original plan tho. Have read alot where people have all male tank inmates with sucess, but the recipe says, no.

 

[jimbo]

An all male tank lacks the interesting courting and spawning behaviour these cichlids can have. During this time, the males displaying their most attractive colors and sometimes it is even the only time they're showing these colors.
e.g. my Protomelas taeniolatus"Boadzulu" (Red Empress), a beautiful red and blue fish, but he became twice as colorful when I added two females after a month.
I guess there’s nothing wrong with an all male tank, it’s just what you prefer.

Jimmy

 

[Verse914]

Its not true with males not showing great color in an all male tank. I have a 75gallon all male tank and each and every fish is a show piece, showing awesome color. You just have to be careful with your selection of fish to try and get some that arent too similar in color, and they will all look great. Its true that you will miss out on the spawning behavior, but I have another tank just for that

Here are some pics of all the fish in the tank as proof that they are all showing great color...
A. baenschi

A. maulana

P. taeniolatus Red Empress

A. saulosi
http://www.verse914.com/saulgrnfce1.jpg

P. taeniolatus Chilumba Jetty at Pombo Rocks
http://www.verse914.com/pomborocksshow2b.jpg

P. electra
http://www.verse914.com/pelectra2.jpg

C. mloto "Flourescent"
http://www.verse914.com/mlotoshow2a.jpg

A. gertrudae
http://www.verse914.com/gert1.jpg

A. hueseri "Midnight"
http://www.verse914.com/hueseri001.jpg

C. borleyi "Kadango"
http://www.verse914.com/borleyidominant01.jpg

C. frontosa "Mpimbwe"
http://www.verse914.com/frontosamouth001.jpg

Even the juvies are showing awesome color. These guys are all 3" and under in size...

A. lwanda
http://www.verse914.com/lwandamoon1.jpg

S. fryeri
http://www.verse914.com/sfryeri003.jpg

P. spilonotus "Tanzania"
http://www.verse914.com/spilono1.jpg

A. ngara "Flametail"
http://www.verse914.com/ngarashow2.jpg

A. "OB"
http://www.verse914.com/obpeacockmoon1.jpg


Hey Indy! Im from Fort Wayne, IN, about 1 1/2 hours north of you. Its nice to see another cichlid guy so close