Oscar with Kenyi

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Feb 21, 2006
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Ok uh... we had these three fish look at these pictures, any new fish we put in they killed (actually the kenyi did most of the killing while the other two were eating rocks and cowardly hiding behind watching), so far, he has killed a rope fish ( i know i shoouldnt have put him in there so kill me) then we put another african cichlid in and he (kenyi )killed him then last we put in a very large cichlid and were supposed to get along, but got killed as well by the kenyi. now were mad and want to know what type of fish can we mix with our kenyi here are photos of the current fish i have found to be compatible
1.jpg

2.jpg

3.jpg
<<---thekiller
.. so now i've come to the conclusion of getting a couple oscars to see what happens to little kenyi...

(i have a 75 gallon tank and they feed on earthworm carcases and flakes)
 
lol kenyi are mean . give him a mirror and hed kill himself.

err cctually i think its a she unless its young i think the male kenyi turn yellow
 
Ok, so I doubt the lab or the auratus will remain passive for long. Both highly aggressive fish. The oscars, if small(even if thay are a bit bigger than the africans) will get killed too. If large enough, will kill the africans. That is assuming, the dietary needs, or difference in water quality doesnt kill them first. If the keny is a problem, try adding a few more of the SAME species...wait!! are you sure thats a kenyi ? IT LOOKS LIKE A FRONTOSA!!

not a kenyi

If thats the case, you got a good deal on that fish, but you are going to need to step up your research on fishkeeping to make it survive long term. I'll wait and hope someone proves me wrong to finish the above ;)

BTW, really nice colors on your auratus (the first one)
 
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Wow...I can't imagine such a small frontosa killing another african cichlid, they're usually so laid back at that size (that is definately not a kenyi pic). Unless you witnessed the unfortunate killings, the auratus seems a more likely culprit (the frontosa would probably go after the remains, though).

With african cichlids, you'll run into trouble if you introduce new fish one at a time, unless you can get one to mix in with the crowd real easy (I added a 7th yellow lab to my tank and none of the other fish really detected it's presence).

Adding a fish that can't melt into the crowd will probably get pummeled by the home team (i.e., the already established fish in the tank). Adding several at a time (4+) works a lot better.

Oscars really don't belong in an african cichlid tank, and if you're trying to create a mbuna tank, the frontosa is probably an incompatible member as well.
 
kay-bee said:
Wow...I can't imagine such a small frontosa killing another african cichlid, they're usually so laid back at that size
Click to expand...

Hehe... funny you said that! Just a few days ago I witnessed one of my small (2") "bismark blue" fronts eat a Maylandi's eye! He was merciless, and kept picking at the poor eyeless fish. We separated the Maylandi but it didn't make it :(. So yes, tiny fronts are very capeable of viciousness.

It is FOR SURE without a doubt a Lake Tangynikan Frontosa not a kenyi ;).

However, in that tank, I do agree the Melanochromis auratus (your first pic) is much more aggressive. You should definately remove it if you are striving for a more "peaceful" mbuna setup, and want to reduce the deaths in your tank.

Your second fish is a "yellow lab" or Labidochormis caeurleus, and on the more peaceful side for malawi cichlids. I suggest getting a few more of these guys to make a nice little group. Sexing them is hard, but try for 1 male to several females.

I would remove the frontosa, especially if he's being a problem. If your doing a malawi cichlid tank, then the front doesn't really belong (but I'm not one to talk, I have 2 in my malawi tank. They will soon be gone though).

Adding oscars is A BIG NO NO! Not only are they from completely different environments and water conditions, their diet is different from the africans.

Do you realize your mbuna are vegetarians? I would not be feeding them earthworms, and only a diet high in vegetable matter. Spiraluna is great, in combo with a high quality african cichlid flake food designed for herbivorious fish. The frontosa is not a vegitarian, which is part of the reason he doesn't really fit with your malawis.

So, you should end up with just a group of yellow labs in your tank and from there we can help you choose more appropriate fish for your setup.

;)
-Diana
 
thanks everyone for the VERY helpful advice, yes the frontosa seems to becoming a nuisance... he is very aggresive and I was thinking of adding a new fish while taking the frontosa out for a day or two while the new fish gets more adapted then adding the frontosa back in , i love the yellow hap that i have i would like to get a blue one, maybe ill just go with auratuss' and yellow/blue haps those are very nice :dance2:
 
While somewhat similar at a glance, the differences between a tret and frontosa are multiple. The fish is without a doubt a frontosa.
 
No, its a frontosa ;)

Lamprologus tretocephalus have a similar coloration pattern but a very distinct look. :p:

Heres a L. tetrocephalus:
lamprologus_tretocephalus.jpg




Also, I'm not sure which yellow/blue haps you are talking about because you only have mbuna? I would not mix haps with mbuna in this tank (for now)... and I would still remove the auratus because they are very aggressive compared to the yellow labs which are much more mild. Also removing the frontosa would be ideal. There's no harm in taking them back to the pet store in exchange for some fish that will work better in your tank. And think of stocking in groups, these fish do best with members of their own species. Try for a group of 5 of each. There are several mbuna species that would do well with the yellow labs, but think right now you should work on getting rid of the other two trouble makers. ;) Trust me, the aggression will only get worse with age.

;)
-Diana
 
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