Post by barbara on Apr 28, 2009 10:22:10 GMT -5
Mbuna are aggressive, territorial fish. Housing them together is typically more of an art than a science. Each fish will show its own unique behaviors, which makes it a challenge to give the absolute best way to stock a cichlid tank.
One way to limit aggression is by the species that you choose. Yellow labs (Labidochromis caeruleus), Acei (Pseudotropheus acei), Rusties (Iodeotropheus sprengerae) are all fairly mild on the aggression level for this type of fish. Not to say you won't have aggression problems with these species, but it is less likely with proper stocking numbers.
What is a proper stocking number? That is where this gets difficult, as these fish are monomorphic...meaning the males and females look the same. The best way to stock these fish is one male and several females, in colony sizes of 6 or more. This will help spread the aggression out over several fish, instead of just one being the target.
The tank size is also very important in controlling aggression. The bigger the tank the better. An absolute minimum tank size would be a 40 gallon breeder tank, and I'd only keep one, possibly 2 mild species in that. A 55 gallon is fairly standard for 3 species, but still can have a lot of problems. A 75 gallon is better, as it has more width to it, and that in itself may help with aggression. Bigger than 75 gallons is optimal, with the footprint of the tank being more important than the height.
Next would be decoration. This is not just for your pleasure, it is also a place for the fish to define their territories. One of the most common decorations used for mbuna tanks is Texas holey rock. Look for pieces with large holes in it, and the fish will delight you by swimming through it.
One school of thought is to overcrowd the tanks. The fish being chased will get lost in the crowd, and the aggressive fish will give up chasing that fish when faced with a large number of fish that won't back down. To accomplish this, one will need large amounts of filtration, and regular water changes. How to tell if you are too crowded? Test your water perimeters. That's the best way. You should have no ammonia, no nitrites, and lower end nitrates: 40 ppm being the upper most level that most mbuna can tolerate well. This will determine if you have enough filtration and if you are doing enough water changes.
One way to limit aggression is by the species that you choose. Yellow labs (Labidochromis caeruleus), Acei (Pseudotropheus acei), Rusties (Iodeotropheus sprengerae) are all fairly mild on the aggression level for this type of fish. Not to say you won't have aggression problems with these species, but it is less likely with proper stocking numbers.
What is a proper stocking number? That is where this gets difficult, as these fish are monomorphic...meaning the males and females look the same. The best way to stock these fish is one male and several females, in colony sizes of 6 or more. This will help spread the aggression out over several fish, instead of just one being the target.
The tank size is also very important in controlling aggression. The bigger the tank the better. An absolute minimum tank size would be a 40 gallon breeder tank, and I'd only keep one, possibly 2 mild species in that. A 55 gallon is fairly standard for 3 species, but still can have a lot of problems. A 75 gallon is better, as it has more width to it, and that in itself may help with aggression. Bigger than 75 gallons is optimal, with the footprint of the tank being more important than the height.
Next would be decoration. This is not just for your pleasure, it is also a place for the fish to define their territories. One of the most common decorations used for mbuna tanks is Texas holey rock. Look for pieces with large holes in it, and the fish will delight you by swimming through it.
One school of thought is to overcrowd the tanks. The fish being chased will get lost in the crowd, and the aggressive fish will give up chasing that fish when faced with a large number of fish that won't back down. To accomplish this, one will need large amounts of filtration, and regular water changes. How to tell if you are too crowded? Test your water perimeters. That's the best way. You should have no ammonia, no nitrites, and lower end nitrates: 40 ppm being the upper most level that most mbuna can tolerate well. This will determine if you have enough filtration and if you are doing enough water changes.
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