jvision Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) Maingano's (Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos) are my favorite Mbuna, right now; and their colors would contrast greatly with the Labs and Acei. Plus, they're tempered similarly to the fish you have. I would get 10 of them and add them to your tank. The best way to add more fish is to completely rearrange the decor, so that fish that have established territories have to fight for new territory just like the new fish. BTW, I have 48 fish in my 66gal Tangayikan tank. Edited July 13, 2009 by jvision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 48 cichlids in a 66 gallon? Crazy, I had no idea you could/should stock them like that. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to get a new canister filter for probably almost 6 months. Would my tank be ok until then if I've added fish? I like the striped on the Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos you've suggested but I think the females end up looking about the same colour as my yellow labs. I would really like to get a few more Labs and Acei then add 5ish of something else new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I like the striped on the Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos you've suggested but I think the females end up looking about the same colour as my yellow labs. I would really like to get a few more Labs and Acei then add 5ish of something else new. Female Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos don't look like yellow labs. They are the same coloring as the males, a dark blue with light stripes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Really? They must have the wrong pictures up on the cichlid form. Either way, I really like the labs and the acei. Would it work to get 2 or 3 more of each and 5 of the Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos? How easy are these to get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnytens Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Really? They must have the wrong pictures up on the cichlid form. Either way, I really like the labs and the acei. Would it work to get 2 or 3 more of each and 5 of the Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos? How easy are these to get? msobos have a similar coloring and have yelowish females, maybe thats who you saw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Maybe... I went to cichlid form, the pictures they had for females were orangeish and had faint black lines down the body. Then the had a picture of a big bright yellow one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Before you make any serious decisions, it would help greatly if you could post the overall dimensions of this tank, especially the actual footprint (36x?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Good idea... measured from the outside the tank is 40" long, 15 3/4" wide, and 18 1/2" tall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Ok, that helps a lot. You have a little extra length over a standard 50 gallon, although you lose a bit on width. I'm guessing that your mbuna will become less shy as they grow & become sexually mature, so I wouldn't worry about that too much at this point. Enjoy the peaceful times while you can. lol While your filter may be rated for 70 gallons, most filters are overrated, and in an overstocked tank redundancy is key. A filter failure in a well stocked tank, even just overnight, could mean the loss of all life. If you plan on pushing the numbers up in this tank, I would plan on adding another filter. I think that Jason's suggestion of adding a group of Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos is an excellent one. They would add a nice color contrast to your acei & yellow labs, and they stay relatively small, compared to some of the other mbuna that have been suggested in this thread. I would be a bit more conservative in numbers, but a lot of how this will all play out eventually is going to be dependant on the m/f ratio. So adding 10 more juvies isn't a bad idea ...... Or - you can simply increase the numbers of what you already have. I would strongly advise against adding any of the larger species of mbuna, as a single large dom male could eventually cause some serious problems in a tank this size. Also, in a tank this size, chances are that Cyprichromis leptosoma would last about as long as your danios. Definitely not a good idea. BTW - all of your fish can eat the same food, including your BN pleco. My BN's eat whatever they can find, which is typically leftovers from the cichlids, and/or any algae that grows in the tank. While acei are classified as herbivores, they don't just eat plant matter in the wild, and yellow labs are actually classified as insectivores. When I was keeping mbuna every fish in the tank ate the same food, and hundreds of fish & many years later I have yet to have any bloat issues with mbuna. Most mbuna in the wild are opportunistic feeders, and will eat pretty much anything that is edible, and will fit in their mouth. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 I have no problem adding another filter. I would like to get another like the one I already have but I won't be able to get one for a while.... at least a few months probably. Would they be ok if I got more fish and had to wait for a filter? They would all still be juvies... the labs will be a year old at the end of January. The Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos are starting to grow on me... could I get maybe 6 of them and 4 more yellow labs? I'd like to balance out the extra blues with a little extra yellow... and I just really like the yellows. My biggest worry regarding food is that the pleco won't get enough... everything I throw in that tank the cichilds love. Pellets, veggies, algae wafers They really are not pickey but they are a little pushy when it comes to the food. I've tried feeding at lights out when the pleco is more likely to be out and about but even then I see the cichlids eating the wafers. Any feeding practice suggestions to make sure the little guy gets his share? (They're all already on NLS) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 could I get maybe 6 of them and 4 more yellow labs? Sure, that would be no problem. As far as feeding the pleco, just wait a couple of hours after the lights are out, and sprinkle some of your 1mm NLS pellets into the tank. The cichlids won't find them in the dark as easy as they would a wafer. I have BN plecos in all of my tanks, and they learn soon enough to hit the sand & start feeding as soon as they smell the food hit the water, and I only feed them in the daylight hours. For now you should also be ok with the single filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted July 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 I'm looking at getting 3 more Yellow Labs and I think I'll try for 5 of the Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos. Any idea how long I can run with only 1 filter? I might have to wait as long as the end of December until I can get another one. Getting those would give me a grand total of 8 Yellow Labs, 5 Yellow Tail Acei and 5 Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, oh and one BN Pleco of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Posted August 22, 2009 Report Share Posted August 22, 2009 You have been getting excellent advice on this thread! :thumbs: Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos is a very beautiful fish, we have been keeping them for almost a year now. As for your filter issue... To compensate for the time being you can step up the frequency of your water changes until you get your next filter. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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