# Msobo Magunga Tankmates



## weldeng (Jul 20, 2008)

I am setting up a new tank and getting some free Msobo Magunga to start with. What Malawi species would be most compatible to add and what should I avoid?


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## moonlight (Feb 21, 2007)

I think it would help people out here if you let us know how big the tank was and how many Msobos you are starting with. That will give people a chance to see your tank in there head. Msobos have always been one of my favs, it is really hard to beat the male coloration.

-Mark


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## weldeng (Jul 20, 2008)

moonlight said:


> I think it would help people out here if you let us know how big the tank was and how many Msobos you are starting with. That will give people a chance to see your tank in there head. Msobos have always been one of my favs, it is really hard to beat the male coloration.
> 
> -Mark


The tank is 75 gal and I will be given 6 -8 Msobos each about 2" long once the tank is done cycling. I plan on thinning the Msobos down as they grow a liitle larger to say 1 male and 2 to 3 females. I had originally planned on stocking with haps and peacocks. I am hoping the Msobos will not prevent me from adding these fish.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

I think they are too aggressive for most Haps and peacocks... in that the Haps and peacocks may not thrive and show good color. Maybe you could get lucky but it's not a great mix


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## moonlight (Feb 21, 2007)

I have found that the female msobos are the ones to look out for, they are very mean to each other. If your onlly planning on 2-3 females I would vote 2, only because one female will take the left and one will take the right and the thrid will die at the hands of the others. If you can stand it, I would do 3-6 females. I have never had problems with the males being too aggressive, I think sometimes they get a bad name b/c they look like they would be aggressive (Samual Jackson would play a male msobo in a movie about fish). As far as what to put with them, right now I am on a big Cyno kick, they stay smaller then most mbuna, the males look great and the females will grow on you (if your lucky you might pick a cyno where the girls look good too). If you want to go the hap and peacock route, I would keep asking questions, I have only ever kept mbuna. Hoped this helped some.

-Mark


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I agree on going with more females, not less. I've never kept such aggressive females in all my years of fish keeping. I have 4 girls to my one male now, and this seems to be the magic number for my group. I lost one to female/female aggression.

I have a male jacobfriebergi in with my Msobos and he holds his own just fine. I don't have any females for him, but they are one of the more aggressive peacocks. I have a male OB peacock in there, as well, and he does fine.

I also have a group of wild Cynotilapia White Tops in with my Msobos.

It's a high aggression tank, but a pretty level playing field for the species I have in it.


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## cc_woman (Jan 31, 2008)

I would probably try for an all mbuna tank. You could try dwarf mbuna like any cynotilapia species, pseudotropheus polits, metriaclima lombardoi, pseudotropheus demasoni. I would also have a ratio of at least 1M/4F for these groups, except if going with demasoni I would go with at least a dozen. You could also try some labidochromis caeruleus, or some metriaclima estherae. But to cut down on aggression between species you should cram the tank full of at least 25 mbuna.


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