# Newbie 50 gallon mbuna tank?



## amblessed14 (Jan 27, 2010)

Hi, I am new to cichlids. I have a 50gallon bow front tank and have always wanted a mbuna tank. I was told by my local petshop that I should put at least 15 mbuna in the tank and have 1 male for every 2 females to help keep aggression down. I plan on using sand as substrate and using rocks to create lots of hiding places. I also plan on using my marineland emperor 400 as a filter for the tank. Is my tank big enough for 15 mbuna? Will my filter be able to hold the load of 15 mbuna? The tank is empty right now, trying to do research before I decide to buy 15 fish. I am looking forward to reading your comments and suggestions. Thanks


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

1 male to every 2 females is not an ideal ratio. You really need 4 females to every 1m for most species.

What are the dimensions of your tank? This is the most important question in determing how many mbuna you can keep and what kind.

Please dont buy anything until we know your tank dimensions and also it would help if you tell us some of the species you are interested in or that your store carries.


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## amblessed14 (Jan 27, 2010)

My tank Dimensions 36-inches x 18-inches x 20-inches (LxWxH).

I would like to have a few P. Demasoni and maybe some P. Saulosi. Would it be okay to mix these two or should I just stay with one species? Don't worry I am going to check out a few more stores and do my research before I buy any fish.


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## bmweiler09 (Nov 17, 2009)

A tank with that foot print is going to limit you to a single smaller species. 15 fish would probably be too much I would stick to under 10. Maybe 2m:8f saulosi?


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

You won't like this, but insofar as stocking mbuna goes, length is everything. Width is second and height or total gallon-age tie for a distant last.

As fairly rambunctious (read that as entertaining or viscous depending on your point of view) cichlids, mbuna need lots of length in a tank so sub-dominant males and harassed females have some room to escape aggressors.

I have a 3' tank that is 38 gallons, and although it is not as wide as your tank, they're both three feet.

Most mbuna shouldn't even be kept in a 3' tank, but those that don't grow more than 4" can be done.
Stay away from these genii: Labeotropheus, Melanochromis, Metriaclima, Petrotilapia and Tropheops.
And since stores often use vague trade names, don't stock these specific fish: elongatus, johanii, auratus, kenyi, red zebra and maingano. All of these fish have really nice looking juveniles that sell like hot cakes. And will ruin your tank.

Also avoid haps (electric blue ahli and giraffe cichlid being the two most common)

Some that you could stock:
Cynotilapia afra: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... hp?id=1371
Rusty. Pictures don't do them justice: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=707
Yellow lab: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=713
Perlmutt: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=741
demasoni: you need to have at least 12: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=849
saulosi. A popular pick since the males and females are different but both beautiful: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1

You want to strive for at least 1m:3f. The more females the better. Labidochromis caeruleus is generally accepted as the exception - they're usually peaceful enough that you can have extra males.

Let us know if any or these are available to you. I certainly missed some that are also possibilities.

kevin


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## amblessed14 (Jan 27, 2010)

I have read that the male saulosi are blue and the females are yellow. Would an upside down catfish be a good takmate with saulosi?


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

Yes saulosi do have blue males and yellow females. If you buy juvies (1"-2") then you could get 12-15 of them and thin them out once you see how many males and females you have. If you buy adults then you could buy one male and 4-5 females. The only thing is alot of subdom males will look like females so they might color up later.

I have had saulosi kill a bristlenose before. I find it better not to keep catfish with mbuna. Some have had luck though.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Also since it's a bowfront, the 18" dimension is likely measured in the center of the tank instead of the sides of the tank. What is the side measurement?

A single species of dwarf mbuna might work. I did not like them in my 36" tank but others have had success.


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## amblessed14 (Jan 27, 2010)

I believe the side measurement is 16.25inches. Has anyone ordered fish online?


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Many order online--it's the best way to get the fish you want.
The saulosi are nice--good choice!
You can find reviews of the online retailers here:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/reviews/retailer_display.php?CatID=002


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