# Auratus African Cichlid



## Ryans085 (Sep 11, 2009)

I was just wondering if the Auratus cichlid is just one of the most aggresive fish you could get in the Mbuna African cichlid selection?

I saw him at the Pet store and liked his colors, but he has to be the most aggressive fish ever. Indiscriminate chasing/bullying from the Auratus seems to be taking a toll on my tank.

I'm going to have to give him away to a local pet and probably just going to get another Yellow Lab or Red Zebra.

Just wondering if anyone else has had past problems with these fish, if so let me know.
I put up with mine for about a month now but removing him tomorrow so no casualties occur from his behavoir.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

just about everyone from reading past posts.


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## Ryans085 (Sep 11, 2009)

just about everyone what?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Ryans085 said:


> Just wondering if anyone else has had past problems with these fish, if so let me know.





steelers fan said:


> just about everyone from reading past posts.


That help?


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

just about everyone has had issues with this breed from reading past threads...sorry for not being clear


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## ben1988 (May 2, 2009)

i have two in my 150 and they do fine though both are still smaller in size compared to the other few larger ones...


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

They are definitely one of the most aggressive Malawi fish. A group can be done (proper male/female ratios are definitely required) in a large tank with other aggressive species, but the risks really go up. They are rather cool as a single species tank, but much harder to do in a community

The colors you saw at the fish store were juvenile/female colors. As they mature, the males become a rather unattractive muddy brown.


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## bma57 (Sep 16, 2007)

And sadly, they seem to be one of the easiest species to find. In my area anyway, the big box stores that have pitiful selections of African cichlids always seem to have Auratus even if they have nothing else. If I hadn't lucked onto this site soon after deciding I wanted to set up an African tank, I probably would have gone to one of the chains and bought a random mix of Auratus, Bumble Bees, Kenyi, and Johanni (the most commonly found species in the stores around me). Imagine what that bloodbath would have looked like!


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

They are everywhere. Most poeple want a colorful tank and don't want to wait (or even know they change color) for their boring little gray fish to mature. So what sells are the species that breed fast (good for business) and are very colorful right from the begining.

Auratus, kenyi, bumblebees and red zebra fit that bill. Because cichlid behavior is so different than most community fish LFS and box stores don't usually have anyone on staff you really understands them and can stear customers down the right path. They just go with standard tropical fish rules for housing and compatibility. And of course these fish are just fine as juveniles, so the stores don't even deal with them as adults and are often unaware they have major personality changes.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Auratus have a bad reputation because of their aggression, both the males and females. They can kill off a whole tank full of fish in no time. I got lucky with mine but believe me, it's an exception. I've had my male for over 2 yrs now and finally have some adult females for him who seem pretty mellow too :? . The male *was* pretty ugly when he started changing from the pretty yellow & black stripes (juvenile/female) color...looked like a rotting banana or worse but now he's a pretty black and white color.

I've also had albino auratus and really loved the looks of them too (yellow and white stripes with red eyes) now those I didn't have any luck with. They killed each other off.


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## wildcat567 (Jul 10, 2009)

I have two in with my yellow labs and other fish. A few weeks ago the two of them spun like whirling dervishes around each other for the longest time, and doing it repetitively over a few days. A couple days after that stopped, one of them started turning dark - the male. He has been the most aggressive of the two, and was particularly aggressive during those few days. But both are less aggressive than my Victorian Hap Obliquiden male and my full-size Electric Yellow Lab.


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## bluthe (Aug 9, 2009)

I bought a melanochromis auratus from a LFS without a word about its aggression mentioned. Had to return him for credit...


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

bluthe said:


> I bought a melanochromis auratus from a LFS without a word about its aggression mentioned. Had to return him for credit...


Yep. happens all the time. Either they just don't know or don't care. Either way they made a sale.


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## bluthe (Aug 9, 2009)

MalawiLover said:


> Yep. happens all the time. Either they just don't know or don't care. Either way they made a sale.


Unfortunately I think he must have known. Or at least should have. Hes very knowledgeable about them even going as far as to dive in Malawi himself for vacation.


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## Sprintz (Sep 22, 2009)

I have had several over the past 20 years and I can tell you that they are very aggressive (not as aggressive as a Chipokae in my opinion) but one of the best things to do is crowd african cichlids (if you have the biological filtration to support it) and provide a "reef" style evironment. Their overall aggression will lessen and you will find that they can co-exist with many other species.


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