# Are my Malawi's compatible?



## Pyschild (Feb 26, 2013)

Hello. If anyone would be so kind, I was wondering if there were any obvious compatibility issues that stand out with
the Malawi's I have in my 75 Gallon tank. I just recently transferred my 7 of them from a 30 gal. Then I added three more
that I just bought. Right away I noticed the my female Maingano (Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos) is gunning for my new Female
Melanchromis Chipokae. Is this because they have horizontal stripes? I thought the color difference would be enough to keep them
from showing con-specific behavior.

So.. I was wondering, since my fish are all only half grown (3.5" at most). How compatible will they be when full grown?

in a 75 Gallon I have:

1 Pseudotropheus Crabro (Bumblebee) - Female
1 Red Top Zebra (Orange) - Male
1 Red Top Zebra (Yellow) - Female
1 Metriaclima Greshakei - Male
1 Maingano (Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos) -Female
1 Kenyi (Metriaclima Lombardoi) - Male
1 Melanochromis Chipokae - Female
1 Tangerine Peacock - Male
1 Red Jake Peacock - Male
1 Pseudotropheus Acei - Male (Brutalized and nearly finless but hanging on!)

I was planning on getting 3 or 4 more fish. Any Advice or Recommendations??


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## jaymore1 (Dec 18, 2010)

Get rid of the females to start. If u dont want any breeding going on try an all male tank. Choose fish that dont look simular if u can and that mature at 6 in or less. I would also remove the peacocks because of the very aggresive mbuna u have they will not make it more than likely


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Peacocks have to go for sure. They are not going to do well in that mix. The Acei needs to go as well. You have some VERY aggressive fish in a 75g tank. You need to pick 2 or maybe 3 of the mbuna species that don't look alike and add 5 or 6 females. I would get rid of the Crabro and the Kenyi.


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## evenningstar (Feb 26, 2013)

I would love to see a picture.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

13razorbackfan said:


> Peacocks have to go for sure. They are not going to do well in that mix. The Acei needs to go as well. You have some VERY aggressive fish in a 75g tank. You need to pick 2 or maybe 3 of the mbuna species that don't look alike and add 5 or 6 females. I would get rid of the Crabro and the Kenyi.


I will note....5/6 females per male.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Mbuna do well in same species breeding groups. 4 groups are recommended. Or an all male set up with Peacocks/Haps and maybe a few Docile mbuna. Your current stock is a recipe for hybrid breeding and fighting between the males, as breeding really gets into play. Your Peacocks will lose, much the way as your Acei. Kenyi males, especially are brutal!


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## Pyschild (Feb 26, 2013)

Not great pics at all, but here's the mess i've made. haha! Any opinions on the easiest way to sort this out? I'd like to keep as many of them as reasonable.
It would suck to get rid of the crabro as I'm very partial to it, but it's more important to me to have a (mostly) harmonious aquarium.

Here's all of them besides the Acei, he's up in the other corner trying to grow his fins back.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Pyschild said:


> Not great pics at all, but here's the mess i've made. haha! Any opinions on the easiest way to sort this out? I'd like to keep as many of them as reasonable.
> It would suck to get rid of the crabro as I'm very partial to it, but it's more important to me to have a (mostly) harmonious aquarium.
> 
> Here's all of them besides the Acei, he's up in the other corner trying to grow his fins back.


The Acei is going to die if you don't remove him or the aggressors and you have so many choices as to which ones. The peacocks and Acei have to be removed OR the aggressive Mbuna. You must make a choice. I posted the same thing above in the thread. You must make a choice. Once you made that choice we can help you. No matter what you decide you are going to have to take many back and buy some different ones that are more compatible. What you have is tantamount to putting a few pit bulls, rottweiler, german shepard, poodle, cat and a gerbil in your back yard.

Which do you prefer? The Mbuna or the peacocks/haps?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You have a recipe for disaster, as Floridagirl has already pointed out.

What do you want from the tank? It's a hybrid mess waiting to happen right now.

You could go all male, but I find that rather dull - I tried it and you lose all the interesting male behavior as well as the great coloration.

Let's just talk about one fish at a time...

1 Pseudotropheus Crabro (Bumblebee) - Female - would need to add 2 more females and a male, very common dime a dozen cichlid that grows very large and very aggressive - not something I would waste tank space on

1 Red Top Zebra (Orange) - Male
1 Red Top Zebra (Yellow) - Female - male needs more than one female - once he matures he will likely kill her

1 Metriaclima Greshakei - Male - will also try to breed with red top female zebra, wouldn't keep more than one zebra type in this size tank for breeding purposes

1 Maingano (Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos) -Female - as you stated, going to be constantly tangling iwth the chipokae female

1 Kenyi (Metriaclima Lombardoi) - Male - highly agressive and will cross breed with everything in your tank if he can

1 Melanochromis Chipokae - Female - same as maingano

1 Tangerine Peacock - Male - too timid to be kept with mbuna, and should never keep two breeding groups of two different peacock species together, as they will hybridize

1 Red Jake Peacock - Male - same as above

1 Pseudotropheus Acei - Male (Brutalized and nearly finless but hanging on!) - would probably be fine if you work out all your male/female ratios, including adding female aceis

I would narrow it back to 4 or 5 species - get rid of the bumblebees and peacocks, the maingano or chipokae, and one of the zebra types. Fix your male/female ratios for the acei, whichever zebra you chose, the maingano or chipokae, and kenyi. Keep in mind that the kenyi may be trouble in the long run, but if you get him some girls he should mellow some. I would want 3 females per male.


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## Pyschild (Feb 26, 2013)

Thanks. Well after further consideration I'm going to be probably getting rid of them besides the Ice Blue Greshakei Male I have.
I like his moderate aggressive temperament and curiosity, as well as being a brilliant looking fish.

I found this group of 9 Greshakei. The owner told me that they were hand picked by the person he got them from.

Does anyone spot any females in this group from the pics? They all seem to have a blue sheen to them, which makes me think they're males?

The one I own I presume is Male. He's about 3" and has orange top and tail fins with a blue hue. His body is brownish with a slight bluish, he turns pretty white
when pissed off. I'm looking to get females for him.


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## Pyschild (Feb 26, 2013)

Here's the one I have that I think is a Male


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Lots of males. Top right in the first pic may be female, hard to say without more pics. The rest at least look male to me.
Some pics for comparison.

Subdominant male









Dominant male









Females



























Female displaying male coloration


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## Pyschild (Feb 26, 2013)

I'm pretty sure I just scored three greshakei females at the tropical fish shop in town. They said they didn't have these when I called in. 
When I looked for myself I was pleasantly surprized. There seemed to be atleast half a dozen decent sized greshakei females. I guess no one
buys them because of their dull color.

they're all 2.5 to 3". they have the right look to them, anyone agree? My male greshakei has sure taken notice of them. hah

now i gotta to ditch most of these other fish. what's the best way to do such a thing?


























Male Greshakei with two of the Females.


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

Nice score!
I usually sell fish on CL, but there are 3 stores in my area that will at least take them, and possibly give store credit, depending on what they are.


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