# Melanochromis Auratus



## pat3612 (Apr 30, 2008)

Hi hope somebody can help.Hubby would like to buy some Melanochromis Auratus I know they are very aggressive to their own kind but ok with bigger fish does anyone have any experince with them should they go in a tank of their own or can they go in with my other cichlids .Thanks Pat oh my tank is 100 gals


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

They're not necessarily ok with bigger fish. _M. auratus_ don't often back down to _any _fish, despite their size.

_M. auratus_ are best in very large harems of a single male and 5 or more females. It's best not to keep them with other Melanochromis species. This isn't a species I would recommend for a beginner.

What are the dimensions of the 100 gallon and what other fish will be with them?


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## Codemann (May 19, 2008)

I have a 125 gallon tank with 17 med. sized africans.. I have one male Melanochromis Auratus that was the first fish I put into the tank, he is the dominate male but does alright with the other fish. So far so good, mostly a male tank...


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## pat3612 (Apr 30, 2008)

I think I will just leave them out for now maybe later hubby can get some in a tank just for them. Thanks for your advice Pat. Right now I only have electric yellows 5 and one electric blue ahli male and 2 plecos thats all thats in the 100 right now. Id like to add maybe 3 peacocks for color but not sure what kind. Thanks again.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

If you want to keep peacocks, I would definitely say no to the auratus.

Your husband and mine must have very similar taste in fish. I fought him and his auratus for 3 years before I got rid of them! :lol:

IMO, they just aren't worth the chaos they can cause in a tank. (But I still have to distract my hubby everytime we walk by them in a LFS!)

Kim


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

It must be a male thing. My hubby picked out 3 for our 55g. tank. We had them close to a year when 2 started turning male color and one was picking on the other bad so I took the one getting picked on back to the LFS. Shortly after that the one I thought was female started turning male colored too but so far so good with these two. I really don't know if I want to keep them (well one of them) and get more females or take them back too. Like I said, they are getting along fine right now.


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