# question of curiosity (cyps and mbuna)



## FedEXguy (Feb 24, 2005)

I was just wondering if anyone has combined cyprichromis leptosoma and mbuna? It seems that if you had a 5 foot or so aquarium and you fed NLS exclusively, then you could have the milder mbuna (yellow labs and rusties) in the rocks and cyps in the open topwater.

Has anyone tried this? I don't know much about the tanganyikan fish, so I was curious.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

I have seen it done, though I cannot recommend it as a good choice... the cyps seem to learn to avoid the mbuna, but to be constantly stressed by aggressive tank mates seems to me to be like walking right on the edge of a cliff... not much room for any other mistake!


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## FedEXguy (Feb 24, 2005)

Thanks for the reply.

When you saw it done, was there a decent size school of the cyps? I would have thought it'd end up much like with dither fish: large school that moves fast and creates a sense of security so reclusive fish stay out of the rocks. I wouldn't have thought the mbuna would mess with them too much.

I'm not really thinking of doing this, but I usually see rainbowfish being suggested as dither fish, and I thought, why not Blue Flash...similar size, speed, and they school.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

it was very small groups and in another case, a trio

I know many call Cyps a schooling fish, but I don't think that's a correct term in the usual sense of the term. A school is a loose term attached to any group of fish that feeds and/or migrates together. In the wild, Cyps form more of a 3d colony mid-water column with males staking out a temporary little bubble territory. Sort of a different situation than what one would typically think of when they imagine a school of fish. It might be a subtle difference, but one I view as important... disrupt a territorial fishes space and stress is the result... and stress kills.

A "school" of cyps getting blasted apart from below by a charging mbuna dirupts those virtual territories, stress the cyps, likely leads to death IMHO. When I saw the small groups/trio, they were surviving, not thriving IMHO (though I wouldn't have mentioned that to their owners! :thumb: )


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## FedEXguy (Feb 24, 2005)

I think I'll file this under "laid to rest" in my ideas drawer 

Thanks!


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

FedEXguy said:


> I think I'll file this under "laid to rest" in my ideas drawer
> 
> Thanks!


But it was a very good question.


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## FedEXguy (Feb 24, 2005)

Thanks, makes me want to say, "aww, you're so sweet!"

How about this scenario (for hypothetical purposes.)

Malawi sand-sifting haps/peacocks with Tang topwater Cyps?

Or, more generically, what would be a good all-water Malawi/Tang community mix, if any?

Basically, if you could only have one tank and you couldn't pick one lake, what would you do?

All discussion is welcome


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

Personally I am a lake purist, other than a multi group in with some juvenile haps. But mostly because I do not know the answer to this question and with the price of tangs (at least locally) I am not willing to test it out. But I will be very interested in


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

I've kept leptosoma with some Scieanochromis fryeri and Nimbochromis linni... mixed quite well.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

The _linni_didn't try to snarf down the _leptosoma_?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

MalawiLover said:


> The _linni_didn't try to snarf down the _leptosoma_?


Have you ever seen a wild linni try and eat something in open water? Including pellets?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

I am a Lake mixer... never saw any reason not to mix. Haps and Cyps can mix, as Fogel points out, as can things like syno catfish, Julies, etc. Quite a few creative mixes are possible.

Anytime you bend the rules, you should be aware of two things...

1.) have a backup aquarium or other container capable of holding water ready to setup quickly in case of errors in experimentation

2.) you are now in uncharted territory (or at least rarely entered territory) and you will likely have to solve your own problems. 
:thumb:


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## FedEXguy (Feb 24, 2005)

I don't plan on bending any rules anytime soon, mostly because the only Tangs you can get locally are Brichardi and I'm only allowed one big tank while we're renting from the father-in-law. I can definitely see myself doing a little experimenting down the road when I'm in my own home, though, and it's nice to know a little bit about what I'm diving into, even if it'll be awhile before I do it.

I must admit, Fogel, I never would have tried Linni and Leptosoma, though!


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## Afishionado (Jun 6, 2006)

Probably a fairly common Malawi/Tang mix, but I've found peacocks and Altolamps do fine together. I can't help wondering if cyps would work with that also... (maybe jumbo cyps, in a larger tank). I just don't see much appeal to keeping cyps though unless it is part of an all-tang setup - just a personal perspective.


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