# M. Auratus New Tank.



## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Hello And thanks for being a wonderful consolidated place of information on these wonderful fish.

I have been a huge fan of ciclids and reef tanks for decades. Over the years I have had tanks range from 1 gallon to 75. About 8 years ago I was in the process of creating agro-crete rock for an upcoming 30g saltwater...only to find out afterward that the landlord did not allow any tanks. I stashed my rock creations in the woods behind my house and let them "cure" for the last 7 years.

I Lied a bit to the landlord and kept a 10 gallon tank which housed my single M. Auratus. She is mean, and nasty...incredibly territorial. In the summer months she was relocated to a small pond I kept outside. She has been part of the family for 4 years like this.

Fastforward a bit to last week. I just bought a home for my family...including my mbuna. I was going to continue to keep her in the 10 gallon while I plan another water garden....but consumerism got the best of me. I was at the LFS looking for another small tank to set up for her so I could simply pull her from her tank and relocate her to a new one. (Its about a 2 hour drive from where we were to where we are now)

I ended up picking up a 40g breeder and using my agrocrete as rockwork. I set up the rocks, then introduced her WITH 3 smaller new Auratus. I love the way the rocks look, even though they were for a saltwater setup they look splendid.





Ever since I introduced her with the 3 other smaller fish she has exhibited color change. She is not a male, but is certainly "blueing" up a bit....probably as an expression of being dominant. She is very camera shy, and still a bit sketched out. These photographs show the tank at 48 hours post-setup.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Here are a few picts of the old shy lady and one of one of the newer models. You can see in some of the photos how I used cut up bio-balls as part of the agrocrete mix. I hate bio-balls, and It seemed like a good way to get rid of them.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

I made a black background over the last few days. I happened to have a pane of glass that is the exact dimensions of the back of the tank. I painted one side black, let it dry then painted it dark blue. Depending on how I feel I can change the color. One problem I noticed since I blacked out the back is that one of the new fish seems to think that if it swims fast enough at the back wall, it will eventually get through. All its doing is agitating the mature female. Overall she has been quite forgiving of the new additions. We shall see in time if she can tolerate them.











Heres some picts of the "final" product for now. I plan on letting it set up for a few months with weekly water changes as is so everyone gets to feeling like home. Currently this is hiding in my man cave awaiting judgement from my boss (wife) if it is nice enough to put in the living room. She will let me, but I want it to look perfect before I move it from my cave.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

you would have better chance for success with auratus in a 6ft long tank.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

pfoster74 said:


> you would have better chance for success with auratus in a 6ft long tank.


I wouldn't just say you have a better chance, but just a chance. The probability of auratus working out in a small tank is pretty small. It is highly probable that you will end up with just one fish in time. The way to avoid this... and about the only chance this works out, is with about one male, and eight females.


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## jlose600 (Aug 6, 2012)

I've got to agree with Fogelhund. I kept one male and nine females in a 100 gallon tank. The male killed the females one by one. I had over 200 pound of rock in the tank for hiding places. The females can be just as hard on each other as male can be.


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## Mudkicker (Apr 2, 2003)

Like with many fish we find at the LFS, Auratus should be one species that should not be so readily available in my opinion, it's a basically a disappointment waiting to happen.
Somebody new to the hobby can easily get turned off if they start out with Auratus.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

these guys make it sound like keeping auratus successfully is improbable and i have found that is just not true. i have had my group in my 125g since 2011 and they do just fine. what i did for success was (#1 stocked them with other equally or more aggressive mbuna and stock all in high numbers). (#2 i went overboard on ways to hide, lots of rocks, lots of caves, and lots of fake plants.) if you can get a larger tank there is no reason why you can't keep auratus and have a diverse colorful tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I agree with pfoster74 and other members who posted...auratus can be kept in a 72" tank with careful aquascaping and compatible tank mates. OP has a 36x18 is that correct?


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## Mudkicker (Apr 2, 2003)

It ticks me off when novices take home Auratus as their first fish and pop them in their three foot tank.
Too bad most places don't advise their clients about the fish they buy.
When I was about ten years old, the LFS sold me a six inch iridescent shark for my 10 gallon tank, no questions asked!


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

DJRansome said:


> OP has a 36x18 is that correct?


Yep.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

pfoster74 said:


> these guys make it sound like keeping auratus successfully is improbable and i have found that is just not true. i have had my group in my 125g since 2011 and they do just fine. what i did for success was (#1 stocked them with other equally or more aggressive mbuna and stock all in high numbers). (#2 i went overboard on ways to hide, lots of rocks, lots of caves, and lots of fake plants.) if you can get a larger tank there is no reason why you can't keep auratus and have a diverse colorful tank.


No, not impossible... just difficult in a 36" tank... I've had success in a 4ft 75 gallon... but like you it was with a ton of rocks, and larger more aggressive mbuna.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Mudkicker said:


> It ticks me off when novices take home Auratus as their first fish and pop them in their three foot tank.
> Too bad most places don't advise their clients about the fish they buy.
> When I was about ten years old, the LFS sold me a six inch iridescent shark for my 10 gallon tank, no questions asked!


I don't mean to be rude, but what do you mean by all of that? English like that is not my first language. Are you saying that having 4 of these fish in a 40 gallon breeder tank is too many? Is it this specific species, and why?


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

SquatchXXL said:


> Mudkicker said:
> 
> 
> > It ticks me off when novices take home Auratus as their first fish and pop them in their three foot tank.
> ...


yeah were trying to tell you 4 auratus in a 40g breeder is too many. the reason why is they are one of the more aggressive in the mbuna family. the problem is your dominant male or in this case female will kill off the tank mates so you will be left with 1 auratus after the shake out. if you have plans to get a large tank you will find success with auratus . again i feel they need a 6ft length or longer tank.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

pfoster74 said:


> yeah were trying to tell you 4 auratus in a 40g breeder is too many.


That is much more concise than what the other gentleman was trying to say. I don't have any iridescence sharks at all. I have had the larger fish for 4 years, and I will certainly monitor their lifestyle. If/When I encounter bullying behavior, I will certainly relocate to another single fish tank or back to the fish store to take their chances with some other consumer. My information about this species came from a few hardbound books that I have collected over the decades. All indicated that the fish has similar personality to other mbuna. I hate the idea of overstocking fish for any reason. It seems totally foreign to me no matter the species. I certainly will strive for the best health and happiness of these fish, however for the time being they are not getting a bigger home. Thanks for the advice.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Id like to ask some questions about the species. Bear in mind that I am an part-time-engineer and I ask questions that may be odd. Seeing how I have the attention of a few experienced keepers Id like to get some better info than my literature.

Keeping 4 of these specific fish require a 6 foot tank? Can other mbuna be kept with them in that scenario? Is 2.5"-4" the max growth size of these fish? Is it even recommended to keep one or 2 of these in a 40 gallon breeder?

I understand fully that my 3 juvi fish will certainly be reduced in the future. Statistically at least one will be a male, and possibly a second. I know how that can get and am fully prepared with an assortment of other tanks. Most likely however would be that I would find a suitable home for said fish.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

SquatchXXL said:


> Keeping 4 of these specific fish require a 6 foot tank?


A 6 foot tank would be ideal, but a 48x18 is doable. You would want 1m:7f however to spread the male aggression among many females. They are harem breeders.



SquatchXXL said:


> Can other mbuna be kept with them in that scenario? Is 2.5"-4" the max growth size of these fish?


Yes. It is the aggression of the fish that is the problem, not the size.



SquatchXXL said:


> Is it even recommended to keep one or 2 of these in a 40 gallon breeder?


One would work. 2 or 4 would likely cause trouble.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

DJRansome said:



> They are harem breeders.


With this info it all makes sense now. Thank you. I will monitor the situation and remove fish at the first signs of trouble. I will begin to find avenues of donation for them, and am sure that my LFS would give credits/cash on return.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Specifically we keep them as large harems to disperse the aggression the male displays to each individual female. M. auratus are very aggressive towards each other, and the more females there are, the more that aggression is spread out. In addition, the typical flight pattern for the average mbuna is 36"... that means the dominant fish will chase the other for 36".. in a 36" tank... there isn't the room to get way... the bigger the better.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Since my last post:

One juvie died. No apparent reason, and for all of my observation I saw it spend most of its time trying to swim through the back glass. Still doing weekly of 10g/week.

Last week I witnessed one of the 2 remaining juvies decide to go nuts. It beat on the other one till it died, than ate it. It certainly was not hunger as I feed varied foods 3x day.

Today the "old lady" is apparently building a nest or some sort of bowl shaped depression....and the final juvie won't make it through the night I don't think.

I am certainly looking to adopt her out to a suitable owner in the central PA USA area. Oh man is she mean.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Is is possible for a mature female to lay eggs (without a male)? I have not seen any, however today she spent quite a bit of time cleaning out a decent sized depression. Now she seems to have a mouthful of something.


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## jw85 (Dec 24, 2013)

I've seen females of other species lay eggs and hold them for a few days. I think they go bad if they aren't fertilized, then they spit them out.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes this is fairly common.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

I have contacted a few sources about adopting. Im quite particular and prefer that she and the juvie be cherished in a larger tank than I have. If that does not work, she can go to the LFS and be adopted.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Anyone in Central PA want a few M Auratus, please let me know. I need to get these fish to a better place than what I am giving.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Post in the Classified Section. Interested members can send a PM.


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## SquatchXXL (Mar 23, 2015)

Thankfully the fish have been adopted to a better home. I have decided to make another saltwater tank. Thanks again.


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