# Good female mbuna color



## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

Which mbuna species have colorful females? I want to start breeding mbuna in a 40breeder?


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Monomorphic:

Demasoni
Yellow or White Labidochromis
Socolofi
Cobalt Zebra
Maingano (if pure) 
Acei more or less

Dimorphic:
Saulosi
Msobo
Red Zebra
OB Zebra
OB Labeotropheus
OB Tropheops
Kenyi (can turn dull)
Auratus (can turn dull)
Crabro (can turn dull)
Chipokae (can turn dull)
Johanni yellow (can turn dull)

some others can be somewhat colorful, a matter of opinion


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

noki said:


> Demasoni
> Saulosi
> Socolofi
> Msobo
> ...


Any cynotilapia species?


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

The only one people claim to be somewhat colorful are White Top Hara... which lately they have called Cynotilapia.

Females of Cynotilapia can show a little color but never are as colorful as males. color varies with mood, same as males.


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

The Mbuna with good female color are the Mbuna with colorful juveniles. These fish are common because they sell easier.


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

Would demasoni or sausosi be okay in a 40 breeder?


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

ViTxLz said:


> Would demasoni or sausosi be okay in a 40 breeder?


Yes, many have success with Saulosi. The Demasoni will breed but if you search these forums you will see that most find that the Demasoni tend to die off because they are high stress mean little buggers, need to keep crowded.


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

I've never had saulosi before and i like the males coloration. I don't mind the less drab females cause I was looking at peacocks and breeding them so I still might get some cynos but I have a little while before my tank is cycled. Thanks noki


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## Ryan82 (Aug 3, 2011)

ViTxLz, For cynotilapia, Hara, Likoma, and Hai reef females all look good IMO. The hara females are blue, and they can color up as vibrantly as the males at times. For the Likoma, they are a light purple color with yellow on top of their dorsal fin. The Hai reef cynos are very hard to find, but the females are a deep purple with yellow on their dorsal fins. The hai reef male is the fish in my avatar.


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

How bout female elongatus chewere?

male...









female









image of female taken from here.. http://www.cichlids.com/pictures/pic/Fe ... ere-1.html


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

miDnIghtEr20C said:


> How bout female elongatus chewere?
> 
> male...
> 
> ...


 Those males are gorgeous I'm currently trying to figure out what to stock my 55 gallon with.


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

Ryan82 said:


> ViTxLz, For cynotilapia, Hara, Likoma, and Hai reef females all look good IMO. The hara females are blue, and they can color up as vibrantly as the males at times. For the Likoma, they are a light purple color with yellow on top of their dorsal fin. The Hai reef cynos are very hard to find, but the females are a deep purple with yellow on their dorsal fins. The hai reef male is the fish in my avatar.


 I've heard hara. I am looking at a price list right now and one I like is Cynotilapia sp."lion" lipunga "purple", the females are blue almost like cobalts. I think I might get them along with my pseudo. Saulosi. Which aquarium should each go into I have 55gallon and a 40breeder both available?


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

How would the elongatus chewere do in a 55?


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

ViTxLz said:


> miDnIghtEr20C said:
> 
> 
> > How bout female elongatus chewere?
> ...


 Ya.. stocking my 140 right now too.. I want to get a male and female if I can of those. I saw they're selling them at Daves Rare Fish for a good price, http://www.davesfish.com/images/Metriac ... hewere.jpg and Bluegrass... http://bluegrassaquatics.com/pseudotrop ... ewere.html

I think fish direct just got some in too.


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

ViTxLz said:


> How would the elongatus chewere do in a 55?


I had one in a 60, and eventually into a 125 back in the day. He held his own third of the tank against a pissed off Kenyi (sp) and some kind of Zebra that I never new. That was back in 96 when the net wasn't really popping with sites like this for information. Anyhoo... They're an Alpha fish IMO and I think could do good in your tank. I think the males are beautiful too. I used to call mine "Diamond Boy" back in the day because of his colors on the side. Blue Diamonds. Awesome.


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

miDnIghtEr20C said:


> ViTxLz said:
> 
> 
> > How would the elongatus chewere do in a 55?
> ...


I'm doing species tanks for breeding. I want to put pseudotropheus sp. williamsi north in the 55 but due to there size I'm not going to.


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

Says here they get 6 inches. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=861 Solid size. But if you are going to breed them... boy you'll sure get some pretty fish to sell.


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

The females almost look like demasoni, in those profile pics


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

vid of a female.


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

The females aren't that drab and the males defiantly make up for the little drabness in females. But if they get 6inches I might get williamsi north instead


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## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

I want one of those too. Mmmmm those blue lips!


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Don't think Elongatus Chewere are a larger Mbuna, but most Malawi cichlids do grow larger in aquariums than nature it seems. The lengths they give in the profiles are sometimes the natural length, sometimes the tank maximum, so it's kinda confusing.

I would think that the Williamsi North gets larger than the Elongatus chewere.

Females, as with many Mbuna vary with mood. Sometimes they are rather drab without much barring at all, sometimes females can look like an imitation of sub-dominant males except never nearly as intense as a dominant male.
You won't get that "salt water" effect that people want, but then I enjoy watching the barred Mbuna color up and change from drab to to full color. More fascinating than fish that never change much.


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

noki said:


> Don't think Elongatus Chewere are a larger Mbuna, but most Malawi cichlids do grow larger in aquariums than nature it seems. The lengths they give in the profiles are sometimes the natural length, sometimes the tank maximum, so it's kinda confusing.
> 
> I would think that the Williamsi North gets larger than the Elongatus chewere.
> 
> ...


 1 website I looked at said 4inches for the male. And the williamsi do get larger, 7 inches is common


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

miDnIghtEr20C said:


> I want one of those too. Mmmmm those blue lips!


 I know and the males can get beautiful and the females don't look bad either


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?nomobile=1&f=9&t=296738


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## ViTxLz (Jan 28, 2014)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?nomobile=1&f=9&t=296738


I am not getting williamsi but I've seen it be done in 33g longs and 40g longs.


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## jlose600 (Aug 6, 2012)

I'm keeping Metriaclima phaeos (chiwindi) and the male is a real nice bb morph with the females being a bright yellow-orange. A nice dimorphic species.


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