# Mixing different coloured Aceis together?



## Kevin007 (Jul 20, 2008)

I saw a good deal on black aceis with white tails $ for 6, I was wondering how they will do with normal Aceis. Are they more rare? Do they cross breed? Will they school together? Is that a reasonable price for 1.5 inch juvies?


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## Terrence23 (Oct 2, 2008)

If you are talking about the white tail Acei Ngara, they are great fish. I have four of them and the males are stunning with an almost jet black body and offsetting white tail and white borders on their other fins. The females are just ok looking as they have a more brownish-black tinge to their color.

There's been speculation that the so-called Tanzania Acei, which has a black body and yellow tail, is actually a cross between the Acei Ngara and the normal yellow tail Acei. The pictures of these Tanzania actually look pretty nice for a cross breed though.

Acei are such mellow fish I don't see why they wouldn't get along. I have two males and two females and there is hardly any aggression between them at all.


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## Kevin007 (Jul 20, 2008)

I mean $30 for 6 in my OP

I have 6 normal Aceis around 3 inches in length in my 55G tank. I love them.

I was just thinking of the possiblity of keeping different colored Aceis in a 180G tank. Perhaps that will look even more impressive then a tank with only 1 species of Aceis.

If they school together, that'll be great. I really don't mind if they cross breed either, I like the black ones with yellow tails.

Anyone keep them together?


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## letstalkfish (Dec 25, 2008)

well if your into acei you could also add the daktari "Yellow Acei"


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## Alisonj (Aug 24, 2008)

Terrence23 said:


> Acei are such mellow fish I don't see why they wouldn't get along. I have two males and two females and there is hardly any aggression between them at all.


I had an acei in my all male tank and had to take him out because he was so aggressive. He was picking on every single fish, ones bigger than him. I wonder if maybe he was a hybird?


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## Kevin007 (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow! How many kinds of Aceis are there? (but no thanks, I have my yellow labs already)

BTW I guess this answers one of my question http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62KStsd4 ... re=related

Also: Why don't my aceis school like that in my 55G?

I have 7 Yellow labs 6 Aceis and 5 Rusties, they all act like typical yellow labs.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

They will cross breed.


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## Kevin007 (Jul 20, 2008)

DJRansome said:


> They will cross breed.


Is this a bad thing?

There are aceis that are Black with white fins, black with yellow fins, blue on yellow fins, etc

Could I theoretically have a black with yellow fin if my common acei and black aceis with white fin breed?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Creating hybrids is generally avoided in the hobby. Most of us want to keep a little piece of the lake in our tanks. There are huge, emotional threads on this topic...you might want to search for them.

If you DO create hybrids, it's best to keep them in your tanks for their lifetime.


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## Kevin007 (Jul 20, 2008)

But this is a special case, no?


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

Acei tend to school for awhile and disband. My acei use to school but once they grow larger, they swim independently now.

Hybrids is a no no in the hobby. Some people are saying that it is harder and harder for people to find "pure" fish these day because the lfs is flood with Hybrids. For example: you breed hybrids, you sell them to the fish store, and the fish store will probably mark it as whatever it closely resemblance and other people buy the hybrids. thinking that, that's the fish they are looking for. Then they breed the hybrids with their other pure fish and then selling them off to the lfs. The cycle begins all over again. 
If you want to breed hybrids i suggest you keep it in your tank for their lifetime.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

How is it a special case?


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## Kevin007 (Jul 20, 2008)

I think it is a special case because there is actually a species with the color of cross bred offspring?

I am assuming a Yellow tailed blue acei if bred with a Black acei with a white tail can possibly produce off springs that are blue with white fins or black with yellow fins. These are a real species right? Not saying I would do it but I'm just asking.

They are all called Pseudotropheus Acei? Isn't it kinda like breeding guppies/platies with different color? Not really "cross" breeding if they are the same species but different colored.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

No, one is Ngara and one is Msuli (or another collection point).


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## Ravenatnm (Mar 20, 2008)

The Aceis that I got from a reputable online dealer advertised here are a navy with yellow tail. I asked him about them when they arrived, being new to the hobby, and seeing the profile section with the lighter blue color and expecting them. He said that there are many variants in shade and a darker blue body was one of them...


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## Cich of it all (Mar 29, 2007)

Fry that result from crossing Ngara and Msuli acei will be hybrids. Example: there are many jacobfreibergi peacocks, but you don't want to cross a Eureka with a lemon jake. The hybrid acei may be very cool looking, but please do not distribute them.



> The Aceis that I got from a reputable online dealer advertised here are a navy with yellow tail. I asked him about them when they arrived, being new to the hobby, and seeing the profile section with the lighter blue color and expecting them. He said that there are many variants in shade and a darker blue body was one of them...


All of the Msuli acei that I've owned have been the exact same lilac color. I have seen some that look a bit darker, but that may have been because of different lighting. Navy blue seems extreme to me though. Might be an example of a Msuli/Ngara hybrid. :-?


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## Cich of it all (Mar 29, 2007)

*Ravenatnm*:
I just realized who you are and where you told me you got those acei from. I have trust in that breeder, as I've gotten many of my Mbuna from him, so I guess I can't argue with what he said. Although you've seen my acei (That I got from him) and how they are lighter in color so that's a little puzzling. :-?


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## Ravenatnm (Mar 20, 2008)

Here are some pictures of my "navy" Msuli. They are a little bit lighter in person.
































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## letstalkfish (Dec 25, 2008)

just a quick question are the acei msuli variant the ones you get from most large chain stores


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would say most chain stores don't have fish with collection point names, but acei from msuli are the yellow-finned, lighter colored ones and so are the chain store acei. It still would not be correct to attach the msuli collection point name to fish bought at a chain store unless they were sold to you with the collection point name.


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## frozennorth (Dec 16, 2008)

I've seen Ps. acei itungi online which are very dark and have yellow fins. So they might not be hybrids but just a different variant and or collection point.


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## Joea (May 25, 2004)

frozennorth said:


> I've seen Ps. acei itungi online which are very dark and have yellow fins. So they might not be hybrids but just a different variant and or collection point.


I've never heard of any _Ps_. sp. "acei" being found any further North than Ngara. Because they are so commonly available in the hobby, wild _Ps_. sp. "acei" are rarely, if ever exported and those that were, were the Msuli and Ngara variants. The first variant exported years ago were those found between Nkhata Bay and Bandawe, which includes Msuli.

There is a variety that sounds like the ones you're describing (very dark and yellow fins). They're often called Black Tanzanian, which is a misnomer because they aren't found anywhere near Tanzania. In fact, they've never been found anywhere in the lake! They are thought to be a man-made hybrid.

The intensity of colour in any mbuna will depend on a myriad of factors. I have seen very light, almost lavender coloured _Ps_. sp. "acei" as well as very dark purple ones; they were all the Msuli variant.


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## frozennorth (Dec 16, 2008)

They are the same as Tanzania black and I see them at a lot of online retailers. I had no idea they might be manmade.


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## sshavney (Sep 25, 2008)

This is my oldest and so far the darkest... He is darker than what this pic shows (more navy than anything) The rest are much younger and change shades so often who knows what shade i will end up with. :? (they always like to poop when i try to take their pictures...go figure :roll: )


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