# All Male Mbuna Tank



## shiftyfox (Aug 2, 2019)

Maybe a stupid question but hey i'm going to ask it anyway

Would it be possible to have an all male Mbuna tank and if so what size tank would you need


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## Old Newbie (Feb 18, 2017)

You can, you would need a tank at least 48" long like a 55 or 75 gallon or larger. Then you would need to find either mature sexed fish or buy several of each chosen species and remove the females and extra males. Only one male of each species as they will fight, no similar looking fish as they will fight and just for fun, they will fight. If you get adolescent fish they will be good until they become mature, and then the sorting out begins.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

All male mbuna is THE most challenging tank IMO among African Rift Lake cichlids.

Haps and peacocks are difficult enough to get the right balance and mbuna are more aggressive than the haps and peacocks that most often work in all male.

On top of that so many mbuna look alike (blue bars or yellow/orange) it is hard to get enough fish to somewhat crowd the tank but still have fish that look nothing alike.

Read the all-male article in the Cichlid-forum Library.


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## shiftyfox (Aug 2, 2019)

So x1 male of each could you do these..? - any others you could think of..?

Yellow Lab
White lab or Albino Socolofi 
Red Zebra
Rusty
Maingano
Jalo Reef
Acei
Cobalt Blue Zebra
Chewere 
Msobo
Perspicax


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Choose albino socolofi so you don't have two solid-color labs.

Choose red zebra or callainos so you don't have two solid color Metriaclima.

Skip perspicax...too aggressive. Also slip auratus and the other Melanochromis for same reason.

Choose Jalo or Chewere as they are both blue barred fish AND both Cynotilapia.

You want a 48 x 18 tank and 12 individuals.

Maybe a Labeotropheus? Metriaclima sp. Zebra Gold Kwanga? Pseudotropheus sp. "Williamsi North" ? It can be hit or miss.

Make sure you have spare tanks and a rehoming plan.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Yes......Minimum tank would be a 48" 75 gal. Anything bigger is just better. This is what we kept in our 75 gal tank.
Williamsi x1
Fuelleborni x3..... 1 blue barred and 2 OB's
Yellow lab x1
Cobalt zebra x1
Manda dolphin zebra x1
Luwino reef zebra x1
Tropheops redhead mac x1
Polit x1
Demasoni x1
Jalo reef x1
Blueberry zebra x1
bristlenose x2
And last but not least 1 very magnificent featherfin catfish

This was the final group swimming as adults for over 4 years. It was a most awesome tank to watch, took about 2 years to get the tank to this point with many casualties along the way. We never removed the aggressor, the fish will determine who can and can't stay for you.


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## shiftyfox (Aug 2, 2019)

That sounds an awesome tank Sunshine. 
Any pics, videos..?


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

I have a couple videos and lots of pics. Here is a pic to start with. I'm trying to figure out how to load the videos, may take me a few days. :lol:

Luwino reef zebra


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Here is a pics of the tank early on in its development.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Here is the tank at a different stage.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

A few close up pics.


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## shiftyfox (Aug 2, 2019)

Some lovely looking fish Sunshine. 
Maybe one day I'll have something similar, still pestering the Mrs to let me have a bigger tank but we are short of space.


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