# All male Victorian Tank



## whalebite (Jan 11, 2017)

I understand they will not be quite as bright as with females, but can they be successful like with Malawi Species? Or would a tank with a few species be more peaceful?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Considerably less bright without females...to the extent that it's not a popular stock plan. So maybe if Malawi are 90% as bright, Victorians tend to be 50% as bright.

Also some Vics are timid to the point they would be 10% as bright. Christmas Fulu is an example. But yes all-male Victorians can work.

The problem with multiple species is drab females and inability to mix females that look similar (won't be able to sort them out later, crossbreeding, etc.). The males would be brighter in this scenario if you can come up with a mix that works however.


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## whalebite (Jan 11, 2017)

Based on pictures I know Zebra Obliquidens have some very distinctive females, they would be one that I assume would do well with other species. I really want Pundamillia nyereri, their females are pretty bland. I have seen Rock Krib females are yellow and don't look like any other vic. The one I haven't been able to find a good pic of is an Xmas Fulu female, the males are really pretty, but I assume the female is bland, how would an Xmas Fulu and a nyereri do, both aggression and female color? I know sp# 44 is a bad mix with most, for aggression and hybridization. Pundamillia macrocephaly is neat because it is all black, they are another their at not many female pictures of.

As for Victorians, both in breeding groups and all males, do they do better understocked or overstocked to reduce aggression?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Astatotilapia latifasciata is an exception IME. Mine stayed colored up OK in all male Malawi but he was too aggressive. I have them in mixed gender Malawi now.

Nyererei (a fave of mine) did poorly in all male Malawi (no color) and they are aggressive. I also tried flameback with same results.

Fulu I would do only in a species tank and even then conditions need to be ideal for full color...maybe even only full color when the fish is in the moment of spawning...I think you get no color whatsoever from them in any other stock plan.

Maybe Nyererei and Paralabidochromis sp. "red fin piebald" ? They look completely different and piebald females are blotchy.

Hope one of the Victorian Moderators will chime in.


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## whalebite (Jan 11, 2017)

So is the main issue with females that they hybridize or males with similar females will fight over them and lead to the death of one of them?

So all I can really fit is a standard 55, 48 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 21. I have heard you can keep 3-4 mbuna groups (1 male to 3-4 females) in one, so with vics being so rather aggressive but generally smaller would 2-3 species (1 male to 4 females) be ok?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Like peacocks...once females of different species are mixed you cannot ID them. So you would never mix to start.

Then if you do yes males may hybridize with females of other species that look like theirs.

I think nyererei would do better with 1m:7f and then 1m:4f of the paralabidochromis? I'm just guessing...need Samaki or StructureGuy. I've kept Nyererei in a species tank and with Malawi but never mixed with other Victorians.

(I'd limit to 3 species in a 55G for Malawi in mixed gender tanks...never 4).

I know I've seen a post or two from Samaki in the last year on mixes he would recommend. Try a search.


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## whalebite (Jan 11, 2017)

I looked through some and found that Samaki did state that 3 species can be kept in a 55 (dependant on females). Will see how the all male thing goes, if it is to aggressive or two bland, I will try the mixed species tank. the 3 I really like are Astatotilapia latifasciata, Pundamillia Nyereri, and Xmas Fulu, but as you said the Xmas fulu are timid (would really like to do a riparium or paludarium with papyrus for them) and not sure how female xistichromis look next to the nyereri so perhaps another species that I can tell the difference on.


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## whalebite (Jan 11, 2017)

I have the all male system running for a few months, before I posted this topic, really wanted to know how the tank would do over the lives of the male vics.
I am going to get some pics soon, but the 55 gal tank has 
1 sp. #44
2 Zebra Obliquidens
2 Christmas Fulu
1 Pundamillia macrocephala
2 featherfin synos
they are all sexually mature fish that are all between 2-3.5 inches, the synos are probably about full grown.
I recently got a small male and female P. nyereri that are just over an inch so I would like to wait on adding the male. My only question right now is if I could keep a pundimillia nyerei breeding group with say just the fulu and obliquidens males, or if their would be lots of aggression and hybrids?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

There would be hybrids if you mix. And Nyererei are harem breeders and fairly aggressive so you want lots of females.


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## whalebite (Jan 11, 2017)

Maybe use it as an excuse to experiment with concealed dividers, put the divider the long way, have one group of fish in front and another in back.


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## whalebite (Jan 11, 2017)

So here are some pics of my tank and fish, would like to know if any look like they might be hybrids.
Tank Over Veiw, I plan to phase out the plastic plants for live vals








Sp #44 "Thick Skin"
















Christmas Fulu and Zebra Oblquidens








P. macrocephala








Featherfin Synos (mine look very different next to each other, are they 2 different species?)


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## StructureGuy (Jul 27, 2002)

Well, your latifasciata looks a little strange to me with that pointed snout. It looks like he has gone dark. That also happened to my latifasciata when he was stressed and then it stayed that way when he got old. But I'm still a bit suspicious about its purity.

Your other three Victorians look about right.

All my Victorians are kept in single species tanks with one exception. I have a 180 gallon tank I use as a catch-all. If a colony is too old to breed and there are only a few left I put both males and females in the 180. If a breeding colony is too male heavy I put some of the excess adult males in the 180 as well. The (mostly male) mbuna and Victorians get along reasonably well. Even the lone male nyererei isn't misbehaving. My mixture wouldn't work in a 55 gallon tank.

Most of my male Victorians show pretty good color but not as good as my single species tanks. I have 3 male Xmas Fulus that are doing well in the tank and show maybe 50% of their best color. The mbuna breed and some actually survive. The vics either don't breed (never saw a female vic holding in the 180) or the fry don't survive........ at least that's my experience so far and I've been keeping the 180 this way for around ten years.

Once a fish enters my 180 gallon tank it isn't distributed to any other hobbyist.

Kevin


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## samaki (Oct 25, 2002)

Hi I wouldn't mix ch44 or sp44 or thick skin with any other species of vics, I keep vics in a community tank but with male looking very differents and the same for the females so it's easy to take them apart from each others...xris..My combo actually is H.sp"orange rock" hunter( 1M and3females)with H.melanopterus in a 70 G


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