# Mixing Protomelas?



## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello guys,

is it ok to mix different Protomelas in a all male tank?
currently i already have in a 4ftx1.5x1.5 69 gallon tank

1) 1 male Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (Taiwan Reef)
2) 1 male Protomelas taeniolatus (Red)

i am thinking of getting a Protomelas similis. do you think they can mix together?
is the Protomelas similis a greenish\turquoise color fish?

thanks


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello guys

i just did a search on internet.
it seems like protomelas similis is really a nice greenish\turquoise fish.
can anyone advice if they really look like this?










thanks


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

In general, an all male tank is trial and error in any case. You will have to experiment with the fish you pick and decide who is going to get along with who. You should definitely be ready to re-locate or re-home those that won't cooperate.

As for the fish you mentioned, they will most likely all be too large for your tank at maturity. For 4' tanks, you would normally stock fish that mature at or less than 6" - although I have seen reasonable success housing an adult Taiwan Reef in a 4' 75 gallon. Ours was pretty laid back.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello jcabage,

thanks for advice.
is it a good practice for all male tank keepers to avoid mixing fishes of same family?
for example i have Aulonocara Baenschi clashing with Aulonocara german red. 
surprisingly the supposed to be more aggressive Protomelas Taeniolatus and Protomelas Taiwan reef seems to get along...
i also have Copadichromis Borleyi and i am thinking of adding a Copadichromis azureus to replace Sciaenochromis ahli. i am not sure if they will clash.
i have been keeping them for 5 months now and they have grown alot since. the average size is 2.5-4.5 inches now

the problem i have is that my location do not have a great deal of fishes to choose from. that's why i keep some fishes of same family...

my tank stocklist now is as below:
4x1.5x1.5 = 69gallon
1 Labidochromis Caeruleus
1 Aulonocara Baenschi
1 Copadichromis Borleyi
1 Protomelas Taeniolatus
1 Aulonocara german red
1 Placidochromis electra
1 Protomelas Taiwan reef
1 Sciaenochromis ahli
1 Altolamprologus Calvus

i am thinking of adding protomelas similis, Copadichromis azureus, Astatotilapia latifasciata and Steatocranus Casuarius

currently the only headache for me is the 2 peacocks fighting each other...


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## Eugooglizer (Oct 30, 2012)

I have had mixed results mixing Protemelas in an all male tank. My Tangerine Tiger bullied my Red Empress to no end, however my Tangerine Tiger and Sulfur Head (Mara Rocks) completely ignore each other.

For some reason I have never had any luck with Taiwan Reef's in my all male tank. I have tried two different albino ones, and they both have perished for unknown reasons. They are very slow growing and being the smallest fish in the tank may have stressed them.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello binnyskyle,

ya i supposed all male tank is really hard to predict. What will you choose to mix given the list below?

Labidochromis Caeruleus	
Copadichromis Borleyi	
Copadichromis azureus	
Aulonocara german red	
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi	
Aulonocara Baenschi	
Protomelas similis	
Protomelas fenestratus Taiwan	
Protomelas Taeniolatus	
Placidochromis electra	
Sciaenochromis ahli	
Astatotilapia latifasciata
Steatocranus Casuarius
Copadichromis trewavasae
Lethrinops sp. "Red Cap" (Itungi)
Otopharynx lithobates
Pundamilia nyererei (Makobe Island)


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

The tank size is the determining factor. 
In a larger tank, I would have no qualms mixing the Protomelas together, but your limited in a 4' tank. The Borleyi is pushing it. A Protomelas similis is larger. I would avoid the mix in a 4' tank.

Given the list, I would suggest a Copadichromis azureus.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello dannygirl,

thanks for advice. you are always helpful. even when i am being a stubborn. hahahha....
yes i do admit 4ft is a little small when it comes to mixing malawi haps. and to make things worse, i am also limited by the choice my LFS brings in.
therefore i am always caught in deciding between which fishes are the best for my situation. btw whats the best number for malawi haps in a 4ft 69gallon tank?

right now i have the stock list as below:
1 Labidochromis Caeruleus - must stay
1 Copadichromis Borleyi - must stay
1 Aulonocara german red 
1 Aulonocara Baenschi - must stay
1 Protomelas fenestratus Taiwan
1 Protomelas Taeniolatus 
1 Placidochromis electra - must stay
1 Sciaenochromis ahli

the small problems that i have now. (more of a perfectionist ego problem for myself rather than a real issue...lolx) 
1) My Aulonocara german red and Aulonocara Baenschi simply dont get along. i will keep the Aulonocara Baenschi and replace the Aulonocara german red but with what? from the list above. Aulonocara jacobfreibergi ? 
2) 2nd problem, i strongly suspect my Protomelas Taiwan reefs are hybrids. i bought 6 of them from 2 different LFS and yes all seems to be hybrids. their color fade even more now and the yellow anal fin really makes me think yes darn hybrids. lolz what should i replace taiwan reef with? Copadichromis azureus?
3) 3rd problem i have now is that i am looking for a green color fish... and the closest i came to is Protomelas similis. yes there is nothing else here... do you think if i remove the hybrid Protomelas Taiwan reef will it be ok to add Protomelas similis?

thanks for listening to my grumbing

cheers!


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## Eugooglizer (Oct 30, 2012)

In a 4ft tank I would try a Taiwan Reef maybe because they don't get as big as some of the other Protomelas, and aren't as aggressive as some of the other Protomelas in my experience. I wouldn't put the Protomelas Taeniolatus in a 4ft tank though. My Protomelas Taeniolatus is one of the biggest and most aggressive fish in my 125g all male setup, and is a solid 8" long. My Protomelas Spilonotus is the biggest fish in the tank at 11" (although he is very peaceful compared to the Taeniolatus). I feel that both are much too big for anything less than my 6 foot tank.


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## TYS0N (Jul 8, 2013)

I agree with trying an azureus. I had one in a 75 that colored up beautifully and was king of the tank. He would chase a bit, but never really damaged the other fish. You might also consider an Ngara flame tail peacock and an Otopharynx Lithobates.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

how many peacocks/hap max can i keep in a 4ftx1.5x1.5 69gallon tank?


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello guys

really thanks for all the ideas and advice

ya Ngara flame tail peacock is really nice, but very sad we dont have it here...
1) how about a Aulonocara jacobfreibergi euraka or otter point or Maylandi peacock? i found a local fish farm which has these a few days ago.
2) will the Otopharynx lithobates clash with the color blue color fish eg: Sciaenochromis fryeri?
3) Protomelas Taiwan reef, this fish is disappointing for me here because most are hybrids sold here. i bought 6 and all turned out to be hybrids....darn...
4) so everyone, no go for Protomelas similis?

thanks


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

If you are going to stock several 7" fish that tend to be on the aggressive side in a 75 gallon tank, you kind of muddy the waters so to say for any further advice IMO.

Of course you can try these things, and individuals can recommend what they think will work, but your results are going to be even more unpredictable than usual because of the unconventional approach that you are taking.

As for what I think:
Jakes tend to be big and surprisingly mean in most cases IME. They will be a risk.
I would say the azureus is a much wiser choice than the fryeri in this scenario, and either very well may have an issue with the lithobates. Both are big, fairly aggressive fish.
Yes, I would still consider a similis too large for your tank at maturity.

Keep in mind, these fish may coexist for a time, but eventually they will outgrow and/or become too aggressive for your tank. When this does happen, I wouldn't be surprised to see lots of trouble and dead fish. That is why it is best to stick with a conservative stocklist if you are only working with a single display tank.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello jcabage and guys,

thanks for advice
can u help me revised my stock list? these are what i can find locally here. thanks

Labidochromis Caeruleus
Copadichromis Borleyi
Copadichromis azureus
Aulonocara german red
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi
Aulonocara Baenschi
Aulonocara Maylandi
Protomelas similis
Protomelas Taiwan reef
Protomelas Taeniolatus
Placidochromis electra
Sciaenochromis fryeri
Astatotilapia latifasciata


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

In a 4' tank I would suggest no more than 10-12 peacocks and haps that do not exceed 7" when mature.

Out of your list, trade out the German Red for a jake-type. Yes, there is a risk but given the other stock choices, it may work out. In fact, I'd almost be tempted to try a jake with the German Red to see if it works out with the baenschi. 
We already mentioned that the azureus would be a good choice for the tank.

(Side note - some Taiwan Reefs have a yellow anal fin, depending on the collection point.)


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello dannygirl,

thanks for advice again. you are helpful as ever!
u mean swapping the german red for a jake? or swapping the baenschi for a jake?
fyi, i just managed to find a 2 incher Astatotilapia latifasciata from yesterday trip to fish farm. now he is swimming in my tank....hahahha.

ok here is my current stock list:
1 Labidochromis caeruleus	
1 Aulonocara baenschi	
1 Astatotilapia latifasciata	
1 Aulonocara "German Red" - trouble maker in my tank (change to Aulonocara jacobfreibergi Eureka?)
1 Copadichromis borleyi - sorry i have to break the rules, this is my master show fish. he can't go....lolx
1 Protomelas taeniolatus - do i need to remove him?
1 Placidochromis electra
1 Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (Taiwan Reef)
1 Sciaenochromis fryeri - change to Copadichromis azureus ?

regarding my taiwan reef, i am still hoping he is pure. he has yellow anal fin and yellow dorsal TRIM, although the forehead blaze is white...( i thought taiwan reef has red anal fin and white dorsal fin?) i think you saw my taiwan reef pictures on the other thread. i have a 50-50 feeling he is a hybrid on this guy....

Thanks


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## DanniGirl (Jan 25, 2007)

Yes, you can try swapping out the German Red for the Jake. Not guarantees it will work though.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

Hello dannygirl,

recently my LFS has started to bring in some victorian cichlids! 
Haplochromis aeneocolor
Haplochromis nubilus
Haplochromis sauvagei
Haplochromis thereuterion
Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi
Pundamilia nyererei Ruti Island

maybe i will passed the Aulonocara jacobfreibergi Eureka and try out one of the RED color vics , eg Paralabidochromis sauvagei
do you keep vics before? what's your opinions on mixing malawi and vics?

thanks


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## TYS0N (Jul 8, 2013)

I dont know much about vics, but I know that if I could get my hands on an otter point I would give it a try. I am willing to rehome at need though. If I were in your shoes, I would snag the azureus, an otter point, maybe the maylandi, and maybe some female labs. Then I would watch closely and see. I know you love the borleyi, but be careful becoming too attached to any fish in an all male setup. The beauty doesn't come from a single fish, but from the whole picture.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

hello tyson,

ya i would love to get a Copadichromis azureus to replace my Sciaenochromis fryeri as Azureus is less aggressive
i am currently holding off Aulonocara jacobfreibergi because i think RED vics MAYBE a better fit.

i will update once i mixed them. thanks


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