# Recommendations for 29G tank



## stingeragent (Sep 6, 2013)

Ok, so I originally had 2 kenyi cichlids and a red zebra in a 10g tank for a few weeks. They did fine and then I upgraded to a 29g. Now I know that a 29g won't due for the life of these fish but they are all less than 2 inches at moment and I have 2 30gal filters running and do weekly water changes. Anyways, yesterday I added a male kenyi ( the 2 I previously had i'm not sure if they are male or female but the new one I know is male as hes turning yellow), as well as 2 acei which I believe are male and female. Anyways the male (larger of the 2 acei) was super aggressive to everyone in the tank (especially the new male kenyi I added), so I returned him today. I now have 5 fish total in the tank and they are all peaceful again. My assumption is that the red zebra is a male (hes also largest in tank), the 2 kenyi's I had previously are female, and the acei I didn't return is female. (the end of the dorsal fin on one I returned was very pointed, and the one I still have is rounded). Anyways, question is, with 5 in the tank, am I able to add anymore or do I need to upgrade to a larger tank before I do that? Within the next 6 mon - year I will upgrade to probably a 75g or so and leave it at that. Is 5 small cichlids in a 29g overstocked or will I be fine for the next 6 months to a year? Can I add anything else before I go bigger or should I just stick with what I have? If I can add, any recommendations on what type of cichlid? Also, I hear for most cichlids its better to have a larger female to male ratio. How can you figure that out with juvenile fish? (1-2 inches?) . I know how to sex the kenyi's as basically all the males turn yellow, but that isn't as easy with the red zebras. Just looking for recommendations to better stock my tank basically.


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

6 months to a year is way too long to wait for an upgrade. I'd say you probably have 2-3 months at best. Mbuna grow and reach sexual maturity fast and that's what starts the aggression. Also, the Kenyi is considered one of the more nasty and aggressive species of Mbuna and can easily kill off your other fish in a short time. They do better with a larger 5 foot long tank due to their aggression.

My recommendations - do not add anything. Get rid of the Kenyis. Start browsing craigslist for a larger tank now. The only way to effectively sex your Mbuna is by venting. If you have 2 male Kenyis, one male may stay with female coloration in a tank that small. When you upgrade, stock your tank for 1M:4-5F. Buy juveniles 10 at a time and rehome extra males. Think red zebra, acei and a blue barred species like an Afra instead.


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## stingeragent (Sep 6, 2013)

Yes I've also read that kenyi's can get real nasty. Thats why I was surprised that one of the 2 acei I brought home was super aggressive as they are supposed to be peaceful apparently. So the mbuna are supposed to grow fast? I got the 2 kenyis and red zebra a little over a month ago and they don't look like they have grown much at all. I feed twice a day and make sure they all eat so its not a food issue. I have already started shopping for an even bigger tank, i just got a sweet deal on this one at petco with the dollar a gallon sale, they didn't have any 55's in at the time or I would of just got one of those already.


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

Mbuna spawn way before they reach their full adult size. I've seen them spawn at just 2" so unfortunately you may not have a lot of time. It may be that the Acei was aggressive because there was a female present and he wanted to spawn so he was claiming territory which in a 29g tank is the whole tank.

I made the same mistakes when I started in the hobby and lost a lot of fish at the beginning. My suggestions are merely to help prevent you from the same loss. Is craigslist an option for you - 55g tanks are common and 75g appear occasionally too (at least in my area). You can normally snag really good deals including lights/filters etc but you just might need to do a little cleaning.


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## Catfisher7 (Jan 24, 2013)

I would try to bring the acei and the Kenyi back to the store. Keep the zebra, get him 3 females. You will be set


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## stingeragent (Sep 6, 2013)

Well I found the acei dead this morning. I didn't see him much yesterday, and not at all last night or this morning when I was feeding. Started looking around and found him behind some rocks in the back. Not sure if the other fish killed him or what. His front fins did look like they had been nipped on. Not sure if it was when he was alive or after he already died. So now I'm down to just the red zebra and 3 kennyis.


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## Pseudeotropheus BB (Jan 24, 2013)

Has this tank been cycled? What are your Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite readings but regardless this tank is much too small for your current stock and would probably be best to give up on Mbuna altogether. If you keep the 29 and want to continue raising Africans your best bet would be to go with a specie Tang. setup otherwise get a larger tank in order to house Mbuna and even than you must be careful with your stock.


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## SonicsDC25 (Jul 29, 2013)

I currently run a 29g with 6 Ps. Saulosi juv's (and they've grown FAST in the past week that I've had them). If you keep a 1M:4-5F ratio in this size of a tank, it should be fine (you can only have 1 specie of cichlid though, not 3-4 that you have). As Ps. BB stated, what are your water parameters?


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## stingeragent (Sep 6, 2013)

Water parameters are good. This is my first cichlid tank but not my first aquarium. Anyways, ammonia is at 0, nitrites at 0, haven't tested nitrates in a few days. Ph is about 7.8 . Yes tank is cycled. My other fish have been in the tank for over a month now with no problems. I also run a dual filter setup both of which have established bacteria. The red zebra is a male and biggest fish in tank. He leaves the other fish alone including the male kenyi. The male kenyi usually does his own thing, and the 2 female kenyis always swim around together.


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## stingeragent (Sep 6, 2013)

Btw. Where do the tank size recommendations come from? Im assuming its territory based and not fish size as *** seen numerous 55gal cichlid tanks that were so highly stocked you couldnt drop a pebble in the top without hitting 10 fish


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

On C-F, I think most of the recommendations came from the early members that started this forum that were experienced fish keepers. Some of the Cookie Cutter setups are a bit ambitious and will be revised eventually.

Most people buy cichlids when they are juveniles and seem to forget or don't realize how large they will be at adults. Insufficient male to female ratios also become an issue when there is an imbalance and the males don't have enough females.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes it's territory based. Some male mbuna want to claim a square meter for their private territory.


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## stingeragent (Sep 6, 2013)

Well I haven't added anything new yet. With just the 3 kenyis (1m -2f), and the male zebra, they seem to be getting along fine. The zebra occasionally chases around the females but not very often. All 4 are usually just swimming around together peacefully. I may just be lucky for the moment. I'm just gonna leave it alone for a while with the 4 I got and see how it goes. I had contemplated getting a female zebra just to up the # of females in the tank, but I think I will hold off for a bit. I should be starting a new job soon and can hopefully afford a larger tank sooner than later. Would 2 female, 1 male kenyi do ok long term in a 29g tank if they were the only fish? I don't want to get rid of my kenyi's, so if I get a bigger tank I thought about just leaving them in the 29g and moving the zebra over plus some other species to the larger tank or will that not work


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

See how they get along when mature in 6-12 months. My tank blew up at about the 8-month point.

Kenyi I would do in an 75G rectangle 48" x 18" stocked 1m:7f.

Zebras are sometimes OK in a 55G rectangle 48" x 12" stocked 1m:4f.

Don't save fry from your tank because the fish are all Metriaclima and can crossbreed/fight.


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## stingeragent (Sep 6, 2013)

Uploaded a vid of my tank on youtube.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Do you live right next to some train tracks :lol:

I've never kept kenyi but never see them suggested due to their over the top aggression. With that in mind I wouldn't attempt them in any tank less than 6'. Upgrade soon. If going with a 75, I would buy 20 kenyi and hope for 10 females.


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