# Planning First Mbuna Tank



## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Hi All,
I'm converting my 48"x18"x18" planted tank to mbuna and would like some advice before taking the plunge.
I like the Idea of a blue/yellow setup and am looking at stocking Psuedotropheus saulosi and Metriaclima callainos from what I've read the callainos used to be classified as Psuedotropheus so will the callainos hybridise with the saulosi? If this is the case can you suggest another blue species, I quite like the look of Labdichromis chisimulae but I'm assuming the vertical blue barring will make them a target for saulosi males?
Also the general opinion seems to be that the cookie cutters are a tad optimistic so will 10 callainos and 12 saulosi be acceptable or would people suggest less?
What's the best way to bring out the colours of the fish? light substrate and rocks or dark substrate and rocks? I have a multi tube luminaire and am planning to swap 2 of the bulbs out one for 10000k and one for atnic.

All help appreciated

Regards

Ollie


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## Demasoni1 (Apr 9, 2014)

Sounds like you have a nice plan. As far as how many fish to add, what kind of filtration do you have?


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Currently running a jbl crystal profi e1500 (395gal/hr) external filter but considering sumping the tank at some point


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## kyboy (Oct 30, 2009)

OllieNZ wrote "I've read the callainos used to be classified as Psuedotropheus so will the callainos hybridise with the saulosi?"

The Calliainos used to be classified Psuedotropheus, but they don't read :lol: they won't suddenly begin hybridizing when/if they get re-classified  
In the aquarium any *can* hybridize, but they are not similar & with proper male/female ratio it's very unlikely.
I think the Labdichromis chisimulae may be an issue as they are similar. 10 calliainos & 12 saulosi would be fine.
Rusties or Yellow Labs are an option if you're going with more than 2 species.(?)


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## Demasoni1 (Apr 9, 2014)

Looks like you have a decent flow rate, I think if you are starting with young fish then get 12 of each so as to weed out males/females as needed than end up with 8-9 of each as adults. But if you want 8-9 adults then you should start with 15 young ( better chances of getting the proper amount of males/females).


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

kyboy said:


> OllieNZ wrote "I've read the callainos used to be classified as Psuedotropheus so will the callainos hybridise with the saulosi?"
> 
> The Calliainos used to be classified Psuedotropheus, but they don't read :lol: they won't suddenly begin hybridizing when/if they get re-classified
> In the aquarium any *can* hybridize, but they are not similar & with proper male/female ratio it's very unlikely.
> ...


I was more concerned about the fishes sex drive than their ability to read :wink: 
So hybridisation is possible but unlikely, guess I'll just have to keep my eye out for any mutants



Demasoni1 said:


> Looks like you have a decent flow rate, I think if you are starting with young fish then get 12 of each so as to weed out males/females as needed than end up with 8-9 of each as adults. But if you want 8-9 adults then you should start with 15 young ( better chances of getting the proper amount of males/females).


Not sure on the size I'll be getting. I phoned the manager of my lfs today he hasn't got any saulosi at the moment but does have the callainos and described them as being a good size and knowing him that means 2-3"+ fish so I'll see what the saulosi look like when they turn up

Any thoughts on the décor light or dark?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Light or dark decor is completely a matter of personal taste - there are pros and cons for either one as far as the fish are concerned, so just go with what you like.


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Well went darkish, dark grey sand, lighter rock work and a black background. Picked up the first of the fish yesterday 6 of the callainos they are a good 3in+ as long as the filter plays ball I'll get another 6 this coming weekend


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Hi All,
Looks like the plans for the saulosi may be scuppered as my lfs is currently unable to get them so I'm interested to know if there are any dimorphic alternatives?
Here is the tank

No1 dominant male

No2 dominant male (bottom left of pic) Any thoughts on whether this guy is some sort of hybrid?


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Definitely Not A Pure Metriaclima Callianos - Pure Callianos Will Sometimes Have Light Barring, But No "Beard" Or Submarginal Band On The Dorsal. It Actually Looks Very Similar To A Young Metriaclima Sp. "Membe Deep" - http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=800. You Were Asking About A Second Option For A Dimorphic Species, And You May Already Have One! I'm Certain They Wouldn't Make A Good Tank Mate for The Callianos, Though, As You Can See The Males Are Too Similar. Maybe Something Like Ps. Johanni? The Tank Might Be Too Small For Them...


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## forever_fishing (Jan 12, 2014)

True johannis look like saulosi, they're related i believe. Male johanni is blue with horizontal stripe and female yellow. Why dont you get the list your lfs can get and tell us


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

nmcichlid-aholic said:


> Definitely Not A Pure Metriaclima Callianos - Pure Callianos Will Sometimes Have Light Barring, But No "Beard" Or Submarginal Band On The Dorsal. It Actually Looks Very Similar To A Young Metriaclima Sp. "Membe Deep" - http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=800. You Were Asking About A Second Option For A Dimorphic Species, And You May Already Have One! I'm Certain They Wouldn't Make A Good Tank Mate for The Callianos, Though, As You Can See The Males Are Too Similar. Maybe Something Like Ps. Johanni? The Tank Might Be Too Small For Them...


Thanks, 
I suspected he was a hybrid of some description, if he is a Sp. "Membe Deep" he wont get much bigger, assuming the length on the profile is total length as he's nearly 4" already. Back to the store for him then.
So the barring on the fish in the top right of the last picture can be considered normal for a callianos?
This is my first attempt at mbuna so I'm trying to stick to the more peaceful species and a bit of reading on the johanni suggests they're more aggressive than I'd like...



forever_fishing said:


> True johannis look like saulosi, they're related i believe. Male johanni is blue with horizontal stripe and female yellow. Why dont you get the list your lfs can get and tell us


I'll give the manager a call today and see what he has in stock and what he can get in. He already has a good selection in stock just cant get hold of saulosi for some reason.


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Yes, juveniles and stressed adult M. callianos will occasionally show some faint barring - that's normal. As they mature/become more relaxed, the bars should fade completely, leaving them the solid, cobalt blue typically displayed.

As I mentioned previously, the Ps. johanni are really too aggressive for what you're going for and should be kept in larger groups and tanks. It's just that there's not a whole lot of truly dimorphic mbuna species out there to choose from (or, I should say, not that many with females that are actually attractive).

One species that you may consider is Labidochromis sp. "Perlmutt" - http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=741. The males are a great light blue, almost white, with yellow fins and faint yellow bars. The females, while not real colorful, are at least interesting looking with dark bars on a more or less white base color. They're pretty mellow mbuna with regards to other species, too, so aggression with your callianos shouldn't be much of an issue. Most of the Labidochromis species would actually be compatible, so if your LFS has or can get them they would be worth a look.


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Returned the hybrid today, had to ruin my aquascape to get him, still not as much of a pita as trying to get fish out of a densely planted tank. Unfortunately it was getting close to my lfs' order time and they were getting low on stock so my idea of going for some yellow labs didn't work out but what they did have was plenty of yt acei so picked up 12 of these instead with the intention of adding labs when they get some in. What sort of numbers should I be shooting for with the 3 species as adults? I was hoping for a bit more aggro between the callainos to get the numbers down a bit but all peaceful so far not a ragged fin in sight (not that I'm complaining about that) and they are all 3"+ with no1 male around the 4" mark.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd do 1m:7f of each. You aren't thinking of letting the callainos kill off extra males right? You could end up with a disease killing fish you want to keep if fish are harassed for too long.


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

**** no, only that there was a bit aggro so I would actually have to remove fish but from what I understand of mbuna my tank seems super peaceful there's not even any fish looking weak from not getting food.
Speaking of food can anyone recommend a decent pellet for mbuna all I can find around here is flake.


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## seattle_530 (Mar 6, 2007)

I use NLS cichlid formula and new era green


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## fishboy85 (Apr 26, 2014)

I couldnt find anything in the shops ether except for the frozen cichlid mix I ended up ording new life spectrum 1 mm online took two weeks to arrive but they seam to love it and make alot less mess


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

NLS, Dainichi, Hikari, Aquadine, and Omega One are all good options - some people prefer one over the others, but if you can get any of them it would be a good option for a staple food. You can find reviews on most brands in the product reviews section here - http://www.cichlid-forum.com/reviews/category_display.php?CatID=400&sort=rating.


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Thanks,
I can get the new era green and hikari so sorted :thumb:


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Hi All,
Well it's coming up 10 months now and the tank is going well despite my original plan going out the window. Given how peaceful the mbuna are I've been a bit naughty and added a couple of haps: a fryeri who followed me home from the lfs and a pair of taeniolatus. Any way here's a quick vid


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## nmcichlid-aholic (Mar 23, 2011)

Looks great - I really like the arrangement of the rocks and the dark substrate. What did your stocklist end up being? It looks like, in addition to the fryeri and Protomelas, that you've got acei, crabro (only 3?) and callainos - is that right?


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## OllieNZ (Apr 18, 2014)

Well spotted, there's 5 crabro in there. I wanted some yellow and couldn't find any quality labs so between the 12 acei and the crabro I've got some in there. The taeniolatus is yellower than I was expecting but he's still a quality fish. He's adjusting well given he just came from a 13'x3'x3' tank.


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