# auratus not being for someone who is a beginner



## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

Hi there

well I keep hearing that auratus are not for a beginner well I am a beginner in the Cichlid world 
I have a auratus and so far he/she is doing wonderful but I have only had her/him for 2 weeks
she/he is in a 30 Gal with 3 other Cichlids not sure what they are I think I have 1 Jewel Cichlid and it's the biggest one in the tank 
I also think most of the 4 are female. is that ok :-?

add is your opion if you so wish

Jenn


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## joescaper1 (Feb 14, 2013)

Nearly 40 years ago, M. auratus (Pseudotropheus auratus back then) was one of the more commonly available African cichlids; so I started with them and had no problems with them. They were the first fish to breed for me (I had very little to do with it). The neat thing about them is that the fry are miniature auratus, fully colored (yellow, white and black). When they mature, the male will be black with white stripes and the female will remain yellow, white and black. There is a way to tell the males from the females with physical markings when they are juveniles. If you would like to know I will send you a PM.

Joe


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## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

two keys are... you've had them for two weeks.

and they are juveniles, which all look like females until they mature, and then the males will reveal themselves.

In a 30 gallon aquarium, you will have problems, just give it time.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

Joescaper1 I would love to know how to tell if it is a female or male

Rensport2011 I have plans to move them into a 75 Gal tank when they get too big for the 30Gal
right now they are too small for my 75 Gal since I have African clawed frogs in there that would mistake them for food ( my frogs only eat frog food ) 
as of right now I have two Plateys in the 75 Gal tank and the frogs have not even bothered them at all


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

i keep auratus as well mine are in a 6ft tank and i have around a dozen of them in the tank with 1 male almost full grown and a sub adult male about half the size and the rest are females. i feel like the set up i have is your best chance for success with them. the male has alot of aggression so my male has alot of different choices to chase around. you may be able to find success with them in a 75g tank but i would bump the numbers and check in with us before you mix in other cichlids with them. auratus are possibly the most aggressive mbuna on the market so not just any other african cichlid with them is always gonna work.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

also i have never kept the frogs you mentioned so i have no idea how that will go once your auratus are a bigger size. if i was to try an auratus only tank in a 75g i might go with 15 -20 females and 1 or 2 males with lots of rock work and i also use plants, i have found my females really utilize the plants when they are holding babies they like to rest in odd positions and the plants help them get in that position easier.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

I only have 1 Auratus in my 30 Gal and he/she is with 3 other Cichlids witch I am not sure what they are but maybe 2 of them 
a Jewel Cichlid I think and a albino peacock cichlid and the last one I don't know what it is and I also believe they are most females 
maybe 1 male but they are too young and small to tell at this time The Jewel Cichlid is the biggest and look to be maybe 3 Inches

Jenn


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

ohh and I forgot to mention they all get along I have not see any aggression at all


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## scott whitney (Oct 29, 2014)

I've had Auratus in the past. They always became the most aggressive fish in the tank and had to be removed. In my opinion, the Auratus is about the single worst African Cichlid for a beginner.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

thats what I keep hearing and every time I check my 30 Gal tank they all are getting along once in awhile there is a little chase by the Albino not the Auratus 
so I'm not sure what to think but if it gets really aggressive then I will proabably take it and put it in another tank or return it for a new fish at the pet store

the meanest fish I have at this time is my Blue Johnnie in my 20 Gal he chases everyone around the tank but I guess thats normal for them..


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## sirdavidofdiscus (Dec 8, 2006)

I've got 4 auratus in my 125 with 5 yellow labido's and 5 electric blue johanni. They bully in the tank right now is the largest johanni. of course they are only 3 inches right now and been together for only 3 weeks.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

my Blue Johnnie is my Favorite Cichlid since my favorite color is blue 
I personally picked him for his colors he's such a beautiful fish


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

jenn134 said:


> thats what I keep hearing and every time I check my 30 Gal tank they all are getting along once in awhile there is a little chase by the Albino not the Auratus
> so I'm not sure what to think but if it gets really aggressive then I will proabably take it and put it in another tank or return it for a new fish at the pet store
> 
> the meanest fish I have at this time is my Blue Johnnie in my 20 Gal he chases everyone around the tank but I guess thats normal for them..


you should not be keeping fish like auratus and johanii in 20 and 30g tanks far too small. auratus will need 6ft tank for long term success, and i would not try johanii in anything smaller than a 75g. even the most docile of african cichlids like rusties or saulosi should not be kept in a 20g tank.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

I have a 75gallion tank ready for them when they get bigger


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## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

jenn134 said:


> I have a 75gallion tank ready for them when they get bigger


How much bigger? In a small tank, should the expected aggression start, you'll likely end up with just one fish when you get home from work one day.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

one I don't work I'm disabled and two I watch them everyday almost all day and I have only seen a few chases but nothing that says remove them and put them in a bigger tank

Plus I found out today a friend has a 55 Gal they don't want so I am getting a 55 Gal I hope soon
I was thinking about putting the Cichlids in the 55 Gal not all of them but a few to make it lok awsome


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

so if the 75g and 55g were up and running right now i still think you are gonna have issues with the current stock.if you have your heart set on that johanii and auratus you could try an aggressive species tank in your 75g im not sure if it will work long term but stranger things have happened.


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## joescaper1 (Feb 14, 2013)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/q ... e_list.php

Look under the 75 and 55 gallon headings. Look in the aggressive mbuna section. The M. johanni will go in the 55 while the M. auratus stays in the 75. Click on each of the species and you will get a small description and photos. If you want color schemes, the photos are very helpful. Since you are relatively new to African cichlids, you have probably just scratched the surface of what is available. Outside of the opinions on the forums, this site is a wealth of information, too much to let it pass.

Joe


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

according to this artice the johanii should not be kept in a 55g http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/p ... ohanni.php which is why i see issues with her keeping the auratus and johanii so having her put him in the 55g could end up with 2 tanks that are still too small for the fish she is keeping.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

for right now they are in a 30 Gal and a 20 Gal because they are still too small for the 75 Gal where I have african clawed frogs and I don't have the 55 Gal right now I'm still waiting on it


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## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

jenn134 said:


> for right now they are in a 30 Gal and a 20 Gal because they are still too small for the 75 Gal where I have african clawed frogs and I don't have the 55 Gal right now I'm still waiting on it


Maybe more the frogs to the smaller tank then?


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

thats not a good idea the frogs are about the size of a full grown adult males hand so hey are really big 
and there is 10 of them. I use to have them in the 30 Gal but the tank got too small for them
so little at a time I'm adding the Cichlids to the 75 Gal...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think the message is coming through, but just to summarize. jenn, it's excellent and lucky that you are not having issues, but that may be because you have not had them together a year or more. I would not use your experience just yet to overturn the recommendation to keep auratus with 1m:7f in a tank 75G or larger. Many experienced auratus keepers recommend a 72" long tank minimum.

You know what to watch out for and if it happens at least it will not be a total shock. If it doesn't happen to you after a year, that will be very cool for you, but for other readers, know that it has happened to many other auratus fishkeepers.


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## jenn134 (Nov 14, 2014)

I totally understand that the fish I have are very aggressive and can kill other fish 
this is bascically my experiment 
I have had my 10 frogs together for about 1 year now and everyone that has had these frogs will tell you that they will eat anything in the tank includeing eachother
well my frogs must be diffrent or something because I have 5 other fish in the tank with the 10 frogs and everyone is getting along I'm not saying I'm alays lucky 
I am just hopeing for the best with these Cichlids and when I get the 55Gal tank I will be moving them into it 
or when they get big enough I will move them into the 75 Gal tank 
at this time my frogs could or would mistake the Cichlids as food and I spend around $5.00 a piece on these fish and I didn't buy them to become food so I would rather take my chances and try my hardest to keep them alive

I thank everyone for theire option and I am listening 
and I understand these fish need a bigger tank witch I am waiting for

Thank you
Jenn


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