# mild mannered blue mbuna?



## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

I was wondering if anyone knew of any less agressive blue mbuna that would be small enough for a 55gal? I have two Kenyi i will most likely be ggetting rid of but without them most of my tank is yellow and orange. i would like to add some more colour, any suggestions of what to replace the Kenyi with?


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

there are demasoni which are very aggressive but has a very nice "blue." then there are the white top hara that are also aggressive but not as much.


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

it's very frustrating. all of my LFS just have one tank labeled "African Cichlids" so it is allways difficult trying to figure out exactly what you are looking at much less buying :x


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## myselfdotcom (Sep 19, 2006)

cobalt?


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## bma57 (Sep 16, 2007)

TailorO said:


> it's very frustrating. all of my LFS just have one tank labeled "African Cichlids" so it is allways difficult trying to figure out exactly what you are looking at much less buying :x


I've gone off on the same rant. I'm in the Bay Area too and have had no luck finding a LFS with a decent selection of purebred, healthy, correctly labeled African cichlids. I hear there's a really good one in the South Bay, but haven't made the trip yet.

P. acei are very mild mannered and a beautiful blue. 50 gal. might be a little tight though. Check the profiles and other peoples' suggestions.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Confirm this is the fish list you plan to keep after returning fish?



TailorO said:


> 2 red zebra
> 2 ob zebra
> 1 albino zebra
> 1 cobalt zebra
> ...


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I think you're gonna find that those red zebras will get kinda mean too once they mature. Maybe they are better if you only have one male and 3-4 females of them. 
Mainganos aren't to bad and are a pretty blue. They don't get big either

I think a nice looking 55g. tank would be mainganos & yellow labs (keep the pleco and clown loaches too if the mbuna don't bother the loaches). You could add to these as you found them, the mainganos and more yellow labs, maybe a few more loaches too. Keeping singles isn't a good idea unless it's an all male tank and like DJRandome said, they aren't pairing fish either. There should be 3-4 females per male of a species.

I'm in the same boat too. The only thing availible in a 60 mile radius of me is assorted african tanks and then only one per LFS. I bet once I get a bigger tank going, I'll be making road trips looking for fish. I just wish gas wasn't so high  .


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

how am i supposed to know which are male and which are female?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You can wait until they mature and remove the ones you are trying to eliminate. But it's good to have a plan so (a) you know what to watch for, and (b) you have a spare tank and used filter to remove fish at a moment's notice.

Are you thinking male only, or mixed genders?


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Socolofi and Cobalt Zebras are very common blue Mbuna.

They can be aggressive, like most Mbuna, but are not impossible by any means.


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

i dont know. what ever is more colourful and less likely to kill each other


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Are you going with an all male tank, or breeding groups?

If you wish to breed, I would determine 3 species (no more than that for your tank size) that won't be apt to hybridize and work on the tank from that point of view, rather than seeking out a lone blue fish.

If you go all male, you already have a Cobalt from the list that DJRansome posted...So you might look for a blue barred fish instead.

If you don't go all male and go with breeding groups, you need to pick one of the zebra variants and get rid of the others.

Kim


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## Tula (Sep 9, 2007)

I've always like the Ps. Socolofi for blue, I've never owned them but wish i had incorporated them into my original set up.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=919


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

i do not plan on breeding. i would have no where to put them


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Then I would remove your females first before adding more males.

Concentrate on making sure the males don't closely resemble each other.

Kim


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## TailorO (Apr 7, 2008)

i still don't know how to tell which is which....


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## kodyboy (Dec 9, 2007)

cyanerhabedos are not too aggressive and are a beautiful blue


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

With the species you have, it's not going to be easy.

You can vent them once they are old enough, but they will need to be close to sexually mature before that is an accurate way to sex them.

You'll have to wait it out, if you don't know someone who can sex them for you. You can then remove them as they hold.

You may experience intensity in aggression by trying to keep several male zebras in that size tank, even without the females. I find it's easier to keep a non barred zebra with a barred zebra than trying to keep two non barred zebras or two barred zebras together.

Kim


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## fishboy11 (Jul 13, 2005)

Have you thought of Ps. blue dolphin? These guys are not aggressive at all. I have 10 adults in my 90g, 4.5-6", with 6m/4f, and there is no aggression whatsoever. They are a very nice fish and the males are awesome once they become full grown!


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