funnyman Posted October 11, 2008 Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 HI there, trying out malawian cichlids for the first time. Been getting mix messages about how many mbunas i can stock in my 3 footer tank. I currently have 5 yellows, 1 red zebra, 1 ice blue, 1 powder blue, 3 brichardis, 1 minutus and 1 electra. (I know brichardi and electra are not mbunas but i haven told they can be kept together?) I have 1 cannister and 1 overhead filter going. Is that too many fish or just fine. thanx for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 11, 2008 Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 Best to post this in the cichlid section What are the dimentions of your 3ft tank? Unless your tank is massive you're already running a risk with your current stocking level. The zebra's aren't really suitable for the tank size, are they males or females? Generally I don't recommend zebra's (red zeb, ice blue and powder blue) for anything smaller than 4ft tanks and ice blue males are known to dominate even 5-6ft tanks but if you had only female zebra's it might be alright. Electra's also get quite big and are open water hap's so might prefer more space but should be ok aggression wise, yellows are sweet in a 3ft, are they all young fish? Also what is a minutus? In saying that you might be one of the lucky ones that gets away with this stocking list but I can't see it being harmony for the fish once one of your big zebra's gets big, matures and starts throwing himself around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnyman Posted October 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 dimensions are 90l, 45 w, 55H. minutus supposedly looks like elongatus but less aggressive. bought it off gunnrov007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnyman Posted October 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2008 Best to post this in the cichlid section The zebra's aren't really suitable for the tank size, are they males or females? how do i differentiate between males and females at this stage where they are 6 to 8 cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Hmm still stuck on the minutus sounds like a made up name to me.. is this what it looks like? http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=849 Your tank is relatively big you might get away with it.. How are they aggression wise at the moment? Sexing them is easy male ice blues look like this http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/s ... php?id=794 females are brown in colour (check photo's on profile for females) Red zebs males are usually pinker females more orange males will have less more obvious egg spots. Powder blues can be hard usually sexed by body shape and behaviour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilly Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Hmm still stuck on the minutus sounds like a made up name to me.. Hi, I've got the book "The interpet guide to tropical cichlids" It is listed in there. I will see if I can get a pic of the picture in the book and post it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 ah found it now I suspect that you have demasoni because I am not aware that we have minutus in nz but I know that demasoni are here.. This article talks about how the 2 are often crossed and confused they seem to be basically the same fish.. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/c ... ichlid.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilly Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Pic from the book is here http://i315.photobucket.com/albums/ll47 ... inutus.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Cheers for that gilly.. Does look like elongatus.. funnyman are you able to post a photo at all? Would like to see some pics of this fish and try to figure out what it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilly Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Yes it does .... Extract from the book "This slender mbuna somtimes known as the 'Likoma island Elongatus' has largely displaced the true PS Elongatus commercially." It is apparently much mellower than the PS elongatus. Juveniles are a golden beige colour and females eventualy become a duller version of the male in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Awesome cheers gilly I first looked through here and couldn't find it.. I wonder why its not on there? http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/r ... ?genus=167 I wonder if they have later been reclassified as something else? Yet they have mentioned it in the demasoni article.. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/p_demasoni.php Hopefully funnyman can post some pics and shed some light on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnyman Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 agression is quite minimal, just the smaller yellows get picked on by the brichardis. i'm still figuring how to insert photos onto the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnyman Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 hope this ir the rite way to post pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Hi funnyman. Have a look here.. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/postin ... t4307.html I use photobucket..... HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnyman Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 ok see if this works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 It didn't work for you....I don't know why but you'll get the hang of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johannes Visser Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 IT A NORMAL DEMASONI :-? :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnyman Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 well i got it off guvnor007. he told me its minutus. oh well, its not agressive at all. even the brichardis pick on it at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Yeah as I suspected a demasoni.. People tend to make up names for things when they forget them, but its quite easy to figure it out when you look at what has been imported and what is commonly avaliable.. Demasoni aren't aggressive to other fish just to other demasoni With names of fish and stuff it is best to keep second opinions or look around at descent sites to confirm them as some people make up names or get confused.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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