What to do?

[hawklee]

I have one electric blue johanni and one electric yellow lab in a 60 gal tank. These fish are in my opinion quite beautiful in coloration. The only problem is that the johanni bullies the lab even though I have rocks and plants throughout the tank. Could this be the johanni's way of telling me that he needs a girlfriend? (the store owner told me that he is in fact a "he") Is there a way to tell the males from the females of this species?
How many cichlids can I put in a 60 gal tank?

[Scotty]

Johannis are among the more agressive of Mbunas. Actually, they're little monsters :wink: Yellow labs are among the more mellow, and will not mix well with any of the Melanochromis species. You should decide what other Mbunas you want. If you are leaning towards the more agressive kinds get rid of the Lab, and lose the Johanni if you like the mellower ones.

[SGypsyMermaid]

i second that. i, personally, love the vivid blue coloring of the johanni...but i love that electric yellow too. the only solution is to have two tanks. :twisted:

[Chet]

Is P. Saulosi a suitable solution to hawlee's dilemna. You've got the male with the stiped blue, and the female with the bright orange. That's why I want some so bad. It would seem you could have 2-3 males and 8-10 females in a 60 gallon. Does that sound about right. Of course, you could also mix them with one or two other compatible mbuna species. Just a thought. I guess I'm hung up on the Saulosi... :D

[MalawiGuy]

60g?what are the dimensions of your tank?This is critical as volume is not as important as length with mbuna.Females can color up some when dominant but if it is a dark shade of black then yes its probably a male.