Mbuna and habs together bood or bad???

[budracn]

I am wondering if i get some Mbuna and Habs at early stage 1" - 2" would they be able to adabt together in there elder years.

[jonah]

It might depend on the haps and mbuna that are chosen, plus the overall size of the tank. Mbuna are mostly herbivores, and those may have problems with ingesting a lot of animal protein, so they are mostly fed spirulina and plant based food. Mbuna can get Malawi bloat which has been connected to excessive animal protein in their diets. Haps are mostly piscivores, so they need a lot of protein in their diets. In other words, their diets conflict with one another. You won't be able to seperate the foods in the same tanks. All of these fish will eat any type of food that lands in the water.

If you keep them together you need to choose the species well and reach a sort of compromise. Don't keep herbivorous mbuna with haps, get omnivore/insectivore mbuna like Labidochromis caeruleus or Maylandia crabros. You'll also need a really big tank to keep haps. I have mine in a 125g that's 6 feet long. I've kept the two mbuna species mentioned with Nimbo. venustus, Dimidio. compressiceps and Sci. fryeri for most of the past year. The fish are all between 2" (Labs) and 7" (eyebiter).

As far as getting along with each other, they're no more aggressive to each other than normal for African cichlids. So far, my dominant male bumblebee is running the tank, even though he isn't the biggest male cichlid.

[budracn]

Well i am getting my 125g tank next week. And i wanted a good variety of African cichlids in it. right now i have 4 in a 20 gallon, they are only .75" which consist of 1- red zebra, 1- kenyi, 1- elec. Yllw, and a jewel. if you have any suggest what i can put with these would appreciate. Heard that a
Buttikoferi would go good with mbuna as well. not really sure on what i can put together. Mostly had American cichlids, such as my 2 jack dempseys which hang out in a 55gal.

[SGypsyMermaid]

hi budracn. :) buttakofferi(sp) and jewel cichlids are african riverine cichlids, not lake cichlids--you might be able to make it work, but they don't really belong with malawi cichlids.

[jonah]

Yes, the pH and water hardness would be different. That doesn't always matter, but it's something to consider.

[jnorris]

You can compromise with that mix. Keep in mind they will grow real fast and you may find that the more they grow the more their true traits will show.

I have Auloncara and other Malawi's with Tanganyika Cichlids so perhaps I am not the right one to ask :evil:

They find their space without fuss or fight....just make sure you have alot of rocks and hiding holes and look into a compromise for what fish you have.

[fitch]

Here I thought that you were talking about French Canadians, and Tanzanians... and the answer is NO, I've seen it first hand!

Cheers
Jay

[Rudy]

I have a buttikoferi with Mbuna. I will let you know who wins.
I would say if the rock work is o.k. it might work. Water conditions and buttikoferi are pretty well a non issue. I have seen one at a lfs here that lives in a sump tank because he kills everything in the main tank. He is for sale and has lived there for 3 months.

Anyway the best way of making it work is growing everybody up together. Smaller the better.

[budracn]

Thanks for all the replies, was also considering putting in a large group of peacocks, which would out number the mbunas or is this just looking for disaster.

[jonah]

I'm thinking a disaster with most mbuna. You should start a new topic to get some more responses on the peacocks/mbuna mixture.