Lake Malawi Species • What to add with the survivors.

[Dwool40]

I recently moved cross country and lost all of my mbunas except for 3. I am faily new to these beautiful fish and I think what I have are 1 Red Zebra, 1 Johanni, and 1 Auratus. Here are some pics for confirmation.




and my set up



Anyway, any recommendations on what I should start over with? How many can I add at a time? I would like to have about 20-24. BTW, I know the Auratus is crazy aggressive and want to stay away from them. Also, I have a 525/gph canister and a Penquin bio-wheel 350.

[noki]

How long is the tank? You just need more of the same/ similar Mbuna, and avoid having multiple males of the same species. A large group helps spread out aggression but also taxes the water quality, so it is an issue of balance. Having a few fish can result in the fish fighting or hiding. You want to have lots of females to spread attention around.

1. Maingano, sometimes called Electric Blue Johanni (thou not all Electric Blue Johanni sold are pure Maingano). Might be male but females are black and blue too.
2. male Red Zebra, or at least mostly Red Zebra
3. male Auratus