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Helping spread the aggression.

395 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Super Turtleman 
#1 ·
Hi guys

I have just short of a 4ft long tank okay,litres is 230 UK litres.

My current stock list is..

1 x WC Metriaclima Zebra Masoni Reef Male - 5inch
1 x WC Pair of Metriaclima Membe Deep - both 3.5inch
8 x F1 Cynotilapia Mbamba Nkhata Bay @ 1.5 inch

I am adding to my setup tomorow...

2 x WC Membe Deep Females
2 x F1 Pairs of Tropheops Red Fin Kakusa (2m,2f)

In the UK Wild Membe deep are very expensive,

I have no problems at the moment with the wild pair i have so i think adding 2 more females will only help the situation.

The Red fin Kakusa are a new fish so i dont think there will be any problems.

After typing this out i can see im probably being over cautios but my quad of WC Membe Deep is going to be worth alot of money so i kinda have to worry.

What would be the best way to set my rocks up? At the moment i have 2 piles of river cobbles each side of tank. Im thinking of changing to one big pile in the middle so it breaks up the fishes eye lines? so the fish can swim around the big pile in the middle, is this the best option?

Im probably over worrying but i just like to write this stuff down!

On a seperate note here is a video of my Wild Membe Deep male in HD -



Thanks

Alan
 
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#2 ·
Alan,

I would be more concerned about your lone male and your 2m:2f ratio than your quad... though I've heard some people have had tough experiences with quads. That said, I think at least 2 territories would be beneficial to your tank - your males are going to all want their own space, and the females will want the occasional hiding spot as they're harassed by the males.

I've never kept any of these fish, so can't chime in on their actual specific aggression levels, but I would try to get at least 1 rock pile per male, and I'd consider dropping your excess Tropheops male. By dropping I mean rehousing.
 
#3 ·
Watch your two blue-barred species for fighting and/or crossbreeding. And there could be a similar concern having two metriaclima species in the same tank.

How much less than 48" long is your tank?

I like to have several rock piles that branch out at the base (like a pyramid) to form triangles of substrate between. This gives every male his own patch of substrate surrounded by rocks. They don't seem to like the ends of the tank...the holding females hang out there.

With five or more males in the tank it will be challenging to provide enough territories. I'd choose 3 species or less and limit to one male of each.
 
#4 ·
DJRansome said:
How much less than 48" long is your tank?

With five or more males in the tank it will be challenging to provide enough territories. I'd choose 3 species or less and limit to one male of each.
Your tank looks a fair amount shorterthan 48" in the video. I would definitely follow DJs recommendations, especially since it sounds like your hoping to breed those WC Membe Deeps. I'd consider getting them their own tank so you could be absolutely positive you're putting out pure F1 Membe deeps.
 
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