I have been out of the hobby for over a year... and im finally getting back into it... i have a 180 gallon tank and all I have in it is one male albino afra cobue... im gonna be picking up 4 females within the week i hope in Indy, what other fish should i/could i stock with it... i was thinkin of gettin some white top hara's, but would that cause cross breeding? are they even classified as afra's? what other fish should I stock for color... I want to stick strictly to Mbuna... not interested in the common fish like red zebras or yellow labs... i want fish you dont normally see stocked at local pet shops... any ideas or comments are greatly appreciated
Stockking Questions
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If the cobue females resemble the hara females (I've never kept cynos, so I don't know if they do), they will crossbreed. They likely will, anyway, even if they don't look the same.
You've got a ton of options for stocking. Any particular colors you're looking for? Level of aggression? Number of species?
You've got a ton of options for stocking. Any particular colors you're looking for? Level of aggression? Number of species?
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180 gallon? You've got a lot of room to play with. Your main issue is going to be stocking species which do not intimidate your afra cobue to the point that your male does not color up. The species which will be almost definitely ok are yellow labs, acei, and rusties. Anything else may work and might not. Staying away from another blue vertical barred species will increase your likelihood of having everyone full colored.
i know that female white top hara's are blue unlike the cobues...but yea i like rustys...as far as colors aggression and number of species its all up in the air...last time i kept mbuna i had tons lol...o oh oh would Polits work with cobues
im thinking of Labidochromis chisumulae instead of the yellow labs... if i do those could i also stock Labidochromis caeruleus (Nkhata Bay) without cross breeding... so lets start this easily this is what i would like
Cynotilapia sp. "hara"
Cynotilapia afra (Cobue)
Iodotropheus sprengerae
Labidochromis caeruleus (Nkhata Bay)
Labidochromis chisumulae
Pseudotropheus polit
so far thats all i can think of right now... open to suggestions like i said... thanks
Cynotilapia sp. "hara"
Cynotilapia afra (Cobue)
Iodotropheus sprengerae
Labidochromis caeruleus (Nkhata Bay)
Labidochromis chisumulae
Pseudotropheus polit
so far thats all i can think of right now... open to suggestions like i said... thanks
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Shoot for one blue-barred fish, so you would avoid mixing cobue, hara and chisumulae.
Cobue have a reputation of coloring up best if they are dominant in the tank, and they are not an aggressive fish. So yellow labs are pretty safe, but the others may prevent the cobue from coloring up.
Polit are reputed to have the "need to be dominant" to color up as well. They are braver than the cobue but may have trouble with the chisumulae.
Cobue have a reputation of coloring up best if they are dominant in the tank, and they are not an aggressive fish. So yellow labs are pretty safe, but the others may prevent the cobue from coloring up.
Polit are reputed to have the "need to be dominant" to color up as well. They are braver than the cobue but may have trouble with the chisumulae.
ok so scratch the chisumulae and scratch the hara and possibly polit... is the white lab ok? what other fish would go good in this tank...demasoni? i know its barred but hey shootin for the moon lol i want as many species as possibly without over stocking and still allowing fish to color up nicely
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Demasoni is WAY more aggressive than cobue. I don't know about the blue/white labs, I've always had the impression that only the yellow labs are the ones with the peaceful temperament. Maybe someone else can chime in.
My demasoni keep my hara from coloring up, for example. And hara are more aggressive than the cobue.
Unfortunately the peaceful ones are the common ones. Acei come to mind.
I wonder if you could so the cobue with some peacocks and haps?
My demasoni keep my hara from coloring up, for example. And hara are more aggressive than the cobue.
Unfortunately the peaceful ones are the common ones. Acei come to mind.
I wonder if you could so the cobue with some peacocks and haps?
see i have a 180 peackock hap tank already that i havent touch forever lol thing is my male cobue (the only mbuna i have in a 180 by himself is about 2-2.5" and in my hap tank i have 2 Champsochromis caeruleus that are about 12" each... so cobue would be dinner... lol i guess i could do away with the cobue... i only decided to get back into the hobby again because i saw him... gorgeous male albino cobue... lol got me to buy another whole setup...lol but i just want and active tank something with color...and it seems as if the cobue is putting a weight on what i can stock... i dont want common fish 
but what about the white tail acei? would that be ok?
and ps DJR... thanks for the quick responses haha hope you dont get too aggravated with my stubbornness just trying to get thte best possible combinations...
lets put it this way... if you had an empty 180 what mbuna would you stock in it
but what about the white tail acei? would that be ok?and ps DJR... thanks for the quick responses haha hope you dont get too aggravated with my stubbornness just trying to get thte best possible combinations...
lets put it this way... if you had an empty 180 what mbuna would you stock in it
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I HAD the mbuna in a six foot tank, but I do not have the problem with the common fish that you do. I had the same stocking in the 72" tank as I have in the 75G except one additional species. At that time I had socolofi and acei instead of the hara. It was a great tank, and once I have had everything else I want in that 72" tank I will probably go back to it.
Well maybe with one change. I want to try Pumdamilia nyereri with the mbuna. So that will probably be my fifth species when and if.
Demasoni is my one pre-requisite. The others are accent fish, LOL.
Well maybe with one change. I want to try Pumdamilia nyereri with the mbuna. So that will probably be my fifth species when and if.
Demasoni is my one pre-requisite. The others are accent fish, LOL.
Pumdamilia nyereri <<< Gorgeous fish... now another dumb question lol... if I went with an all male tank chances are most fish wouldnt color up nicely correct?...
and I also love the demasoni... gorgeous fish... i think i might make those my base to my stocking and do somethin with the cobue
and I also love the demasoni... gorgeous fish... i think i might make those my base to my stocking and do somethin with the cobue
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You have an all-male hap/peacock, right? I just started mine, you can probably answer the question better than me, LOL.
Chances are good in an all male tank that one or more fish might have trouble coloring up.
All-male mbuna (one of each species, no two alike) has the same issue, maybe to a greater extent. I don't understand how you could find enough mbuna where no two are alike to fill a large tank however. Lots more variety and tolerance with haps and peacocks.
Chances are good in an all male tank that one or more fish might have trouble coloring up.
All-male mbuna (one of each species, no two alike) has the same issue, maybe to a greater extent. I don't understand how you could find enough mbuna where no two are alike to fill a large tank however. Lots more variety and tolerance with haps and peacocks.
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