# tankmates?



## baby~doll (Jun 17, 2005)

hey... ok i adopted this fishy from my sister (she bought two of them and the other one beat up on this one... shreaded his tail pretty good, but i nursed him back to health) at the time two of my oscars were just about 2 or 3 inches, and he was tiny too. well now that the oscars are getting bigger i am thinking of getting a bigger aquarium and trying to put them and my other oscar together, and if it doesnt work then oh well. but i dont wanna take a chance with this guy cuz puppy (the other oscar) might hurt him. but i have no doubt that he could probably live out his life with the other two oscars if i left them together because they dont even acknowledge him at all! but i really want the three oscars together... 
but ANYWAYS! sorry if that confused you ((maybe someone can reword/translate it if it confuses someone ))

ok... my question is, what other kinda of fish could go in with him? i know hes like agressive/semi-agressive... somethin like that... but i would want some other fish to go in with him, some colorful/ different looking fish maybe
any suggestions?
thanks sooo much!... oh and since im not really sure what kinda fish he is... here are some pics!!!


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## Orbital (Jun 11, 2005)

Its a Pseudotropheus Crabro aka bubble bee cichlid, a type of Mbuna. 

Here is a link with info, diet, water parameters, ect.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=845

They get rather large as adults and will need a 55 gallon at least if you are planning long term. Most other mbuna types will hold their own with these. Yours looks like a female, or a young non-dominant male.


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## baby~doll (Jun 17, 2005)

thanks!!! so i can only put other fish that look pretty much like him (same body shape) in with him? darn! but alrighty... hopefully they have a bunch of pretty colors


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## Orbital (Jun 11, 2005)

Mbuna are territorial fish, which is likely why he/she got beat up. They are amongst the most colorful freshwater fish around. Males of the same species tend to not like other males. Part of the reason 55 gallon or larger tanks are suggested for housing them. Having larger numbers in the tank helps stop the singling out of certain fish too.

Good luck, but be warned they are addictive. :mrgreen: 

:fish:


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## baby~doll (Jun 17, 2005)

heh... thanks... how many would be a good number to keep in a 55?... cuz in a couple of months i will have an empty 55g
thanks again!
fish in general are addicting!!! OMG! i think im losing it! im gonna be the old lady at the end of the street with my fish, cats, dogs, birds, and horses
lmao... wow! my boyfriend told me i was obsessed with fish at one point cuz i started to tell him all the types of fish i wanted... well now ive got another aquarium setup to add to my list!


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## IloveCichlids (Jul 11, 2005)

*mbuna*

If you go to Cichlid Forum and go to profiles, Lake Malawi, Mbuna you can find all kinds of compatable fish. You can also get there by the link that was posted above. There are many mbuna that are very pretty and colorful. I would stay away from the haps and the peacocks though. The mbuna are a bit more aggresive and become fin nippers. some common mbuna are cobalt blue zebras, orange zebra(dont remember exact name), yellow labs go well. Electric Blue Johanni's. Just to name a few that are "common"


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

I'd keep 4 in a 55.


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## Orbital (Jun 11, 2005)

What ever works for ya, I haven't had much luck keeping lower numbers of mbuna together for long. I think my 55 has around 12 Yellow labs, a quad of Lithobates, and a dozen Syno. Petricola. I use a emperor 400 and penguin 330 to filter it.

Whats your tank going to have for filteration Baby_doll?


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