# johannii vs Melanochromis auratus



## X-Pande-R (Feb 15, 2005)

ok i have 1 of each of these fish, i think they are both males. the johannii always attacks the Melanochromis auratus. ANy reason why??? aren't they compatable??? :roll:


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## malawi4me2 (Jan 18, 2005)

They're far from compatible. It's never a good idea to keep two similar looking males together in the same tank... They see each other as direct competition for territory and females. _Melanochromis_ sp. are some of the most aggressive mbuna, and they are very likely to fight other fish in the tank for hyperdominance. The jonannii will probably end up killing your auratus if you don't separate them soon.


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## FISHFACE (Mar 2, 2005)

My experience shows the auratus usually being the alpha male. I've never seen a Johanni take an auratus of the same size. There are always exceptions. Very few Melanachromis can dominate auratus of the same size. :|


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## Physicsboy (Mar 15, 2005)

I'll second the previous posts...

The melanochromis genus are a very aggressive genus of fishes. The auratus is, in my opinion, more aggressive than the johanni. There are exceptions as the last post said...

Looks like the johanni has the upper hand...could change. 

Regardless, the ideals are not to house similar species. They will likely kill one another, or beat each other up constantly. Plus, you take the risk of hybridization if you have females present. Pick your favorite, and rid of the other.


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