# Can 1 pair of Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos (Maingano) have tank mates?



## Duzzy73

Hi there, 

was wondering what, if anything could go with 1 pair of [/b]Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos (Maingano)* would like something with very contrasting colors maybe yellow or red. My tank is 63litres or 128 us gallons. Also my other questions, can I plant the tank out? the back of the tank has a rock wall at the back made from dark blue stone.

Regards Darren  *


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## Lisachromis

Duzzy73 @ Fri Feb 11 said:


> My tank is 63litres or 128 us gallons.


Well... 63 litres is only 16.6 gallons, and 128 gallons is 484.5 litres. Something doesn't add up here.... :roll: 

What are the dimensions of the tank? That way we'll know for sure how big the tank is. Once we know the size of your tank, we can help you better with your other questions.


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## Duzzy73

Oops! my tank is 40cm wide, 45cm high and 35cm front to back......sorry about the boo boo


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## Lisachromis

Ok, that's a small tank. That's the 63 litre tank, or 16.6 US gallons. You really can't even keep the one pair of cyanheorhabdos in there. You would be better off getting dwarf cichlids if you really want to keep cichlids in that tank. Melanochromis are highly aggressive and need space. Bare minimum for them would be a 50 gallon (189 litre) tank, and personally I wouldn't go any less than a 90 gallon (340 litre) for full grown specimens with lots of other cichlids in there as well. I've kept Melanochromis in 90g tanks and I could only keep one male plus some females in there as the male tried to kill off all other males of his species. Other people may have gotten better results in a tank that size, but it is something to think about.


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## FishyKev

*Melanchromis*

Hi, i also have a breeding pair of melanchromis cyaneorhabdos in a 200L tank. Theyre doing fine and i was after some tank mates. Does anyone have any suggestions? Cheers


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## Guest

This thread is from 2005. 

I'd add more M. cyaneorhabdos to the tank. You could add some Yellow Labs too if you wanted.

Try making a new thread....you should get more answers.


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## Gourami Swami

I would not add yellow labs. They will get their asses kicked! stick with cyaneorhabdos


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## FishyKev

So what else is just as territorial as cyaneorhabdos? Then they can hold theyre own if i get mature ones  The tanks designed with loadsa territory and even sum plants (its so funny watchin them take out the plants). The male is very aggressive which is why i got em the bigger tank and now the female has some room, but she spawns regularly and i dont want to take away her glory as super mum! 
I know frontosa grow large, but what are they like as tank mates? 
Also, is it a good idea to overstock a cichlid tank (not this one) as ive been told this works as no territory can be formed. or is this just cruel and stressful?
And how do i make a new thread (haha, newb)
Cheers


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## kay-bee

Compatible tank mates for melanochromis cichilds such as the cyaneorhabdos ('electric blue johanni') would be other mbuna's of similar or greater aggressive natures, such as various pseudotropheus and metriaclima mbuna's.

Frontosa's aren't very compatible with mbuna's and shouldn't be considered as potential tank mates due to their reserved and (in relation to the mbunas) passive nature. Also they tend to thrive on high protein content-based diets, which is the opposite of most mbuna requirements (they thrive on low protein content-based diets).

Overstocking is an OPTION, and the result will vary upon set up and even the motivations of the fish:

Scenario 1: with so many mbuna's a territory cannot be established and territorial-related aggression is minimized or eliminated. 

Scenario 2: a hyperdominant or ambitious mbuna will still capable of establishing a territory and harass some, most, or all of the others. The benefit in this case is that the aggression is diluted so that it becomes manageable (18 fish kept with one serious aggressive fish have it a lot easier than 8 fish kept with one serious aggressive fish). Keep in mind when the quantity of fish increase, so does the potential for the existence of more than one hyperdominant. 

Scenario 3: Some species are so conspecific aggressive that the overstocking counts for nothing (in a 90gal containing 30 various mbuna's to include a trio of demasoni, the most dominant demasoni will focus its intent on eliminating the other two demasoni, regardless of presence of all the others. However a 90gal with 30 demasoni's, would work, since it's a sort of specific overstocking instead of general.

Balanced aggression can be established WITHOUT overstocking (which is why in many cases overstocking is an option, not a requirement).

One issue which does arise with overstocking is greater tank husbandry is required. More fish obviously produce more waste which translates into higher nitrate levels which will result in the need of larger and/or more frequent water changes to maintain prestine water conditions; and ultimately more commitment from the owner.


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## FishyKev

ok, thanks alot, thats great. Ill look into different mbunas then! Cheers.


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## FishyKev

*Help!*

Hi there, I have a pair of melanochromis cyaneorhabdos in a 200L tank. At present they only have 3 smaller tankmates (at least 1 is a male, due toegg spots), sold to me as 'malawi cichlids'. These are all no bigger than 2 inches each, and my melanochromis are both around 5 inches. This morning i woke to find the female had been severely fin nipped, and im not to sure what to do! Is it likely that the other smaller cichlids are to blame? or is it the male? He does control the entire tank but i havent had any problem in the the few months ive owned them. She does get chased by him a bit, but i just thought it it was just mating related, and it didnt look too serious. Can anyone please help, as i think shes awesome and i dont want anything bad to happen to her.
Also, is it because im meant to have a 1-3 male to female ratio? I have tried to find other females in my area, but with no success.
Please hurry!! Cheers, Kevin


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## Guest

You'll get more views and help if you make your own post.  Just copy/paste into a new thread in the Cichlid section.

If I could I'd move your post to a new thread, but this isn't my area.


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## emc7

When I had a lot of mean Mbuna, I alway had a few empty small tanks, (5, 10, 15 gallon) to remove the "chewed on" and the holding mamas. Usually if you take them out, let them heal, rearrange the main tank and put them back, they do okay. What you need is more "target" fish or more rocks. Your male has nothing to do all day but chase the female around and nip her. Try to add stuff to break up the sight lines. He will chase anything he sees.


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