Help with Mbuna

[CrazedMichael]

A mate of mine in an office a few floors up in our building had his tank spring a leak so he off-loaded his newly purchased Auratus cichlids (8 of them) to me.

Since i had nowhere new to put them i put them into my community tank for the time being. They are very small, say just under an inch in size.

Will they be aggressive from day 1 or will it take time for them to show it?

I'm planning to buy a new tank for them but wont be able to do so until payday (28/29th).

Will they be ok in the tank they are in now? And more importantly, do they pose a threat?

[daimen123]

tank size and tank mates will help

[madagascariensis]

Just generally speaking, your newly "acquired" cichlids are very young and I don't think that too much territorial aggression will be able to develop in one day either.

[CrazedMichael]

Tank size is 65g and i have 2 angelfish, 5 neons, 15 Silvertip Tetras, 15 Serpae Tetras and 2 dwarf neon rainbowfish.

I'm looking to set up a tank here in the office once payday comes along and would like to know if they will be ok in the main tank till then?

[IanR29]

Should be ok but key work is should. Anything can happen with Africans but the sooner yu get a different tank th better.

[IanR29]

Key Word* is should

[daimen123]

make sure you acclimate them properly because they are from different water conditions. I think for a day or two you might experience some aggression so move them as soon as you can. Watch the other fish very carefully. FYI dwarf rainbows need a bigger school

[CrazedMichael]

I always drip acclimate my fish regardless of what they are or where they are from.
In regards to the rainbowfish im aware they need to be 5 or more. I did have 6 but i lost 4 soon after purchase due to bad stock. The fish stores here havent had any in stock since then so thats why i only have the 2 still.

[Northerly]

OK aside from acclimating and such.. These fish will be VERY aggressive when they get older(especially against community fish) and your new tank will need to be cycled which will make the process take another 20 -30 days. 50 days is enough time for mbuna fry(when properly cared for) to put on another inch- inch and a half or more. I recommend you get a 55g or 75g as the new tank, as auratus get fairly large(you could also add more mbuna into the new tank if you wish). Also, what you will need to do so that you can safely stock the tank ASAP would be to buy one of your filters for the new tank now( I recommend either 2 Aquaclear 70s for a 55 or 2 aquaclear 110s for a 75). Hook the new filter up to your community tank and allow that filter to cycle the media. Aside from this all you can do is do frequent water changes to keep stress down and keep an eye on them. As stated, you might not see territorial issues but mbuna fry will nip and "play" CONSTANTLY. They are very active fish if they're healthy and you might notice some issues with the smaller or more docile fish in your tank.

[CrazedMichael]

Just a little update for you guys since payday is still a few days away.

I managed to get rid of 5 of them to another friend who set up a mbuna tank himself so i now only have the 3 left in the tank.

The current inhabitants are all still present so far, so no losses as of yet.