What is he? Super aggresive

**krystalsohun** · 07-20-2011, 12:46 AM

I bought a fish that was labled wrong and I was wondering if you could tell me what it is. Its super aggressive that's why I called it a him, for sure though I dont know the actual sex or even spieces. I have Demasoni and Jahonni in the tank and a yellow fish I've come to believe is an auratus. The Auratus and this one used to be the dominant pair in the tank. There are 12 fish in a 50 high, Ive had no deaths for a year and a half. There is lots of rock work for hiding in there but this fish has eaten the tail off one of my Jahonni's and is now attacking the Auratus. They used to be very even in dominance and now the auratus is cowering. So what kind of fish is it? And what do you suggest is happening?

Its the one thats at the bottom with a full side view

**Lady Hobbs** · 07-20-2011, 01:46 AM

If you don't know what it is, how do you know it was labeled wrong? What did the label say? Your tank is only 36" long, correct? I do not see this footprint working for these aggressive fish. I nixed the idea of africans in my 55 gallon for the same reason.

But I can't help you with the identy. I'm not familar with most of the africans.

**Red** · 07-20-2011, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by Lady Hobbs

If you don't know what it is, how do you know it was labeled wrong? What did the label say? Your tank is only 36" long, correct? I do not see this footprint working for these aggressive fish. I nixed the idea of africans in my 55 gallon for the same reason.

But I can't help you with the identy. I'm not familar with most of the africans.

I think it might be a acei? I am not to sure though.

**SmokeyCFH** · 07-20-2011, 01:54 AM

I think it's a johanni. You can barely see a horizontal black stripe down his center. I just dont think he's aggressive yet. the only thing thats really throwing me is the yellow on its tail, i know its not an acei, maybe its a mixed hybrid?

**190MPH** · 07-20-2011, 12:46 PM

Looks like a Pseudotropheus Socolofi to me. Not generally known as one of the more aggressive types, but there is never a guarantee with mbuna.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profile...ies.php?id=919

That said, I agree with Lady Hobbs, that tank is too small for a group of mbuna, especially the ones you have. I'd recommend at least a 4' tank. You can do a 3 small groups of the less aggressive mbuna types in a 55, but a 75 opens up alot more options with the extra 6" of depth.

**Lab_Rat** · 07-20-2011, 04:23 PM

The color says socolofi, the shape of the fish says some Melanochromis species. Probably a hybrid who got the Melanochromis attitude and socolofi coloration.

**krystalsohun** · 08-01-2011, 12:21 AM

My tank is 4ft long, I measured. Apparently its has odd deminsions now that I looked. I got it off craigslist and when they said 50 gallon I assumed it was a "high" but it may not be. Anyways, the lfs had it labeled as a demasoni when it was a baby. It was blue then and so I figured thats what it was. Now the yellow is coming out and its temperment, tell me its definitely not a demasoni. I have a lot of hiding places for the fish and the rocks are higher then half way up the tank to break line of sight issues. I made sure that the hiding places out numbered the fish by a 3 to 1 ratio. i dont know what the problem is.

**190MPH** · 08-01-2011, 01:48 AM

Krystal, I think the problem may be that the fish are more mature now and aggression issues are becoming the norm, not the exception. Everything I've ever read during my own research says roughly between 1 and 2 years to see how things are going to play out. That's why it can be very misleading when people say they've kept aggressive species together with no problems. The real question would be for how long. Most times, it's before they've reached that point that I think you're at. Those couple of species you seem to have are known to be some real nasties, and without proper stocking numbers, any one of them can become the aggressor overnight, IMO. Auratus should be roughly 1m/7f, and even though you may or may not have them, Demasoni should be kept in a group of 12 or more, ideally. Not trying to be harsh, but what you're experiencing is one of the reasons we see the "mixed mbuna" or "mixed Malawi" tanks at many LFS. I think a more appropriate name would be "mixed problem children"! In a nutshell, you may need to re-think your stocking choices. But with a 4' tank, at least you have other options.

**krystalsohun** · 08-01-2011, 01:18 PM

The Auratus was labeled as a female Johanni

When I went into it the plan was to have a Johanni only tank. Then I couldnt find enough Johanni around so I was making it a Johanni/Demasoni tank. I thought I had the ratio at 5f/1m for each species but obviously as they grew I saw that the Auratas and this "hybird" were not in fact what I thought they were. When I bought them they were 1/2 inch or less long. Now I believe I have a 4f/1m ratio amoung the true Johanni/Demasoni, and these two "problem children" So heres the question, what do I do with the problem child now? Should I do the freezer trick? or should I try to find someone who wants an aggressive no named bada** LOL I think once it's out of the tank I should be pretty good. If the Auratas causes problems after that, Im pretty sure I could find a home for him. Right now though the Auratas is actually trying to protect a few of the others from the wild one. It will charge the wild one if it sees him attacking another fish. Also when the fish who had his tail eaten was freshly beaten the Auratas would rub his body on him to help him stay in a straight position instead of spinning in circles without a tail. Now the tailless fish is slowly growing his tail back and can swim normally but the Auratus still will protect him from any other harm by darting in front of the attack to confuse the wild one. It's so funny because the Auratus will do these things and then swim like heck to go hide somewhere. Thanks for the help

**190MPH** · 08-01-2011, 07:08 PM

It sounds like you've just got hold of some bad attitudes! The Johanni name has been so commercially misused, I'm not sure exactly which ones you have! Sometimes they are labeled as Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos, and I've also seen mention that the ones many LFS sell are actually a cross between true Johanni and Melanochromis. Even in Ad Konings' book, he states that males from both may be descendants from the same ancestor because they look so similar. Regardless, instead of destroying any known aggressors, I'd give them back to the LFS and see how things go from there. But I think problems are still on the horizon without them being that you have 2 highly aggressive species. Another may step up and become the new bad boy. It's almost a cruel joke by nature that some of the more beautiful mbuna, happen to be some of the toughest. I think there are literally thousands of threads on failed attempts to keep many of them.