Advice on project for wife...

[steamboat2302]

Good afternoon,

I currently am working on a long term project for my wife's tank. Unlike most women that I know that are into fish my wife likes the more active and aggressive fish. Her favorite as of now being a M. Chipokae. They are currently growing out in a 56 gallon tank that is the size of a 75 just 12 inches shorter (I really thought it was a 75 until I put it on the stand) so I know I'm going to need to get the 75 for it to work long term, thats a given. What I am trying to figure out is which way I should go with the tank to minimize fish deaths as much as possible. I know the situation now is not going to work as at the lfs I ended up with 2 males and 3 females (thought it was 1/4 but was wrong). I've heard that chipokae are hard to house with most types of mbuna due to the aggression levels they have at sexual maturity. So I am asking what options do I have for tankmates? Should it be a species tank of just chipokae? It is her favorite fish right now. Or are there species that I would be able to mix in with them that are tough enough to hang in there. I hope there are a few. They are gorgeous fish but I like to have a little more diversity in color and such things. Also, I have heard that overfiltering and overstocking is the way to go with things like chipokae, kenyi, auratus, etc. Is this a widely accepted practice within the club? It has seemed to work with me in the past, but I still had trouble when I had kenyi's in the mix. I've been keeping mbuna for 3 years now, but with so little help locally I'm still what I would consider a beginner. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

Chipokae are some of the meanest mbuna out there. You could try orange zebras or powder blue socofoli but try to introduce them bigger than the chipokae. They will give you more color, but you'll have to keep an eye out for aggression.

As far as the tank goes, don't worry about the height of the tank as much. For africans, especially mbuna, the footprint is the most important part. They hang towards the bottom of the tank and rocks, the shorter tank will make them much easier to catch.

And yes, overstocking with plenty of filtration is the way to go. If you leave the chipokae by themselves the dominant male may kill the rest of the group. Give them plenty of rocks and caves and watch them closely.

 

[steamboat2302]

I could get a 4 foot breeder, but a 75 would cost about the same so. Really doesn't matter. I understand that most people do not keep chipokae, but its a experiment I gotta try. I was thinking about trying to procure some Black Tanzanian Acei, as I've had them before and they are tough as nails but not that agressive. They also stay up in the tank comparatively. Hard to find tho, only found one website that has them in the entire country online. If I went with three I'd like the third to be a cobalt zebra, but wanted to get more input and possibly more options that I could try. This is definately an experiment.

 

[Larry Johnson]

I think you have the idea with the fish named so far.You could add almost all Labeotropheus, Metriclima and Pseudotropheus sp.Tropheops might be one of the best as far as mbuna aggression goes!
Think shallow water (from the lake),the fish near the top of the water colomn are always more aggressive than the ones found deeper.
I always add fish in groups of at least 6 fish, and initially 36 fish in a "cycled tank" should be fine, as they grow out you may have lost one hear and there,but this 75 gallon tank should easily hold 30 adults.
Lots of nooks and crannies should be made from overlapping rocks and they should be large rocks,,,to me it looks more natural!

Cheers,Larry