hi, i'm new to cichlids, i went out bought books, researched tank setup, water conditions etc, had it all straight in my head, then went in the pet store, and believed everything the fish shop guy said.

now i have two baby auratus, (i liked the colors, wasn't till i got home and did research i realised these are almost a whole different kettle of fish to other malawi's) and a greyish blue adolescent with faint bluish vertical stripes. not sure what the grey one is??

they are in a 10 gallon tank for the next two weeks, set up as a malawi biotope, lots of rocks piled against the back.

the water is perfect, ph 8, and they seem fine

my problem is this.

i would like to breed eventually, and i am planning on upgrading to at least a 30 gallon next month, but now i am worried because i have some auratus, i'm gonna need to just have auratus' because they'll attack everything else, or do i take them back and swap them for something easier?
what should i do? they are fascinating, but i'm worried i won't be able to handle them.:confused:

Honestly, I'd seriously consider bringing these bad boys back. Auratus are rather difficult to keep, let alone breed. They are going to outgrow a 30 gallon tank in no time.

choose Labidochromis.... their pretty, and you could easily breed them in a 30, in fact, the minimum size is 25 gallons. there are also subspecies; mbamba, and more. do a little research, and decide what you want... I reccomend the labs....

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~Daniel

the grass was greener on the other side, but when your a fish.... not good.....
Spanish words of the day!

1. HERPES - Me and my fren ordered pizza. I got mine piece and she got herpes.
2. WHEELCHAIR - We only have one enchalada left, but don't worry, wheelchair.
3. BRIEF - Maria fart in my car and it stinkie so bad I could not brief.

(this is just a joke, no offense intended! enjoy)

Auratus are actually quite easy (as are most all mbuna) to keep and breed (although mbuna are not recommended for small tanks). Their only problem is that dominant males can become quite aggressive (even for mbuna) so be forewarned and cautious when mixing.

mbuna as a group, are best kept in warm (80F) tanks of at least 55g with other mbuna in high concentrations with lots of rockwork. they are constant diggers so be sure to add your rockwork before your gravel so they won't crush themselves or topple aquascaping.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida

Auratus are easy to keep - It will just be the other fish in the tank with them that will be hard to keep. They are as mean and nasty as they are beautiful. We've had the same one auctioned off at least 3 -4 times already at our club.

Jeff
MondoAquatics.com

I would also add sand is a better substrate. The 30 gallon will not be big enough and you will want a bunch of mbuna to spread out aggression. I breed many peacocks and mbuna in 30 gallon tanks. It is almost the perfect size and my fish are very prolific.

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Jeff
Owner
http://aquaticmadness.com