cynotalipia in a 30 gallon?

[rtague]

Hi guys,I've had this 30 gallon(36x13) lying around for the longest time.Would this size tank work for a cyno species tank seeing as they're a little smaller than most mbuna.I'm thinking cobue's or hara's,what kind of numbers would work for the 30 and what female do you guys think has the best coloration? Thanks.

[why_spyder]

I would go with a C. afra species as they are generally smaller than some of the other Cynotilapia species. Cynotilapia afra Cobwe would be a good choice for a 3' tank, and I would start out with 1M/3-4F. Of course, it never hurts to have more females but I don't know what kind of filtration and water change regimen you are goin' with.

I would recommend against Cyno. sp. hara in a 30 gallon, as they can grow up to 5" (I've heard of bigger, but not very common) and are one of the more aggressive Cynotilapia species I've worked with.

The only downside to going with C. afra Cobwe vs. C. sp. hara is that the latter has better looking females in my opinion (a nicer blue coloration).

[rtague]

Thanks spyder,the cobue's are actually my favourite,so I think I'll go with those.So you're saying just 1m/4f for the whole tank?.I'm going to have an ac 110 with 50% weekly w/c.Would 1m/5f 0f the hara work. It's actually going to be a grow out situation(I should have mentioned that) so I'll be doing a bunch of either to get a group of 1m/5f to be evevtually moved to a 125.As I'm writing I'm leaning towards the hara's.So,to rephrase the question,sorry,how many should I get
(hara's) to finaly get a group of 1m/5f.I'm looking to get 1 1/2 inch juvies.
Sorry for the roundabout question.

[why_spyder]

So,to rephrase the question, how many should I get
(hara's) to finaly get a group of 1m/5f.I'm looking to get 1 1/2 inch juvies.

Since the 30 will just be a growout - it should work fine for a while. If I was going to buy juveniles - and shoot for 1M/5F - I would end up buying a dozen. The reason being that I always assume a 1:1 (male:female) ratio with juveniles.

[DJRansome]

I agree with why_spyder, don't do the hara's in a 36" tank, get the 125 first.

They are not dwarf at all and not overly peaceful either.

You can grow-out any fry in a 36" tank, but the hara juvies will start feeling cramped in a couple months. Think of them more like red zebras, LOL!

[why_spyder]

You can grow-out any fry in a 36" tank, but the hara juvies will start feeling cramped in a couple months.

Especially if you are starting out with 1.5" juveniles. My 'hara's were breeding at that size, so aggression will be a factor even at that size.

[rtague]

Thanks guys,wow,breeding at 1 1/2 inches .I'm really going to have to think about this.I can see mayhem before I get the 125:1devil:.Thanks again.