Michigan Cichlid Association

General Category => Old World => Topic started by: Steve on November 18, 2013, 04:34:15 PM

Title: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: Steve on November 18, 2013, 04:34:15 PM

Well the aggression in the mbuna tank has been really starting to bug me lately. That's to be expected though when 5 of the 15 fish are Cerry Red Zebras. Last night the three main bullies (three cherry reds) started picking on one of the other red zebras to the point that he was up at the surface and starting to hang vertical. So that was the last straw, this morning I bagged those three CRZ's up and took them and traded them in for some credit and got myself a trio of Rusties. Never had them before but I like these guys a lot and they seem pretty mellow/social.

If the aggression with the others in the tank keeps up I may end up cleaning house and doing this a "species tank" of all Rusties.

(http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4966/1jwk.jpg)

Title: Re: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: four_by_ken on November 18, 2013, 04:39:12 PM

Someone correct me if I am wrong... but the personalities of Rustys will be very close to that of the Cherry Red Zebras.

Title: Re: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: linuxrulesusa on November 18, 2013, 04:41:41 PM

Quote from: four_by_ken on November 18, 2013, 04:39:12 PM

Someone correct me if I am wrong... but the personalities of Rustys will be very close to that of the Cherry Red Zebras.

Everything I've read indicates the rusties are much calmer...for mbuna.

Title: Re: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: Steve on November 18, 2013, 04:53:01 PM

Same here, everything I've read or heard from those that keep them say they are about as peaceful as you can get in a mbuna.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodotropheus_sprengerae

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=707

Title: Re: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: four_by_ken on November 18, 2013, 05:04:49 PM

I'll just be quiet now.

 ;D

Title: Re: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: linuxrulesusa on November 18, 2013, 05:10:43 PM

Guess we'll wait and see.  Right now it's a case of he read, he read.

Title: Re: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: Steve on November 18, 2013, 05:14:07 PM

All I know is unless they jump out of the tank, pull a knife, and try to jack my wallet then I will consider them less aggressive than them CRZ's I had  ;D  lol

Title: Re: Goodbye zebras...hello rusties.
Post by: Steve on November 22, 2013, 04:49:33 PM

So far it seems I did the right thing. The past 4 days I'd say the aggression in the tank is at least 75% less now that the trouble making trio of zebras are gone. I still have two 5" zebras, but they have been in the tank from the start a year ago and are actually pretty mild for zebras. The rusties seem to be a great little fish so far. They seem to group up a lot and don;t cause any trouble so far. The first day the OB and Mbamba Bay male were chasing all the fish around, mainly because the balance in the tank was off because the three top fish suddenly were taken out. After a day though the Mbamba Bay male calmed down and now the Ob runs the tank, but not to the point of actully harming anyone like the zebras were doing.

So far so good, happy with the decision to trade them in. Just hope they went to a good home.