Cynotilapia zebroides "Cobue" questions

[jpierce3]

My son wants to get more into fish. He started off with some Mosquito fish but has grown tired of them after several years.

He has picked out some Cynotilapia zebroides "Cobue". Pretty neat looking fish, but I haven't done Mbuna in a long while and I never kept this species. He is really set on keeping mouth brooders and some initial research says these wouldn't be too aggressive and not too large.

I have a 65g (36"x18"x21") tank that I know for sure would be good for Mbuna, but is kind of large for his bed room and I'm not sure I'm willing to part with it (the fish in it right now are moving to a 125g and I had some ideas for it). I have a 38g (36"x12"x20") that would fit much better in his room, but not sure if it is big enough.

My questions:
Has anyone kept this species and is it good for a beginner (with some help from dad)?
Could he keep a small breeding group in a 38g tank?
What is a good ratio of M::F for a group?

Open to any other ideas.

Thanks

 

[tanker]

I have kept Cobues before. Peaceful for a Mbuna, doable in a 38gal (the 65gal would be better) because you will need lots of rocks and hiding places. I would get 1male and 4 females. If you go for the 65gal, I would add 2 more females. The Cobue are more of a meat eatter then most Mbuna but I would still not feed them too much protein. I would buy a good quality pellet, like "New Life Spectrum". They can be fed that exclusively. Do not feed them more then they can eat in a few seconds. IMO, Mbunas are always hungry.

PS--You will need to be doing lots of WC. I would do a 20% one week, then 50% the next and keep alternating. Poor water quality can leads to "Bloat".

 

[jpierce3]

Bigger is always better, right? However, the 65g just won't work out for his bed room. His room is pretty tiny. The 38g, I can use my Eheim 2227 with it and slide it up right next to the wall. The 65g has a sump filter with hob overflows so it sticks out from the wall quite a ways.

The 2227 really isn't good enough for the 65g on its own. It's a good filter, but not the best for mechanical. Should be fine for the 38g though.

I'm going to let him decide if he wants sand and rock, or my old trick of bare bottom and pvc "caves." The latter being my preference as it's so much easier to take care of.