Our Top 10 Favorite Mbuna Cichlids

[@jerryhigg]

Love these for the coloring. Nice haircut btw.

[@CichlidBros]

Agreed! And thank you!

[@printer1105]

Yellow labs were my first ones and taught me much. I love them.

[@bkf8166]

Really love to breed don't they?

[@davec1294]

Great selection guys, another one that I find cool is the Rusty.

[@CichlidBros]

Love Rusty’s!

[@seanaustin8516]

Awesome video bro 🫶✌️🔥🙏💯👊🤟💥⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you!

[@jasono4735]

Awesome video. Every time I watch one of your videos it makes me want to start another aquarium. Dangerous.

[@CichlidBros]

Thanks! Always trying to inspire!

[@michaelhaines3451]

Great video! I've kept most of the species you mentioned, off and on, since the early '90s. Number 1 for me is Chindongo Saulosi, hands down my all time favorite mbuna (although I agree yellow labs are pretty great too!). Saulosi are just a joy to keep. I'm done forever with Auratus, as in my experience they live for one thing: to kill all conspecifics. Acei are great, they get kinda big so I like them in a 125. I especially like the white tailed Acei, the ones sometimes sold as "Ngara" have a beautiful very dark purple body along with the white tail. Loving your content, guys!

[@CichlidBros]

Thanks for watching! Agreed on all of above. I'm likely getting Saulosi soon

[@michaelhaines3451]

@@CichlidBros If you need some Saulosi, I have dozens in the 2-inch range. I'm just a few hours away, in north central Indiana. Have a great New Years!

[@newerafrican]

@@michaelhaines3451 Where in Indiana? I'm in Dyer.

[@michaelhaines3451]

@@newerafrican I'm in rural Elkhart county. About 40 minutes east of South Bend.

[@newerafrican]

@@michaelhaines3451 I am in the process of rehabbing a 55 gallon tank. When I get it cleaned and calked, I'll let you know.

[@danjensen7477]

I've had a 75 gallon mbuna tank for 13 years with various mixes of saulosi, maingano, yellow labs, acei, and rustys. All great fish but I think the Acei Yellow lab combo is my favorite, with a sprinking of rustys.

[@evilone543]

I’m excited! I set my 75g up for yellow labs last weekend and today I’m supposed to get them from my lfs. I also hope to add some johani soon too.

[@bkf8166]

Great video. Thanks! I've decided to concentrate on fuelleborni and trewavasae. They get along well and keep the tank very clean. I have some Demasoni and yellow labs mixed in as well. They fuelleborni and trewavasae are a bit tough to find, but I currently have about 13 total.

[@CichlidBros]

Awesome! 👏🏼

[@GC_Aquariums]

It’s a shame the fuelleborni are tough to find some of the varieties are beautiful and I love their nose!

[@krzysztofkopaczewski4319]

I've never had African cichlids, but you're tempting, bro👍👍👍

[@CichlidBros]

Haha, I'd recommend trying it at some point!

[@i_nvade8098]

Thank you for video. I have 1 yellow lab and 2 demasoni cichlids.

[@jasonmaceyko1902]

Great list !!

[@deekelly3058]

Awww they are so cute I need some more cichlids I wish you guys ship to Florida ❤️😭🥰

[@mattricard26]

Go fishing in any body of water in Florida, it’s over run with cichlids

[@LK50634]

Very awesome video amazing nice species of cichlids

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you!

[@LK50634]

Your welcome anytime my friend

[@ianm659]

Love mbuna. Currently raising some Rusty fry

[@CichlidBros]

Awesome! Rusty’s almost made the list

[@KoiCarpKyle2393]

Wow awesome video and content merry Christmas to all and godbless 💯😎👍🐟

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you! Merry Christmas!

[@thepurpletortoise5794]

I LOVE mbuna!

[@CichlidBros]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@davegonzalez3820]

Great video! Any advice if my Saulosi fry are not yellow? I’ve heard they are yellow at birth. Love the channel!!

[@zubbu9190]

Beautiful video

[@CichlidBros]

Appreciate it!

[@Neoncaffeine]

I had an auratus for 12 years, he was the most aggressive fish I ever had but still my favorite fish I ever had. Took me a little bit to find him good tank mates. If you can handle the aggression I absolutely do reccomend them, they're incredibly interesting to watch.

[@CichlidBros]

Totally agree

[@connorarmas]

Love mbuna, waiting for mine to grow out of my 29 gallon so I can then double the population for a 100

[@Neoncaffeine]

@@connorarmas I miss my mbuna but sadly once I moved I only had time to care for a semi aggressive tank, so no more auratus for now. Once I get a house I intend to get mbunas again, I miss my mbuna tank.

[@manicrymes]

I have an Auratus Male named Putin that is Nasty! I am close to getting rid of him but he is really Cool. Please tell me what tank mates worked out. Are they all females? I think he goes after and kills any Male that is ever in a tank with him. I lost some good ones before I figured it out.

[@LK50634]

😊😊very nice video amazing 👏 cool species

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you!

[@LK50634]

Your welcome anytime my friend

[@scottgordin9709]

Mbuna are my favorite African cichlids, they don’t get that big with some staying around 4”. I currently have a 55gal with 15 yellow labs and 6 kenyi, in the wild they don’t get alot of protein so they don’t get as big as some I’ve seen on the interweb. Mbuna do eat alot of vegetable matter so they usually only get about four to five inches, it’s when they get fed alot of protein they get up to six inches and larger.

[@kileycordoza9255]

Haircut 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@slavaukraine7735]

Thanks for the video!!!

[@MoWorsley-u8d]

I’m about to stock a 55 gallon mbuna tank! Can you recommend how many I should stock with please!?

[@ranjanty]

My experience so far with my mbuna is they mostly stay away from the right side of the tank which has sand on the bottom and large rock on top. The other side has large pea gravel and just 2 rocks. I've been coaxing them to go to the rock side. Another thing I noticed is they don't like to go to the surface to eat.

[@alfredodeeric]

Ps, you guys are fantastic, keep up all the hard work!

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you!

[@NotSure876]

No metriaclima elongatus types like chailosi and no socolofi? I’d definitely bump the auratus and kenyi off the list too. But other than those, it’s a pretty good list

[@DavidBonnie]

I found Saluosi the most aggressive of all I have-cannibalising 2 yellow tail before i even noticed they were not hiding in rocks.

[@bobpurcell3814]

Great video! I am thinking about adding a splash of a different color to my saulosi tank. Any recommendations?

[@philipwood8776]

i have a 20 gal long with 3 mbunas and the mubunas are doing find...A bit of aggression but they arent getting beat up

[@rahulskumar1923]

Hii , I'm really happy with your videos started seeing from few days and been a fan. I need help from ur side pls do reply back. I'm trying to setup a 40 gallon tank with black background but I'm but confused with choosing the sand color whether it's black or white. Pls suggest me shall I go with black sand or the white sand for the black background will be waiting for ur reply...

[@F1v30h1]

How many would you put in a 75 gallon tank?

[@stephanierussell150]

Hey cichlid bros I’m just asking do you guys think it’s ok to keep two blue powder Mbuna cichlids in a 90 litre tank if not what tank should I get for the two

[@Krystal_Life_Journey]

Hello. I have a 40 gall breeder. I am thinking about the 1 Turkana Jewels, 1 Yellow Lab and 1 Saulosi. With 7 Congo tetra and 3 cory cats. Maybe Panda or Corydoras. What do you think of this mix? Too much?

[@alfredodeeric]

Hey do you guys think I could pull off a mbuna setup in my 36 gallon bowfront tank? I recently completely rescaped it with nothing but small gravel and tons of rock. Now trying to come up with what to stock it with.

[@courtneymilton3771]

Any snails for cleaning?

[@jobr641]

What fertilizer do you recommend to promote algae growth in the tank so the mbunas can graze on them ?

[@yiwenmu9789]

Mostly online discussion says actually Johanni are among the most aggressive, is it true?

[@krzysztofkopaczewski4319]

What would you suggest? Aquarium 300 l sand and limestone rocks. Fish stock: 5 x Johanni, 5 x Soulosi, 5 x Yellow number 1 on Your list ? I would like to start my adventure with Malawi but I want mild fish not aggressive

[@CichlidBros]

Yellow labs, yellow tail acei, and rusty cichlids are some of the more “peaceful” mbuna, although all can be feisty. Some of the more aggressive species are Demasoni, Auratus, and Bumblebees

[@krzysztofkopaczewski4319]

Thank you 🙏

[@lisamcgill664]

Beautiful

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you

[@bambulance2174]

I pref tanganyika and american cichlids but i cant help but not love the way mbunas are just these fast moving tough fish that are hardy and colorful

[@robhamm3738]

How many yellow labs could you keep in a 75gal?

[@japreet_kah]

Can red zebra breed with a blue one?

[@js92css]

I have a 125g with 21 yellow, nearly full grown, yellow labs. I'm getting kind of sick of the all-yellow look. I've had Acei before, what are my chances of adding a group of 6-7 Acei(well started 2-3")?

[@tulioalopez]

Did you say Cobalt Blue Zebra are peaceful? I red somewhere that they are very aggressive.

[@AlphaOmegaKnight77658]

Whenever I go to Petco I always go by and check out the African cichlids. The yellow ones come up to the glass all the time. My dream is to one day own a tank of African cichlids and maybe breed them. Just don’t know how easy mbunas are to breed.

[@jonathanroy7278]

The msobo are my all time favorite and Mpanga are close next

[@CichlidBros]

Great choices!

[@shelbycombs4320]

Hey guys, love the video as usual. Got a question though, I saw a tank of Saulosi on a video months ago and they’ve captured me ever since. I keep coming back to them. I have a 75 gallon tank that I’m setting up, I originally planned to do a planted angelfish tank but I’m thinking I want to do these Saulosi instead. About how many would you suggest in 75gal?

[@CichlidBros]

I would start with a colony of 10-15 and you’ll have many more in no time

[@shelbycombs4320]

@@CichlidBros Okay, thanks!

[@Vovanchik.]

👍👍👍

[@chathumina5127]

My favourite mbuna is Auratus ciclid❤

[@calamarbronx83]

I remember my father had a frontosa, however you spell it. 80 bucks for a baby fish. My jaw dropped as a kid. I was use to 3 dollar fighting fish

[@landonw8982]

So why is there usually no plants in African tanks ? Wouldn’t the overstock style of those tanks benefit the most from plants ?

[@CichlidBros]

Most lake Malawi cichlids will eat / destroy any plants in the aquarium

[@sea9850]

The pet store species😂

[@CichlidBros]

?

[@gsellis]

But if you really want something you don't find in the box stores, look these up in addition. Chindongo flavus Chinyankwazi Cynotilapia sp. ''Hara'' Gallireya Reef Metriaclima greshakei Makokola Reef ''Ice Blue'' Metriaclima sp. ''Dolphin'' Manda Tropheops kumwera Kanchedza Island ''Elongatus Boadzulu'' Metriaclima melissa Chewere ''Elongatus Chewere' h/t to Dave for having them on his site.

[@lofreshavacado1758]

Can a single neet live with mbuna

[@kylemendoza8860]

Why wasn't the bumblebee on the list?😢

[@MorphedWombat]

Red zebras are not peaceful imo I agree with everything in this video

[@jacobstromburg5803]

Is it just me or are the Red Zebras actually yellow?

[@cichlidkeep4]

All the johonni I've had have been super aggressive.

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

mbuna are cool just a pain dealing with their aggression and skittish behaviors

[@shanecarroll6671]

Great video guys 🤙

[@CichlidBros]

Thank you!

[@redtiger5000]

I have a female African cichlid with eggs in her mouth, so I moved her to an empty tank and took out the small fish, and there were 3 of them, and she ate them hours later..Why did this happen, knowing that it was the first time that they mated

[@CichlidBros]

She may be mouth brooding the babies and not eating them

[@redtiger5000]

@@CichlidBros No,nothing in her mouth ..she ate them ...i just want to know why

[@pnr2736]

Yooo

[@calamarbronx83]

Maingano killed my Red Devil

[@sharudasu8695]

I have nearly 100s of them....they are super agressive and no one wants to purchase them.....but they have an awesome colours

[@malawiaquascape]

how there is no Demasoni ?😂

[@videoforgeeks]

Are Demasoni that bad? Even if you keep like 15 of them maybe with some yellow labs only?

[@Mcgee18]

Not that true I have a Aratus Cichlid with a ton of other mbuna he acts like any other of my fish acts like any other mbuna.

[@CichlidBros]

Every cichlid is different but in general Auratus are very aggressive

[@Mcgee18]

@@CichlidBros Alr looks like I got the good seed maybe everyone fish is different.

[@manicrymes]

You're very Lucky then. I have a super nasty one.

[@Toghay]

The Minimum Tank side is 80 Gallons okay!!!

[@CichlidBros]

Yeah not true