Lake Malawi - HELP

[Pikmin]

Ok, i have made up my mind

i want lake malawi cichlids

So, after some research, i like these ones
can you tell me the following things, please. i want it to be as realistic as normal!

1 - Will the fish get along
2 - Are there plants that i can put in (not fake)
3 - i can get a 55 gal from my relative for $45 or buy a 75 gal tank from my LFS for $120 - which should i get?


I would like

Electric yellow lab
Red Zebra
Sunshine Peacock
Msobo or johanni

Pick any amount of each. please :)


You can suggest stuff! Actually, i WANT suggestions!

help, please!:grinyes:

[Coler]

I'm afraid I can't see the pics.

Bigger is always better. A 55 is fine, a 75 would be fantastic. Factor in additional cost such as filtration - you will want some heavy duty cannister/external filters on either tank as you will be overstocking these fish, if keeping a typical malawi set up.

You can try to keep some plants with these fish. Try to go for hardy stuff that is tough to kill - java moss, java fern, Onion plants were all recommended to me and have worked out nicely. I have found Vallis to work when enough is planted in quite thick clusters. Anubias is something I havn't tried but which has worked out for other people.

It seems to me that if you are doing plants with these guys, the more you put in the better; a few isolated bunches of ferns will be hammered pretty quickly; putting in plenty of stuff spreads out the fish and gives already hardy plants enough respite to survive if not thrive.

Try those pics again; or post up the names of the fish you're looking for.

[Pikmin]

hmm, i can see them, but when refreshed, they vanish.

I'll do some researching.

And what do you mean by over stock? i don't want overstocking lol! i have had bad experiances with overstocking XD

EDIT 0 fixed origionl post - no pictures sadly

[Weezer]

The 55 for 45 dollars is a good deal, a 75 would be better for the fish your considering, how many of what kind of Malawi's will determine your stocking capabilaties.........:)

[ibr3ak]

Usually with malawi mbuna you overstock to prevent extra aggression, doing this you'll also have to overfilter your tank.

I've recently planted some java fern in my tank and it's doing fine, even got some new roots growing out of the ends of the leaves and that's with only a 25 watt single bulb 50/50 light.

I also agree with what Coler said above, with a good ratio of males to females (you can have 3-4 females to a male with 15+ fish in total, which for a 55 would be fine), also consider that if you'll want to breed your fish and sell the fry there's a high chance of yellow labs and red zebras interbreeding.

[Coler]

I would like

Electric yellow lab
Red Zebra
Sunshine Peacock
Msobo or johanni
[/U]

Some nice choices. Your main issue would likely be whether the Peacocks will be OK with the Mbuna (all the other fish you're listing). The Peacocks like more open swim space, the Mbuna like rockwork (they have a way more flexible spine to allow them get in and out of nooks and crannies) and also most mbuna are more aggressive than most peacocks, which can mean the peacocks suffer at feeding time or in some tanks are simply killed.

However, I personally found the Sunshine Peacock strain extremely aggressive as far as Aulonocara/Peacocks go; probably a result of the intensive breeding for bright colour, so this choice has a chance of working out.

So in the 75 you should be ok as long as you allow for some swim space, together with serious piles of rock.
That said, I'd be inclined to consider not taking on the Red Zebras together with the Johanni/Msobo simply because they are amongst the more aggressive mbuna and can be a handful if you've not kept Malawi's before - but if you're comfortable with the idea then by all means go ahead.

If however you'd prefer a fish with generally slightly less agresssion, for blue colour consider pseudotropheus socolofi. If you like very dark blue/purple shades consider pseudotropheus acei. For something a little different but very attractive consider iodotropheus sperengae (rusty cichlid).

All the fish we're talking about should be stocked as either 1 male specimen only together with other males of different species and colouration (you would do this as a necessity in a smaller tank than is available to you), or as groups with a ratio of 1 male specimen together with say 3 or 4 females; stocking with less females makes it likely that the female will be harassed excessively, stocking with more males than that ratio means the males will likely have issues with each other.

The labs and rusties are a little more gentle than other mbuna and would prefer to be in slightly larger groups than some of the other nut jobs, when stocked with these more aggressive fish.

Say you got the 75; I'd go for something like :

- 6 labs (1 male, 5 females)
- 6 rusties (1 male, 5 females)
- 4 johanni (1 male, 3 females)
- 4 Sunshine Peacocks (1 male 3 females)
- 4 Pseuodtropheus Socolofi (Albino) - personal favourite of mine; beautiful pearly sheen.

If you do that you should have pretty much no hybridisation, but you're a bit tight on space for the fry (and you will almost certainly have fry), and it can be fun to raise up your own fish. If you fancy having more room in this regard, lose one of the groups of fish.

Your other option on the Peacocks, is to go for 3 or 4 Male specimens of different species avoiding any similar colourations whatsoever. They'll all probably have a go at each other but 4 of them together with the Mbuna should spread each other out sufficiently to prevent murder. I would personally try this if I was setting up a 75 of mixed malawi - great flash of colour for your tank.

All that is very ball park stuff - there are no rigid rules in stocking Malawis, but there are guidelines which you ignore at your peril (the male/female ratio in particular, stocking seriously aggressive fish with each other etc.).

One other piece of advice; when starting with this fish establish what policy on returns your LFS has; occasionally you just get a fish with that bit more 'personality' than you'd like (i.e. murderous intent) which simply will not slot into your tank - you must have plan B ready to deal with these fish which means either another tank (woot!) or return to LFS.

[Rbishop]

Great post, Coler!

:)

[Pikmin]

WOW! that was spectacular!

I will show you what my LFS has - they just label them "mixed african cichlids" so i will need to be very careful when i am ready to buy.

[Coler]

Glad to help :)

Good idea - it is rare to get true strain species from a mixed tank; almost all of these fish have a lot of Pseudotropheus Zebra in them. Its worth your while traveling for good quality fish if you have to.

[Pikmin]

i looked up the Pseudotropheus Socolofi, they are SO PRETTY!

Then i searched albino, and i want one so bad! they are super cool looking! :grinyes:

[ibr3ak]

Albinos (of most mbuna species) at least in my experience are a little on a puny side, for some reason they are not aggressive enough to fend for themselves and always the butt of everyone else's aggression. I've had an albino melanochromis (who by nature should be on a higher aggressive scale), which I had to return to the store, because it was always hiding and being chased by other fish and an albino greshakei, great looking fish, but I had to put it down after constant beat downs and torn fins.

[Brian Bivens]

My albino zeb takes turns with my Trawavasae beating up everyone else (and my yellow lab, as funny as it sounds, is pretty tough too.)

[Coler]

lol the beauty of cichlids. They just refuse to come on here and read our posts...

[Pikmin]

i am so mad! some guy RESERVED all of the mbunas! And the peacocks don't even have a price - pet supplies plus in my town is suckish now...

[Coler]

Durn it !

Get yourself on that list !

Can they not order in for you ?

I don't know what else is nearby you, but its worth travelling for good stock - well kept, they should live for 7 or 8 years.

[Pikmin]

i will have to ask about that.