New to this type of FW fish - Help :)

[Jerzboi]

I have always worked on community tanks, but I have really enjoyed checking out African Cichlids. I really like the colors and characters of the africans as opposed to the N.W Cichlids

My tank set up right now consits of two good size peices of driftwood, and sand substrate, working on putting a lot of Java Ferns in the tank.

The temperature of that remains at 79 degrees and the pH is as at 7.2-7.4

My question is what lake cichlid would best do in these conditions, I'm aware that i will need more area breakers for territory and how many would be comforatble in a standard 55 gallon.

I am very fond of Lake Malawi cichlids

I'd love to learn from your expertise :thumbsup:

Here is a good shot of the tank so far (the fish currently in there will be traded or sold to make way for the africans, and the water is due to current water change)

[Jerzboi]

I'm planning on raising the pH up to atleast 7.8-8.0, i know that the pH is probably way to low

[Schneider]

I would stock either peacocks or smaller haps. Both of these groups would do well with the amount of open space in your aquascaping. Make a list of what Africans are available in the LFS of your area and post it. This will make it easier for someone to help you. Most people do ok with a PH in the low 7's for Malawis. Keeping it consistent by doing frequent water changes is far more important.

[Jerzboi]

Yeah most def will, planning on going there on Wed since they are gettin a shippment in tomorrow. I am thinking of trading out the dw on the right and stack a lot of slate since it is cheap and not so heavy, also have a lot more java fern on the way...

I really enjoy the Kenyi, Labs, Demasoni, but I'm sure the Kenyi is pretty agressive

[blue2fyre]

Demasoni can be really mean if not kept in high enough numbers. They are a beautiful fish and I think a large group of them along with a smaller group of labs would be a great stocking for this tank :)

Kenyis are mean, I think you could find a better suited species that will get along with the other fish better.

Here's the stocking of my 55 gallon. It's best to stick to about 3 or less species of mbuna for that sized tank.
I have :
5 P. Acei
7 OB zebras (extra males are being removed as they color up)
7+ some babies, Cyno White top haras (removing extra males as needed.)
I also have a small group of syno petricolas a demasoni and one cranky female M. greshakei.

Pretty much you want to keep a good ratio of one male to 3-4 females. It helps to buy babies then remove extra males as they mature. With good filtration and weekly water changes, you should over stock the tank a bit to cut down on aggression. Mbuna like rocks with lots of caves, the slate should work out nicely for you. They may find the plants tasty. A lot of people have success with java fern in a mbuna tank but mine didn't fair well. My mbuna shreaded the stuff.

[Jerzboi]

haha well i hope there is enough java fern that they won't get it all :grinyes:
that stinks, i really enjoy the Kenyi's color, but I'll settle for other blue fish

Is it pretty hard to determine male and female a. cichilids when purchasing them?
I am aiming for a lot of color variation, but no peacocks (not really my taste)

[ibr3ak]

Sexing with mbuna is pretty hard (venting is the only sure way with monomorphic species), unless it's a maturing dimorphic specie. So if you don't wanna pay alot for a mature/sexed group, get a bunch of juvies for cheap, grow them out and then sell or trade the extra males, as blue mentioned above.

[Jerzboi]

true true

[Jerzboi]

any other suggestions, expertise is more than welcome as I continue my research on these awesome fish :thumbsup:

[ibr3ak]

Go with a lesser aggressive species, you'll appreciate it in a long run, provide alot of caves with rockwork, overfilter, the more water circulation in the tank the better, get mbuna from a trusted source, try not to get fish from mixed tanks. Just general stuff like that, you'll learn as you go, mbuna are pretty forgiving.

[blue2fyre]

If you like the kenyi's coloring you could look into saulosi. The males are blue with black stripes and the females are yellow. They are a dwarf mbuna and stay around 4". They also aren't too aggressive.

[Jerzboi]

[QUOTE=ibr3ak;2117679] get mbuna from a trusted source, try not to get fish from mixed tanks. QUOTE]

I'll def keep that in mind as I go, the lfs has their africans in their own tanks, but they really do not have much stock in that area, so would it be better to just post a WTB in the cichild forums/classifieds??

[Jerzboi]

If you like the kenyi's coloring you could look into saulosi. The males are blue with black stripes and the females are yellow. They are a dwarf mbuna and stay around 4". They also aren't too aggressive.

the saulosi look awesome, are they common in fish stores?

[blue2fyre]

I haven't seen them in many stores around here. But I know a lot of people keep them. You may be able to find them locally from a fish club or online.

[excuzzzeme]

Mbuna like to dig to make territory which makes keeping plants somewhat difficult. They will generally eat java and other mosses and like to pull up plants. I do not do plants with mine as it is just too much work and too little, if any, reward.

[Jerzboi]

I'll prob keep the java there and just keep on eye on it, replanting items doesn bother me too much.

I wish I had a fish club near me, it be awesome
the closest one to me is 4 hours away in raleigh, nc

If i had Brig snails in my tank would they be safe from Africans or would they become snack?

[blue2fyre]

The mbuna would pick at the snails and stress them to death. I have malaysian trumpet snails in my mbuna tank. I know some people have success with nerites.

[Jerzboi]

Better not take the risk

There is an auction near me in three weeks, think i have a good chance
at some killer deals on some cichlids then :)

[Pittbull]

Hey i forgot to add in my PM to you that rock i have is Texas Holey rock and aids in buffer capabilities you can ask for it at your local fish store or a landscape business thats ells stones.. Slate is ok but will not aid in hardness like the THR will..

[Jerzboi]

yeah for sure

I figured slate wouldn but it is cheap and looks nice
the holy rock looks too saltwater looking i guess

is the ph up woth using? My friend game me Marine buffer that holds ph at 8.0-8.2

def do enjoy the slate look with the sand

[ibr3ak]

Use crushed coral instead, either in your filter basket or mixed in with your substrate, it'll buffer and keep the ph stable without the upswings of a chemical buffer.

[Jerzboi]

that is true, good point

how much would i need do yout think for a 55gal with a peice of malaysian dw?

[jpappy789]

I'd also be a little concerned that the marine buffer contains concentrations of other dissolved substances that are not similar to the rift lakes.

CC is a safer route.

[Schneider]

yeah for sure

I figured slate wouldn but it is cheap and looks nice
the holy rock looks too saltwater looking i guess

is the ph up woth using? My friend game me Marine buffer that holds ph at 8.0-8.2

def do enjoy the slate look with the sand

I use pure baking soda to buffer my tank to a PH of 8.2. It is way less expensive than a commercial brand and it works! If you use baking soda just make sure to buy boxes that have sodium bicarbonate as their only ingredient. Some companies put deodorant or anti-caking agents in-you don't want these in your tank water.

[Jerzboi]

baking soda sounds good, but how much do you add?

I'll be sure to read the back of the box for sure

[Jerzboi]

what do you think of the lace rock look with a sand substrate as opposed to red slate? I like the color of slate to sand, but i like the amount of holes in the lace rock?

[Pittbull]

What you really need to do is test for Hardness and see where your tank is at if the Hardness is low you will need to do the Crushed Coral or Aragonite sand and use stones that buffer the hardness via THR or limestone blocks, If the hardness is pretty much stable and in the desired levels than you can get by with slate or lace rock..

The thing about Africans is that they can tolerate and adapt to lower levels of Hardness and PH but they will not thrive and would be flashing against objects inside your tank giving the presence that they are trying to rid themselves of ICH or other parasites.. I would get annoyed if i had to scratch myself a hundred times a day..

If you still want to do the other rock and or substrate and do have lower levels with PH and hardness you can use a chemical to compound the levels to a safe level like the PH up and baking soda you were talking about the only downside is to this is that you will have to make sure to do it each and every time because the first time you forget bam they all die due to shock..

[Coler]

I would only really worry about the Ph if it was below 7.2. I see yours is holding from the tap at 7.2 to 7.4. You should have all the buffering you need if you use crushed coral as a substrate I would think - its most unlikely that you have overly soft water with that Ph - sure 7.6 - 7.8 would be more 'ideal' but using additive buffers is probably more hassle, expense than its worth.b The crushed coral will probably bring it up a point or two as well - say to a solid 7.4 plus.

I keep my africans in Ph 7.2 to 7.4 and can't stop the buggers spawning - once you're there or there abouts, its really the water quality which is most important. They are tough fish but severely intolerant of poor nitrogen cycle managment. Nitrates below 20 ppm and with your current Ph they will be good as gold.

[Jerzboi]

Ok that sounds awesome

They have good size peices of dried coral that is very white that the lfs said would bring my pH upsome. If anything I will grab some of that and put it under my lace rock pile, so it does not look out of place

Def want to make sure my fish are as comforatable as possible

I just got in some bristle nose plecos in the tank to help maintain :)

I really appreciate everyone's input/advice, you all are really helping me to better understand the structure of my tank to prep the way for these new guys

So thanks again and any additional info for the tank or bout the malawi cichlids is much appreciated