35 gallon malawi

reptileguy2727

reptileguy2727

Not enough tanks, space, or time
Jan 15, 2006
1,799
0
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Northern Virginia
this is my 35 gallon malawi. technically my dad's, but since he doesnt stock, clean, water change, clean filters, and barely feeds, i count it as mine. it has an albino zebra and 3 yellow labs. im good with south american cichlids, but im not that good with africans and would like to use this tank to get some more experience with them. if any, how many more could i add? i like compressiceps, are those a good option? i know they will have to be about the same size, rearrange tank, etc.
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Your tank is definitely full and you need to research compressiceps, they are an obvious no. I know that you have been getting alot of crap over tank size but 55 gallons is usually the minimum for mbunas, the real minimum no grow out tank BS. Sometimes people can have 3 or 4 yellow labs in a 35gal with success. Zebras are considered to be aggressive compared to other mbunas and are never recommended for anything smaller than a 55 but if your's is getting along with the labs I won't give you a hard time.
 
c'mon .. do at least a little research. compressiceps won't last a week in a tank of Malawi Mbuna. next, Malawi cichlids are polygamous mouth brooders. for best results they should be maintained as a group of 5 of any one species ... this means 1 male + 4 females. your tank is simply not big enough for this and if you keep Africans at sex ratios other than what i've suggested, you're going to lose some fish. Labidochromis caeruleus 'may' be one of the VERY FEW exceptions to this rule.
 
tried doing research, the books i have dont get into good specifics about what can go with what. sorry i forgot that compressiceps are tanganyikan, at least some. i didnt buy them or anything, just asked about them. and i asked you guys because i know that even if i get good info in a book or online, i would still rather talk to the people who have actually had these fish and are good with them. sorry for not being as good or as knowledgable with them as you guys yet. this info is exactly what i was looking for, sex ratios and species compatibility that affect the success of the tank. i never liked africans until i really started looking through a good (picture wise) book recently and it inspired me to try to learn how to do these right as well. keep in mind that since it is technically my dads tank, even though he doesnt really do anything with it, he has final say in what goes in and he wont want to upgrade tank size, although i will try to convince him. any ideas for an algae eater of some sort? the brown algae in there is really bad.
 
otocinclus affinis is one of the very few plecostomus that will eat diatoms (brown algae) but they are not a hardy fish and in your tank of Mbuna, i'd be concerned for their longevity. too, Malawi cichlids like to graze on algae so growning a crop of green is a good thing. more light may diminish the brown in favor of the green.
 
i think i tried ottos in the malawi tank (i am trying them right now in my 55 goldfish tank that also has a lot of brown algae). i think an otto would end up as a snack. more light could encourage green over brown? havent heard that but i can try it. thanks.
 
more light could encourage green over brown?
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yes, diatoms are a low light algae that thrive in conditions that include no green plants and enough silicate for them to build cellular structure. if you significantly increase the light, the diatoms will die off as (a) the green algae displaces the surface sites for brown algae to grow on and (b) uses up the nutrients that diatoms require for proliferate.
 
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