Would it be possible to have Malawi Cichlids in a 30 gallon? Everywhere I have read says minimum is a 55 gallon.
30 gallon tank big enough????
- Thread starter Bucky Katt
- Start date
I would venture a guess that if everyone says 55, then it should be 55. However, I've never kept a malawi, so I could be wrong 
If I remember correctly, a 30g has a 36" length. You could probably get away with some demasoni or saulosi species tank (they are smaller mbuna). I've seen this done with both success and failure. But I would HIGHLY suggest getting a larger tank to help control aggression.
May I suggest cichlids from Lake Tanganyika? It offers many more cichlids for smaller tanks, such as your 30g.
May I suggest cichlids from Lake Tanganyika? It offers many more cichlids for smaller tanks, such as your 30g.
I aggree with wobble, expect for the saulosi being small. Just come and look at my male, who is a good 6" in length!
I would say a 33 gallon can be used as a growout tank only, and the malawi's should be upgraded once they reach maturity.
-Diana
I would say a 33 gallon can be used as a growout tank only, and the malawi's should be upgraded once they reach maturity.
-Diana
That's true. My buddy has 8 saulosi in his 30g (2M/6F) and they seem to be just fine. From what I've noticed, they don't seem as aggressive as other mbuna can be. But they have only been in there about six months, so they aren't all that big. He says he's gonna get them a 75g this summer though (since I keep on him about it being so small).
Since LuvMyKribs has corrected my assumption on the size of saulosi, I would only suggest the POSSIBLITY of a demasoni species tank. But beware.....these may be smaller mbuna, but they can be very nasty for their size. Especially toward their own kind!
Again, look into Tanganyika. They really offer many more solutions for a 30g. In the end, you're probably going to end up with alot of casualties trying to keep mbuna in a 30g. The price of losing many fish would probably pay for a larger tank.
Since LuvMyKribs has corrected my assumption on the size of saulosi, I would only suggest the POSSIBLITY of a demasoni species tank. But beware.....these may be smaller mbuna, but they can be very nasty for their size. Especially toward their own kind!
Again, look into Tanganyika. They really offer many more solutions for a 30g. In the end, you're probably going to end up with alot of casualties trying to keep mbuna in a 30g. The price of losing many fish would probably pay for a larger tank.
That's interesting.. I have a 50g I was going to setup.. it's 36x18 footprint... is this big enough?
This is NOT a cost issue, the 50g is costing my every big as much, if not more, than a 75 package deal locally(289 tanks tops stand light). It's house politics.. I can't have any more 48" tanks.. I can get away with 36".. but another 48" is not acceptable to the spouse.
Perhaps I'm better off going with another planted traditional tank?
This is NOT a cost issue, the 50g is costing my every big as much, if not more, than a 75 package deal locally(289 tanks tops stand light). It's house politics.. I can't have any more 48" tanks.. I can get away with 36".. but another 48" is not acceptable to the spouse.
Perhaps I'm better off going with another planted traditional tank?