help w/ a malawi tank please

blackwolfXKAV

blackwolfXKAV

Homo sapiens
Apr 20, 2006
828
0
0
New England Abroad.
thinking probably 55-75 gal.

i want (if possible) include breeding pairs of all species in one tank

yellow labs being one species

Melanochromis auratus being another

i'd like to shoot for more small (4-5") fish in a diverse setting, rather than one big monster, so
please pipe up some ideas

thanks, oh, and if you have some personal exper. and/or pics, PLEASE share w/ me
 
Go for 75 gallons. It's not much more investment up front, but allows more fish. And if you're like me, the moment it's cycled and stocked, you wish it was bigger.
Auratus are mean fish--wouldn't be good with the more docile Yellow Labs. Zebra Mbuna would do good though. All Mbuna are best in groups of at least 3-4. If you're attempting to breed, keep in mind that if you mix the species, they may mix themselves.
Number of fish is a huge debate here, so I'll start that discussion off with this recommendation;
10-12 Mbuna in a 75 mixed and matched or all the same.
The yellow labs don't get quite as big, so IMO you could keep12-15 of these in a 75 if that's the only species.
Don't forget your scavengers---I've never counted them for much in stocking though. I usually substitute 1 show fish for 2 cats, or loaches.
hth
 
want (if possible) include breeding pairs of all species in one tank
Click to expand...
your beginning premise is wrong. Malawi cichlids are not pair formers. they are polygamous which means you have to keep one male + 4 females of the same species as a group. if you 'try' and maintain 'pairs' the male will kill the female inside of a month.
 
so any good mbuna species besides the yellow labs and red zebras?
could you inlcude the species name?
also, what is an appropriate ratio?

as always, personaly experience welcomed. thank you.
 
on second thought, scratch the auratus, it was not the fish i thought it was (mislabeled) i would like to replace them with a group of MELANOCHROMIS JOHANNI if possible. bright and flashy is a plus as well.

yellow labs x ?

johanni x ?
 
scratch the johanni as well--they are meaner than arautus. They'll beat up everything in the tank. And THAT my freind is personal experience.

If you like Johanni---you need to lean away from the Labs and Zebras and look more towards Kenyii, Arautus---probably best to just stick to Johanni only. Either way, you'll have yourself a tankful of fights!

Any African Cichlid that is shaped like a torpedo usually has the attitude to match.
 
not really true i keept johanni for over 1 year with yellow labs and zebras

and still no problems at all

no deaths injuries nothing
 
How big is the tank and how many do you have? I suppose with adequate territories it could work. I had 3 johanni and 3 Kenyii --all juveniles--in a 55 full of rock work and I always had injured fish. No deaths, but it was constant fighting. After about four months it was just like they were torturing each other so I traded them in and started over.
 
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