first malawi tank

[aberdeen aquarist]

what malawi cichlids do you recommend for a 25 uk gallon corner tank that are colourful?
how many fish could i have in this tank?
i have seen a couple of tanks for malawis with mopani wood included, would this not affect the water chemistry ie make it more acidic?
this will be my first tank purely for cichlids so any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[Pufferpack]

For a small tank I would say Pelvicachromis pulcher (Krebensis) or some of the Aulonocara species (I like the Baenshi myself). I've seem shell dwellers recomended, but am not familure with them.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

thanks pufferpack but i don't think kribs would survive too long in a malawi tank, it seems like i will have to go on my own judgement on this one.

 

[Pufferpack]

thanks pufferpack but i don't think kribs would survive too long in a malawi tank

I guess I just got lucky with the 2 we have now. The first one came out of a tank of Rusty Mbunas, she had been with them for 4 months because the owner couldn't catch her and gave up trying, I walked in and she came to the fromt of the tank and waited to be caught , the second came from an auction at the local Fish society. They both live happily in a 90 gal tank with various malawi's. Zebra Mbunas (Cobalt Blue & Red), Labidochromis, Melanochromis Johannis, Aulonocara, and some that I suspect are Pseudotropheus, but I'm not certain as of yet. The only ones that bother the Kribs are the Kribs, and that doesn't happen often.
I have seen little 2 inch "Kribbie" put the run to a 5 inch male Blue Johanni on more than one occasion, so I don't worry about her.

Edit: We also have 1 Bolivian Ram in the same tank, and he is the biggest knob in the tank, always trying to start something...small fish syndrome

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

just goes to show that you can't always believe what you read, i knew that krib females were hard on the males but never thought it would apply to other species as well

 

[Aulonochromis]

what malawi cichlids do you recommend for a 25 uk gallon corner tank that are colourful?
how many fish could i have in this tank?
i have seen a couple of tanks for malawis with mopani wood included, would this not affect the water chemistry ie make it more acidic?
this will be my first tank purely for cichlids so any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

I'm not sure how a UK gallon differs from a US one. But if it's about the same as 25 US gallons, I would recommend would be a colony of 6 Labidochromis Caeruleus. Most Malawis need more room. Also, wood is not a good idea and can lower your Ph, if your Kh is really high then you might be Ok.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

thanks, 25 uk gallons is about 30 us.
after talking to a friend, i believe that i can put 12-14 fish in this size tank.
either all one species or 3 groups of different fish.

 

[-=DG=-]

Hi,

I've just added a pair of jewel cichlids and a pair of convict ciclids. The jewels are doing fine, but the convicts (who are fairly small) are taking a battering. The jewels look very nice with the malawi.

 

[cichlidpersonality]

i dont know who told you that, but DONT do it, 14 fish is way too many, inless you get small tanganyikans. with malawi you could get maybe 7 or 8 fish max, and that would be crouded, i have a 39 gal with about 9 or 10 various cichlids malawi and 1 victorian, and it's jam packed, trust me you dont need more than 6 or 7 malawis, they are extremely active and will always be out and ready to greet you. (actually just ready to be fed)

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

cichlid personality :
it was someone who has kept and bred all kinds of fish for over 20 years, i have seen the tanks (40 of them) that he keeps his breeding fish in and they are all stocked in the way he has recommended. different things work for different people, just look at pufferpacks post on this thread!
btw is your tank us or uk gallons as you don't give a location?

 

[cichlidmaster]

IMO 12-14 Malawi's is to many for the type of tank you have.

A corner tank does not have the same base dimensions as a rectangular tank and therefore can't hold as many fish.

If you are intent on stocking to this level, then you should be prepared to do massive water changes, have massive filtration and also for eventual losses.

Keep in mind also the adult size of the fish. If stocking heavy you should stick with Mbuna as they only reach an adult size of up to 5"

Good luck!!

CM

 

[fam1197]

Aulonocara species (peacocks) are very colorful fish, I have a couple myself but they need alot more open swimming space than a corner unit will provide. I agree with cichlidmaster, stick with mbunas, just make sure you give them ample caves and rocks, that is a must when dealing with Mbunas.

a portfolio of one of my tanks:
African Cichlid Tank 72 gal bowfront