125Ltr Stocking....

[kiriyama]

Nah, keep the tank you have, mix some large coral gravel in with some sand, get a couple of pieces of Tuffa or Ocean rock for one end , some shells... then add 4-5 Neolamprologus Caudopunctatus and 2 lamprologus ocellatus (gold, blue or pearl)
Oh oh and water

 

[Malawi MaD]

If you could get a rio180 that would be the better option if you really want Mbuna. As people have said a rio125 is to small, but if you can get a rio 180 you could make it look beautiful with a single species tank. Pseudotropheus saulosi are a dwarf species, only reaching 3 to 3.5inch. The males and females both have amazing colour (depending where you get them from)and make mbuna set-ups look really good and very active. If you can get a larger tank let me know and ill go into a little more detail

 

[doresy]

We may be missing the point a little bit here Obviously most fish keepers would like a larger tank than they have but for many reasons, such as space or budget, may not be able to.

That being said that doesn't mean they can still keep what ever fish they desire in the tank they do have

Many of us try to push our luck and kid ourselves that fish in an undersized tank 'look' happy therefore are. (I have yet to see a fish smile! )

It's safe to say that a 125lt is too small for Malawi and is borderline for most Tanganyikan Cichlids. A couple of examples of stock have been suggested for Tanganyikan and there are more I'm sure.

When you see Cichlids in the LFS in the 2ft holding tanks it's tempting to think that coming from there to your 125lt would be an upgrade for them and they would be fine. Not so While in those tanks the filtration is is massive for a start but more importantly the fact that there are so many fish in there with no rock-scape it's imposable for them to claim a territory.
One of the key interest in Cichlids is their interaction with the rock-scape followed by their 'attitude'. All this is based on claiming a territory for breeding. Malawi Cichlid keepers tend to over stock slightly to lessen any one fish claiming too much space which is meant calm things. This you mustn't do with Tanganyikan Cichlids as it causes stress.

Now, back to your 125 lt. You now may be forgiven, after reading this, for thinking ok I'll just go with Malawi Cichlids and what ever I put in there will mean it's overstocked therefore all will be ok. Again, not so

Cichlids require over filtration, especially if overstocked obviously, so an internal for that tank would be inadequate. Finally the final 'spanner in the works' is they will get very big, very quickly.

So, to sum up I'm afraid it is a larger tank or forget Malawi's

Great suggestions so far have been offered so good luck

 

[ben3486]

bigger tank is out of the question.....Ive only had this one for three days haha.

The last few suggestions seems pretty good. think a bit more reading on them and ill be set.....oh and i was going for crushed coral with ocean rock and a black background

Thanks for the help.

 

[kiriyama]

bigger tank is out of the question.....Ive only had this one for three days haha.

The last few suggestions seems pretty good. think a bit more reading on them and ill be set.....oh and i was going for crushed coral with ocean rock and a black background

Thanks for the help.

Good luck, let us know how you get on, be nice to see a few more Tanganyikan tanks on here , hint hint

 

[ben3486]

is tanganyikan a selection of certain cichlids?? or a specific look??? sorry but im clueless about this....all i know i i like the malawis but cant have them lol.

Is there any sort of write up that goes into tanganyikan tanks??? like what aquascaping and fish?

 

[Malawi MaD]

is tanganyikan a selection of certain cichlids?? or a specific look??? sorry but im clueless about this....all i know i i like the malawis but cant have them lol.

Is there any sort of write up that goes into tanganyikan tanks??? like what aquascaping and fish?

Thats the best thing to do is not rush into it, read articles about tanganyika cichlids there all over the internet. Tanganyika are a species from one of the three rift lakes (Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria)and should be kept as a community like Malawi's. So have a good read up about aquascaping the tank, water parimeters the species etc.... Then come back here with your feedback. JUST do plenty of reading and gain knowledge

 

[elisew]

is tanganyikan a selection of certain cichlids?? or a specific look??? sorry but im clueless about this....all i know i i like the malawis but cant have them lol.

Is there any sort of write up that goes into tanganyikan tanks??? like what aquascaping and fish?

I found a lot of info on the net by googling for Tanganyika cichlids, requirements, scaping etc can all be found. Youtube is another great place for checking out the different scaping that can be done for the Tangs

I hope it`s ok with the Mods for me to post the following links, I thought they would provide some good info as a starting point for you

http/www.cichlidrecipe.com/crp1.htm

http/fish.mongabay.com/lake_tanganyika_cichlids.htm

http/www.tomstanganyikans.com/

http/www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=tanganyikacichlids

http/www.aquariumpassion.com/profiles/freshwater-fish/cichlids/lake-tanganyika-cichlids/cyprichromis-leptosoma-mpulungu.html

 

[kiriyama]

If I could just add 2 more links.. these are just for shell dwellers, may spark your interest and familairise you with some of the smallest cichlids known

http/www.cichlidrecipe.com/shellweb/shell_intro.htm

http/www.shelldwellers.com/

 

[jonnyuk]

i have only just started keeping tangs and i can say they are wonderful fish. i can only say whats already been suggested, do allot of research and have a plan. pick a direction for your tank and start reading up on it.

are you going with a species tank only tank?
just shell dwellers
just rock dweller
open swimmers
or a mix of the three?

your in the same boat as me to a point, our tanks are not that big so i would think you are restricted to the smaller cichlids.

happy hunting so to speak.