Attepting Mbuna!

[3ndl3r]

Hi all,


Not been on the site for a long time, would just like to say its great to be back

As the title says, i am going to be attemmpting Mbuna Cichlids.
I've got a 48"L x 12"Wx 18"H tank currently undergoing a fishless cycle. It is currently filtered by a TetraTec EX700. I am aware that this may not be enough turnover for a Mbuna tank..Could someone advise?
Water. The area i live in (West Yorkshire) has soft to medium water. Will i need to add anything to Buffer the pH at all? Like crushed coral or soething like that


Basically i am asking for any advice anyone can give me... Im reading up as we speak, Im completely new to these so anything you can tell me would be great

Many many Thanks.

James

 

[dthoffsett]

I know you said you are reading up as you speak, but I'm going to add some links I think would be very helpful and will answer most if not all of your questions.

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=299333"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=299333[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=98179"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=98179[/URL]

And welcome to the wonderful world of mbuna.

 

[3ndl3r]

Very helpful links Many thanks for those.

I am planning on purchasing another filter for the tank. Probably a Tetratec EX 600 or EX700. At the moment im just running an EX700 which isnt quite giving enough turnover.

Here's a pic of the tank in its current state Finally got the rockscape something how i had planned in my head Looks pretty good to say i've never done a rockscape before. What do you guys think ??

James

 

[dthoffsett]

Looks good.

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

I'm thinking about changing to slate myself (looks better because its darker and safer to stack)...how much did you pay per KG?

 

[3ndl3r]

I got a good deal on my slate, payed £36 for 2x 25KG bags. Normal price is 99p a KG. So i didn't do too bad

James

 

[3ndl3r]

Well now i've finally got everything into place. Im starting to think about stocking. Could someone suggest a possible stocklist for my tank? Or atleast what fish would be suitable for the tank? Planning on buying from Fish inc in sheffield. http/www.fishinc.co.uk/profiles.php All of their Malawis are wild caught so i guess it must be a good shop.. anyone have any experience?

Anyway, yeah so if anyone could suggest some species which would be suitable for my tank that would be great

James

 

[tropic_john]

tbh, its nice, but I prefer mbuna tanks stacked a little higher than that. Still nice though

 

[dthoffsett]

Well now i've finally got everything into place. Im starting to think about stocking. Could someone suggest a possible stocklist for my tank? Or atleast what fish would be suitable for the tank? Planning on buying from Fish inc in sheffield. [URL="http/www.fishinc.co.uk/profiles.php"]http/www.fishinc.co.uk/profiles.php[/URL] All of their Malawis are wild caught so i guess it must be a good shop.. anyone have any experience?

Anyway, yeah so if anyone could suggest some species which would be suitable for my tank that would be great

James

Wow, you've got quite a few species to choose from! TBH I could come up with an infinite number of combinations, I'd suggest that you go through and look up the fish on the list. Then, post on here with the ones you like the look of and we can help you narrow it down.

 

[3ndl3r]

Well i've been looking around, and i've started making a list of some Mbuna i like the look of

Melanochromis Johannii

Labidochromis Caeruleus

Psuedo. Demasoni

Psued. Elongatus chitimba

aulonocara koningsi

pseudotropheus crabro


labidochromis flavigulis

Labeotropheus trewavasae

Labeotropheus Fuelleborni

melanochromis parallelus

Metriaclima Callainos

Pseudotropheus Sp"zebra Long Pelvic"

Im off to the LFS in an Hour or so, im planning on maybe buying a few Syno. Cats. As i have heard that they can co-exist fine with Mbuna.. Is this correct ??


James

 

[Steve69]

Looking good mate. I`m at the same stage you`re at more or less

 

[3ndl3r]

Just been out and bought myself 4x Synodontis velifer Lovely little cats, can't wait for them to settle in

James

 

[dthoffsett]

Melanochromis Johannii - while probably the most peaceful of the Melanochromis species they are still very aggressive and IMO should be kept in 75gal or larger.

Labidochromis Caeruleus - probably the most popular mbuna especially with new keepers. Very peaceful by mbuna terms, bright colored and m/f ratio does not matter which is good since they only reliable ways to sex them is to vent or observe spawning.

Psuedo. Demasoni - One of my favorite species, they have such high conspecific aggression that they should be kept as a single specimen or in groups of 12+. However, they tend to ignore any species that doesn't look like them so they make good tankmates. In your tank, if you choose them, you would be limited to 2 species, for example 12 dems and 5 L.caeruleus.

Psued. Elongatus chitimba - I have no experience with these, but I believe they are fairly aggressive.

aulonocara koningsi - This is a peacock, if you wish to keep them you'll want to keep peacocks only or pair them with less aggressive mbuna.

pseudotropheus crabro - love these guys too, however, they reach 7" - 8" and should be kept in a minimum 6-foot tank


labidochromis flavigulis - I've never heard of this species, so I can't comment.

Labeotropheus trewavasae - Both Labeotropheus species reach 7" and are aggressive so should be kept in a 6-ft tank

Labeotropheus Fuelleborni

melanochromis parallelus - Another Melanochromis species and best avoided by beginners due to aggression.

Metriaclima Callainos - I really like the personalities of the ones I kept, they did tend to be a little more shy than some of the other species, but are beautiful. Males tend to be a light powdery blue while females are darker.

Pseudotropheus Sp"zebra Long Pelvic" - I don't know much about these, but what I've read says they are fairly aggressive and only one male per tank.

Im off to the LFS in an Hour or so, im planning on maybe buying a few Syno. Cats. As i have heard that they can co-exist fine with Mbuna.. Is this correct ??

Yup, synos are the preferred catfish tank mates for mbuna.

Hopefully I've helped you narrow down your choices a bit.

 

[Cichlid_Crazy]

Good advice that^ and totally agree on most of it.

Alot of people say don't ,ix Demasonis with any Elogantus species as they look similar...and the Dem will dominate/kill them.

I have 2 Mpangas (1 a 1" juvi) with my Male 4" (fully grown) Demasoni...and although he is hands down the boss of the tank (even above my male and female Melanochromis Auratus and Male Johanni) he doesent do anything worse than chase (touch wood).

Alot of people liek to mix cat fish and other species with Mbuna...i'm against this as of now as i have had bad experiences...like my Mbuna eating and killing clown loaches and bristlenose bigger than themselves....and the fact Syno cats are predatory of smaller fish meaning if your Mbuna breed they will devour them very quickly.

 

[dthoffsett]

Alot of people say don't ,ix Demasonis with any Elogantus species as they look similar...and the Dem will dominate/kill them.

I have 2 Mpangas (1 a 1" juvi) with my Male 4" (fully grown) Demasoni...and although he is hands down the boss of the tank (even above my male and female Melanochromis Auratus and Male Johanni) he doesent do anything worse than chase (touch wood).

Can't really say that's a success until your mpangas reach adulthood, but best of luck to ya.

Alot of people liek to mix cat fish and other species with Mbuna...i'm against this as of now as i have had bad experiences...like my Mbuna eating and killing clown loaches and bristlenose bigger than themselves....and the fact Syno cats are predatory of smaller fish meaning if your Mbuna breed they will devour them very quickly.

The mbuna killing their tankmates is always a possibility, however, synos typically do well and the fact they eat fry can be seen as an asset if you don't want to breed.