Can you mix Lake Tang. with Lake malawi?

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musichead707

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I was just wondering if it is possible to mix african cichlids from different lakes with each other. I have a 75 Gallon thats gonna need to be used, so im just wondering if i can mix them up or do i have to stick to one lake.
 
it's possible, but it is species relative, maybe give a few fish that you were thinking of getting and some of us may be able to tell you if they are compatible or not. As a general rule of thumb though always try to stick with fish of equal size and temperment for more desirable results. Plenty of hiding places and space can go along way to peaceful co-existance as well. Hope this helps some to start with and look forward to seeing a list of fish you like the looks of :D
 
tangs are not usually mixed due to the difference in water parameters. this should be taken into consideration along with temperament. you can mix malawi with victorians as the water is almost identical between the two lakes.
 
Out of curiosity, do you actually create a different water chemistry for the two tanks? I'd think that pH of 8.2 would be good enough for both? I realize that Lake Tang is generally harder and are typically of higher pH, but wouldn't both lake species be able to handle water, say pH 8.2, GH=10, KH=10?

Just to be clear, I'm not asking if you can mix the two lake species - I am only comparing the two lake water chemistry.

Curious... ;)
 
lake tanganyika is much more harder than lake malawi. lake malawi ph varies from 7.7 to 8.6 depending on the part of the lake. lake tanganyika ph varies from 8.6 to 9.2. kh of lake malawi is 22 dh, while lake tanganyika is from 10-20
 
I understand that is their native environment, but in your opinion, can lake Tang species live comfortably in pH of 8.2? I am asking this question because I will be setting up a lake Tang setup in the near future, and it is easy to obtain a consistant pH of 8.2 using baking soda and epsom salt but other values are very hard to get (keeping them stable is even harder!).
 
you can acclimate some to lower ph, but it is not necessarily the best environment for them.

ph is directly associated with gh and kh. kh is the measure of carbonate salts and bicarbonate ions. these are the buffer for ph. gh is the measure of calcium and magnesium salts. the higher the gh and kh, the higher the ph. by adding the baking soda you are raising the kh. to maintain the higher ph you will also need to raise the gh. that is why you are getting temporary ph readings.
 
If I remember correctly, epsom salt is MgSO4, so shouldn't this raise GH? I think baking soda raises KH and epsom salt raises GH.

How do you create your water condition for your lake Tang species? I'd appreciate some more feedback on this topic... ;)
 
i found this article when researching lake tanganyika water chemistry while ago. i have heard different things regarding epsom salt. some say it is like adding acid rain to your tank. others say it is fine. i have never used epsom salt to raise gh, but have suggested it before for scaleless fish. has the same capacity as aquarium salt for aiding gill function in scaleless fish that are diseased. i use limestone for raising gh. i have had better success with limestone and stick with that method. what is the size of the tank you are setting up for tangs and which species?

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/rift.html#0
 
Thanks for the thread - alot of details there... So for Lake tang recepe, the most frequent suggestion is to use the combination of Baking Soda, Epsom Salt and "No Salt" which is KCl (never seen this at the grocery store before).

As for the tank, I am planning to get a 80g tank (4ft long), with the following species:

4 x A Baenschi
4 x A Calvus
4 x N Multi (or N Ocelitus)
4 x J Dickfeldi
4 x S Multipunctatus
1 x Albino Ancistrus
4 x N Bricardi

All of the above will be purchased (not all at once) as juvs, and will thin them out as their sex becomes apparent.

I realize that Baenschi is a Lake Malawi species and once grown, I will probably move them out to a separate tank for breeding.

Also, I am still debating on the Bricardi as I hear that they have a tendency to take over the tank as they multiply...

What do you think of this plan?
 
Absolutely you can mix them. What you need to research, is the agression levels of the fish that you want to mix. I recommend a semi agressive community tank. I saw semi agressive, becasue all cichlids are somewhat agressive, especially if they are the dominant male in the tank. My tank mix is listed below


55 gallon (long)
1 Tangerine Tiger (Protomelas taeniolatus) 8"
1 Nagara Flametail 6"
1 Protomelas spilonotus Liuli 4"
1 Burundi Frontosa (unusually blue) 9"
1Lawanda RedTop 4"
1Orange sided Peacock 4"
1 10" pleco(not a good idea, trust me)
1 4" Jewel Cichlid
4 various gouramis 3"-4"

I will have to get a bigger tank soon.
 

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