Changing My Tank

[chishnfips]

Hi folks,

I am thinking about changing the contents of my tank, dont know whether or not to keep it as cichlids though. Just getting sick and tired of new fry all the time, it was exciting at first now its a pain lol. anyway what fish would do well in an all male set up, currently the males I have are, acei x 1, greshaki x 1, estharae x 2, labs x 1 and a melanchromis exasperatus.

cheers chish

 

[Soaup]

Hi folks,

I am thinking about changing the contents of my tank, dont know whether or not to keep it as cichlids though. Just getting sick and tired of new fry all the time, it was exciting at first now its a pain lol. anyway what fish would do well in an all male set up, currently the males I have are, acei x 1, greshaki x 1, estharae x 2, labs x 1 and a melanchromis exasperatus.

cheers chish

All male setup!? I cant see that working too well. Just leave the fry in the tank and let them get picked off. Usually when i do that i end up with 1-3 instead of 70-200

 

[dthoffsett]

If you haven't already, I'd suggest checking out this article: [URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/all-male_malawi.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/all-male_malawi.php[/URL]

You also might pm Ferris as he has an all-male tank.

 

[chishnfips]

hi dthoffsett, yeah I will do that I know all male tanks are possible its just getting the right mix, I will pm him this weekend I reckon

 

[Ferris]

Hi Chish,

I have never been interested in breeding Mbuna and have mostly kept all male tanks, including the current one. Here's some thinhs that I have learned/observed over the years:

- Never keep more than 1 male of the same species

- Try to avoid species with very similar appearance (e.g C.Afra and P.Demasoni or P.Elongatus) - I have bent this rule on occasion though

- Research diet before deciding to add fish - Omnivores and Carnivores or Omnivores and Herbivores are OK but Herbivores and Carnivores is asking for trouble - very difficult to feed appropriately

- Be prepared to return/re-house fish at short notice - you will almost certainly encounter the odd problem, which may not go away . A tank divider is highly recommended

- Remember - as with any Mbuna tank - the tank is not a successful one until the fish are co-habiting happily as adults. Juvenile and young adult Mbuna generally change drastically temperament-wise as they become adult - i can't stress how important this is!

- Mostly it's trial and error, including buying the fish - it's not always obvious which are males unless they are already adult - this gets easier with experience, forget egg spots (unreliable) and venting is hardly practical in your LFS - i find you become able to tell by behaviour etc the more familar you become with the various species

Read the cichlidforum article dthoffsett linked to - it's good.

Hope that helps some and keep us posted on how you get on. Any specific questions, feel free to PM me or post on here.

F

 

[chishnfips]

Hi ferris cheers for the advice mucho appreciated, I have put myplans on hold for a while because I am having problems with one of my filters (its been leaking) but I'll keep youposted with what I decide to do