Compatible Mbunas For Tank

[bidsyboy]

hi,
I have bought a rekord 96 tank which has finished its fishless cycle and i already had 4 mbunas from my previous tank which i put in the tank after the cycle.The substrate is silver sand which was recommended to me by the president of the aquarists society which i attend. I have a tufa rock cave setup which has brought the pH up to a steady 8.0. The nitrates, nitrites and ammonias are more or less at 0 and the fish are healthy and colourful. The fish are
1 labeotropheus trewavassae
1 aulonocara baenschi
2 labidochromis caeruleus

Do you have any suggestions as i am hoping to stock it up and i have been told that the best way to handle these brilliant looking fish are to overstock the tank. I am looking for at least 10 more. Money is no option as i have just passed my exams and i have £150 to spend on fish and other things.

Thanks

 

[diademhill]

hi,
I have bought a rekord 96 tank which has finished its fishless cycle and i already had 4 mbunas from my previous tank which i put in the tank after the cycle.The substrate is silver sand which was recommended to me by the president of the aquarists society which i attend. I have a tufa rock cave setup which has brought the pH up to a steady 8.0. The nitrates, nitrites and ammonias are more or less at 0 and the fish are healthy and colourful. The fish are
1 labeotropheus trewavassae
1 aulonocara baenschi
2 labidochromis caeruleus

Do you have any suggestions as i am hoping to stock it up and i have been told that the best way to handle these brilliant looking fish are to overstock the tank. I am looking for at least 10 more. Money is no option as i have just passed my exams and i have £150 to spend on fish and other things.

Thanks

Your tank isn't big enough for a Malawi community & certainly not large enough some of your existing fish.
You need to rethink and either have a single species tank for mbuna or perhaps rehome your fish & keep the smaller Tangys instead.

 

[Ginge]

I hate yo dissapoint you but he is right.
P.S If you go to this meeting thing how come nobody told you that this tank would be to small or howcame you didnt konw.

 

[bidsyboy]

P.S If you go to this meeting thing how come nobody told you that this tank would be to small or howcame you didnt konw.

Well the thing is they told me that they all have the same size tanks and sure there's the occasional death but there isn't anyone in this whole forum that can say that they have not had a fish die. They say they have at least fourteen in their 29 gallon tanks. i am having a look at some mbunas that are mildly aggressive or relatively peaceful and the fish i am seeing are the same ones that are at my LFS.

 

[diademhill]

P.S If you go to this meeting thing how come nobody told you that this tank would be to small or howcame you didnt konw.

Well the thing is they told me that they all have the same size tanks and sure there's the occasional death but there isn't anyone in this whole forum that can say that they have not had a fish die. They say they have at least fourteen in their 29 gallon tanks. i am having a look at some mbunas that are mildly aggressive or relatively peaceful and the fish i am seeing are the same ones that are at my LFS.

Didn't they warn you about mixing veggie mbuna with fish needing a high protein diet?
Sounds like the blind leading the blind.

Mbuna are overstocked to reduce aggression but 14 would be just about ok in a 50 gallon. How many of these people have adult fish in mature tanks?

Sue

 

[Ginge]

14 in a 29g thats much too many, personally i would'd keep cichlids in anything less than a 40g.

 

[freddyk]

labeotropheus trewavassae Is absolutely not going to work in this tank long term - they are very big and very aggressive.

Keep the Aulonocara, add a few more Labs, and call it a day - you'll have a workable tank with fish that will do ok in this size of tank.

 

[j.c]

labeotropheus trewavassae Is absolutely not going to work in this tank long term - they are very big and very aggressive.

Keep the Aulonocara, add a few more Labs, and call it a day - you'll have a workable tank with fish that will do ok in this size of tank.

i agree with freddyk labeotropheus trewavasae are my fav fish but are to i have just put some fish in my 4ft fishtank today and am getting some more in 2 days.

 

[Ginge]

Kool add your list of fish to your sig so we can see wat you have.