Cost Of Setup/stocking African Tank

[markandhisfish]

4x2x2 100ukg tank would £350 buy the rocks the substrate and stock the tank? also is psuedotrophius demansi an mbuna as thats just 1 sexy sexy fish which if i did do an african tank i would just HAVE to include?

also from reading it seems that stocking an mbuna tank is quite an art in itself . basicly the thing that makes mbuna appealing is the sheer colour of the things . are other general malawi/tanganyikans as colourful?

also rocks look horrible expensive , especially for the amount id need ( im guessing 50 - 100 kg?) any way around that ?garden centre perhaps?

so the brief is

african cichlids VERY colourful/pretty

rocks , sand,fish. doable?

 

[Malawi MaD]

It all depends on how much you want to spend or how far you want to stretch your budget. Malawi setups can be costly if your the kinda person that has to have everything at its best all the salts, food, substrate rocks etc.. Main thing is to get a decent size tank (which you have)rocks, substrate and have excellent filtration with a good turnover of water. Thats the main things covered, Rocks wise i collected all mine from the beach (Dont think your suppose to take them mind you) but it does save you money as the rocks alone aren't exactly cheap. Having the right rocks and substrate can be beneficial to your water, keeping it stable with a good general hardness.

What are your plans for filtration?

Substrate you could use anything really but id avoid the gravel, Eco-Complete African Cichlid Sand, normal play sand or crushed coral are a good start as this helps maintain the water quality. Along with limestone rock or even boulders, they can look very effective. The thing with Malawi Cichlids is they are very forgiving fish (which is why i love them lol) You can go the easy routes to setup a Malawi tank and make it easier for yourself and still make the tank look good, but personally to see the fish at their best its always better to go that extra mile and try to meet their requirements as much a spossible.
Pseudotrohpeus Demasoni are very aggressive fish although they are smaller, they are known to kill each other, some people say its best to keep them in groups but iv'e seen a few cases where 1 dominant male will kill the rest of the group and your left with 1 by itself which is also known to be the best option. So its either 1 by itself or try a group of maybe 2 to 3 males and 6 to 12 females.

If you have any questions mate don't hesitate to ask

 

[creg]

i bought slate from a local building merchant it was dirt cheap pretty much any rock or stone they sell is safe too and way cheaper than stuff pet shops sell, my tank was from ebay so also very cheap. the only thing that cost a fortune was my substrate which i paid more for to buffer my ph, but if you can buffer your ph another way you wont need that.

check this website, i will be buying some from them very soon they have some stunning looking fish http/www.midlandsmalawis.co.uk/

whatever you do stay away from melanochromis auratus, from what ive read they are evil lol

 

[markandhisfish]

filtration-wise im sorted . im running 2 eheim 2217s . substrate-wise i was thinking along the lines of aragonite sand . like this 1 http/www.warehouse...0lb-p-5005.html . do i have to stick to a certain lake? ie . theres malawais i like and lake victoria i like too and im finding it tough to choose. i think im going to give mbuna a miss tho . my main criteria is breathtaking explosions of colour/activity.

a fish im particularly blown away by is Pundamilia Nyerere (Mkobe Island)

 

[Malawi MaD]

whatever you do stay away from melanochromis auratus, from what ive read they are evil lol

They can be very but also Pseudotropheus Demasoni can be a total nightmare

 

[markandhisfish]

can malawi and victoria be mixed or is it lake for lake. ps i have decided against a demansi as i dont want to go mbuna

 

[Malawi MaD]

my main criteria is breathtaking explosions of colour/activity.

The best way for that is a Mbuna setup definitely, and its not best to mix the lakes, they may have similar water conditions but need certain requirements that may differ from the fish from other lakes. In saying that i do have 2 Tanganyika cichlids in my 6ft setup and they are fine ( couldnt bring myself to sell them so they had to stay )

 

[markandhisfish]

im a bit weary of mbuna tho . are really as difficuilt to mix as their reputation?

 

[Malawi MaD]

No there really not, its all about finding the right stock, theres always going to be a little squabble and fight now and then but thats there nature and as long as it doesn't get out of hand thats what makes a Mbuna setup have great activity and colour. Have you currently got your tank?
The best thing to do is have a search about and find some species you like

 

[markandhisfish]

yeah ive got the tank fully cycled etc currently houses 2 oscars which will be moved on how about if i get together a list of fish i like the look of and then come back for some feedback ?

 

[Malawi MaD]

yep no problem mate

 

[markandhisfish]

brilliant thanks ive read the pinned thread which was very helpfull. 1 question tho . in a 4x2x2 what sort of total number of fish should i be looking at? and should they all be added at once?

 

[Malawi MaD]

Well, most malawi set-ups are overstocked (depending on filtration) for a 4x2x2 roughly 456L you could easily have 30 to 40 id say. Best to add more than a few at once so that one fish isnt picked out and bullied

 

[Mystil]

I would say Mbuna would fit your requirements to a tee.

I personaly think it is best to get a load of good quality juvies and bring them on together for Mbuna. Thats how I started and then thinned out the groups until you have the numbers you want. Carl (midlandmalawis) is a good place to start and he will post to you if you cannot reach him and give you loads of advice.

If you do decide to add more fish later try to add at least 6 fish into the group as it spreads the aggression.

Sand. I would go with argos play sand( £1.50ish for a 25kg bag). Just make sure you give it a REALLY good swill in a bucket until it runs clear.

 

[markandhisfish]

so rather than try to find trios of 1 male and 2 females in each species ( which is proving a nightmare) its best to buy say half a dozen juvies of eac h species and thin them out as they become sexable?