Distribution Of Existing Malawi's In A New Setup

[ckulahci]

Hello,
Looking for some advise here. I've got 4 tanks. My previous setup was:

1 corner shape 300L: (Malawi)... 4 borleyi, 4 OB peacock, 4 socolofi, 3 yellow lab, 2 blood parrots.
1 150L: (Malawi breeding/fry)

1 corner shape 300L: (Livebearer)... Guppies, Platies and Mollies.
1 50L: (Livebearer breeding/fry)

Yesterday, I decided to convert the Livebearer 300L to a second Malawi tank and the 150L Malawi to a planted tropical tank. The conversion has been successfully carried out. The livebearers have been transferred to their new tank. Now the question:

How should I distribute my existing Malawis into two 300L tanks now? Given the right water stats (of course) what would be the optimum for a good community in terms of min. aggression, no hybridization ( funny cause I already got some), higher willingness to mate etc... One of the female OB's is holding currently. Any new species suggestion is welcome, I have the chance to replace existing stock for a limited period of time.

Also for the 50L; can I use this one as a breeding/fry tank for the Malawi's and livebearers without having to change water stats?

 

[dthoffsett]

I would separate the mbuna (the labs and socolofi) from the others. You could then up the numbers on the mbuna you have, and add another species or two. As for species suggestions it depends on what you can get.

On the 50l, for breeding/fry do you mean you want to use it for holding females and resulting fry? If so it would work, however, once they're over 1/2" or so you'll want to move the fry to a larger tank for grow-out. What are the water condition differences between your Malawi tanks and the 50l?

 

[ckulahci]

Thanks for your feedback.. I think I'll do as you said. I read, the more crowded the mbuna tank is the less the aggression will be. As for other mbuna species, I can get bumblebee and/or auratus. Which one would you suggest, or both? Can I put one of the parrots into the mbuna tank?

On the 50L, I'm not planning to use it for holding females. I'm planning to strip the female when the first 12-15 days are over. Then keep the female for a few days in the 50L and the fry in a breeding net in the same 50L. Is this the right approach? Or shall I separate the female while she's still holding?

The current ph in the 50L is slightly less alkaline than the Malawi tank. I do not have hardness tests but I assume it is substantially high since I don't experience ph swings. There is bogwood and a few plastic plants inside. The water appears a little bit brown. Also there must be a certain amount of salinity since I used aquarium salt for the livebearers.

The thing is, I already have some guppy and platy fry kept in a breeding net inside the 50L. The holding OB female is due this weekend. So I guess I will have to keep the female OB, her fry and the livebearer fry in the same tank at the same time. Is it OK?

sorry for the long write-up.

 

[dthoffsett]

Thanks for your feedback.. I think I'll do as you said. I read, the more crowded the mbuna tank is the less the aggression will be. As for other mbuna species, I can get bumblebee and/or auratus. Which one would you suggest, or both? Can I put one of the parrots into the mbuna tank?

Definately avoid auratus, they are highly aggressive. Bumblebee (pseudotropheus crabro) can be aggressive, however they get up to 7", and since it's a corner tank I'm not sure how that would work. How long is the widest part of your tank? I wouldn't put the parrots in with the mbuna, they are likely to be killed either by attack or stress.

On the 50L, I'm not planning to use it for holding females. I'm planning to strip the female when the first 12-15 days are over. Then keep the female for a few days in the 50L and the fry in a breeding net in the same 50L. Is this the right approach? Or shall I separate the female while she's still holding?

Stripping the fry should work just fine, some prefer to let the females spit on their own, but you can do it either way.

The current ph in the 50L is slightly less alkaline than the Malawi tank. I do not have hardness tests but I assume it is substantially high since I don't experience ph swings. There is bogwood and a few plastic plants inside. The water appears a little bit brown. Also there must be a certain amount of salinity since I used aquarium salt for the livebearers.
Since you want to strip the fry I wouldn't worry about it. How much aquarium salt are you using? While mbuna can handle some, you may want to cut back on that.

The thing is, I already have some guppy and platy fry kept in a breeding net inside the 50L. The holding OB female is due this weekend. So I guess I will have to keep the female OB, her fry and the livebearer fry in the same tank at the same time. Is it OK?

I'd strip the female and put her back in the main tank. She's going to be hungry after her fry is gone, and adult mbuna are quite capable of sucking fry out of a breeding net. Further, when they are ready to come out of the net I'd be sure to separate both kinds of fry.