Dru's Malawi Tank

[BiffMalawi]

Hey gang:

Now don't take this the wrong way I am just trying to learn here.

I love the look of your tank but aren't you seriously overstocked?

I have a 70gal tank, 48"x18"x18", and everyone (on this site and others) recommend that I stick with maybe around 20 of the smaller malawis 4"-5". You have got 40 in there.

It appears in the picture that you have a bit more height than I do and mine is 70USgallons, and yours UK gallons right? Is this what allows you more fish.

I am trying to finish the final stocking on this tank and would love the input.

 

[Druchii]

Hey Biff

mmmm overstocked? well, over stocked is kind of down to the filtration ability of the tank..

In the tank i have about 50 growing fish, this in time will ultimately be cut down to about 30..

States side people like to have say 10-15 fish in the tank of this size, People in the UK tend to go for 20-30.

So yes i guess from that aspect i am over stocked however the filtration i have allows for my water quality to not be affected becuase i am OVER FILTERING, performing religious cleans on Sundays and a 25% water change...

Also i have 6 canary fish (so to speak of)

4 WC mbuna
1 Calvus Black
1 TRopheus Duboisi

All fish would be prone to any sub-level of quality, these fish are not showing any ill effects of the over stock situation...
Also if you look in the tank there is PLENTY of swinmming room for the fish and as a consequence of having so many fish in the tank i NEVER get any issues with aggression or bullying

I hope this helps mate..

The tank is 260L

The filtration is 2 x Fluval 404's
They are rated as 850lph each with no media
They actually pump out 450lph WITH media.

Therefore i have 900 lph of turnover, so as with malawi people suggest 2 times turnover for the tank, i have almost 4 which allows me to push up the stocking numbers

...until i finally decide which ones i wanna keep and the numbers will be cut down

I hope this helps

 

[jollysue]

Druchii: I was yelled at a lot for putting 8 juvie fronts in a forty usg corner tank. But they did fine. I HAD to change filter media weekly and do water changes weekly. I wasn't able to put as much filtration on the tank as I wanted, but I had 3xs what is normal for a forty usg (or I would have been changing media daily. ) I now have moved the 6 Mobas to a 125 usg. I was told I needed a 180 usg minimum. At this point I think they are going to be fine in this tank. It depends a lot on the amount of work and the maturity of the tank and the stocking, I think. If I find that I need to change the stocking or get a bigger tank, I will move into the car and turn my apartment into a fish tank.

The inch per gallon rule is flexible and adaptable. It is a guideline.

 

[boshank23]

"performing religious cleans on Sundays and a 25% water change..."

the almighty will be pleased

 

[BiffMalawi]

Like I said your tank looks sweet.

I also believe that the biggest issue with stocking is water quality and the consistency of water parameters.

I am going to max out at 15 labs 3m 12f and 5 Afras 1m, 4f. With lots of filtration and rock work I think I'll be OK.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Druchii]

Like I said your tank looks sweet.

I also believe that the biggest issue with stocking is water quality and the consistency of water parameters.

I am going to max out at 15 labs 3m 12f and 5 Afras 1m, 4f. With lots of filtration and rock work I think I'll be OK.

Thanks for the input.

Could not agree more - thats why i look after the water parameters so well - which in turn looks after the fish soo well

Good Luck

 

[Druchii]

A few more pic's as for some reason a few of the quiter ones wanted to pose a little, also to show you the 'odd balls' i have in the mbuna tank which i'm not meant too

A little Duboisi (think he is a white band, you can just see it when he's under the blue light)

My little Calvus, merry little soul, lovely fish and occasionally thinks hes a spanish matador with the Likoma

My first holding saulosi female, hopefully she will go full term, as you can see she is not 'perfect' but good enuff to make sure that the male is not firing blanks

Now 2 group shots showing fish which rarely make it in the lense now a days (as the Male saulosi and Likoma via for in your face photo pose )

anyways hope you like the latest pics

I'm bracing myself for the abuse i'm gonna get for reminding you i keep a calvus and a single tropheus in there

 

[jollysue]

I think once a person has heard the warnings and decides to try a stocking it is time to back off. It becomes a "they're your fish" thing.

What will not work in one tank, will work in another. Sometimes it means extra cleaning, sometimes it means care in the decore, sometimes it's going to be a lesson learned the hard way. I have learned plenty of those. But also some things that I was told would not work, have worked and visa versa. Also lots of things I was told WOULD work have been disasters!

I am sure you will keep an eye on your tank and take action if something isn't working. (I am assuming that you have more than 3 months experience. Otherwise, I would advise that you learn the best advice way first.)

Dru: your tank is awesome. Please come do my rock work??? You could swim over....

I love that Duboisi! and the Calvus, a cousin to my compressiceps I suppose.

 

[Druchii]

yep - think they are similar - just need to find a quiet moment to take pics of the 10 petricolas in there..

you are spot on about the what works for people etc etc... ... .

i have not had the problems with certain fish that others do and vise versa...

I have only had malawis (and fish in total) for 18 months now, i do my research, then think, then think, then think, then if i still want it, i research again, then but it - or think about buying it lol

it's a long method but i like to take into account hte pros and cons etc etc

only take out certain mum's to be so there is a steady stream of tank released fry for the calvus to play hide and seek with

thew duboisi is also a little bit like a 'canary' as in , if there is a problem with the water stats he will be hte first to show it.... but he's not stopped scooting around since i got him 3 months back, he's soo cute, i just wish they could stay that size forever


I've heard reports that hte atlantic is 5C above normal for this time of year, but it's stilll a bit chily for a swim at the mo..... maybe in the spring..

the secret, or what i like to do is build it up into little pockets that you can either look at little peices of to check out say two little yellow labs (1") fighting out over a bit of rock, whilst the big boys swim past laughing a little....

...some may call it a 'poor mans reef' , but i like to call it a 'rich mans mbuna' or 'marine with attitude'

Any how Jolly, glad you like it

 

[jollysue]

hehe of course I live on the Pacific

 

[Druchii]

I'm not gonna swim the LONG way around you know

 

[adambrum]

Did your mate get them w/c saulosi from african aquatic if so what did he think of them ?

 

[jayjay]

On filtration, 4x an hour turnover isn't a lot I'd say you need that for a community. Though if it works no need to change just saying. On my next tank (will be 120g) I am hoping to get 15x an hour turnover, with sump and trickle tower.

Anyway looks nice; are all the fish fully grown?

 

[Druchii]

On filtration, 4x an hour turnover isn't a lot I'd say you need that for a community. Though if it works no need to change just saying. On my next tank (will be 120g) I am hoping to get 15x an hour turnover, with sump and trickle tower.

Anyway looks nice; are all the fish fully grown?

certainly not fully grown, i have soo many in there that as they grow i will reduce the numbers therefore if the filtration is ok now as i thin the stock out it should remain the same as they grow, the problem is i just went and bought 7 more fish

see the next post


Well,

I went for a drive to Coventry to drop my Nan off who's been staying down this neck of the woods for a few weeks and decided to carry on to Syston to look at some WC fish after hearing they had saulosi.....


well, no saulosi (a few F1's but did not fancy them) becuase i was rather taken back by some other fish......


the following pictures are of the fish having been aclimitised to my tank for only 20 minutes so i apologise for the colours they are showing, also i had just done a complete rock out half old fish out, new WC fish in, new rocks in, old fish back in after 15 minutes.....


I got the following,

1 Trio Pseudotropheus sp. "Zebra Long Pelvic" (Galeriya reef)
1 Pair Tropheops sp. "Red Cheek" (Chizumulu Islands)
1 Pair Cynotilapia sp. "Mbamba" (Mpanga)

i hope you like....


Tank as of 5 minutes ago.

Tank as of 5 minutes ago.

Tropheops sp. "Red Cheek" (Chizumulu Islands)

MALE

FEMALE

MALE Cynotilapia sp. "Mbamba" (Mpanga)

2 pics of the same Pseudotropheus sp. "Zebra Long Pelvic" (Galeriya reef)

 

[jollysue]

I forsee a 280 ukg in your future.

I was just tabulating the inches of fish in my 125 usg as they mature. I will need a much larger tank in the future. And that does not count the colonies, that I might like to add of some other future finds. The fronts and clowns alone will be over the inch rule and they are both dirty fish. The synos and comps go another 50 or 60 gallons.

I will need to buy Marine World!

Pretty new fish. I like the Red Cheek couple, but what do I know?