Help With Setting Up A Tank

[dave1987]

thanks for the id'ing of the fish iv kept fish before i had angels with other things so if i was to go out and buy the ones you named would they be ok together and how many would you reccomend in a 50 us gallon tank i wont be buying the fish from the tank in the picture i just want fish like that

 

[dthoffsett]

thanks for the id'ing of the fish iv kept fish before i had angels with other things so if i was to go out and buy the ones you named would they be ok together and how many would you reccomend in a 50 us gallon tank i wont be buying the fish from the tank in the picture i just want fish like that

No problem. By beginner, I didn't mean new to fish keeping, but new to mbuna, they're a bit more complicated than your average "community" fish.

Before I recommend a number of fish, what are the dimensions of your tank? Since mbuna stake out their territories in the bottom levels of the tank, floor space is more important than the number of gallons.

Out of the ones I id'd, l.caeruleus and m.estherae would work well together, depending on the dimensions of your tank you could possibly keep l.fuelleborni as well.

 

[dave1987]

ok thanks the tank is 3 ft long by 1 and a half

 

[dthoffsett]

ok thanks the tank is 3 ft long by 1 and a half

Well, l.fuelleborni won't work, they're a little to larger and aggressive for a 3ft. I'd probably go with 12 adults total. 3 species of 1m/3f each. m/f ratio doesn't really matter with labs, but you'll only want one male with the m.estherae. I'd pick another peaceful species, iodotropheus sprengerae are an excellent choice if you can source them.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Maybe Acei also as they are quite a peaceful mbuna and scolofi?

 

[dthoffsett]

Maybe Acei also as they are quite a peaceful mbuna and scolofi?

Acei get up to 7" and really need the swimming space, P.socolofi is a good idea though.

 

[dave1987]

the Pseudotropheus acei is ok i think on a website it says it grows to 5" (10cms) thanks for all the great advice so i have a list of fish witch im happy with i think they are
Pseudotropheus acei

Labidochromis caeruleus

metriaclima estherae

iodotropheus sprengerae

i think that would look ok could you reccomend and bottom feeders to go with them and maybe a plec aswell also iv been looking for a decent external filter and iv come across this one do you think shoudl b eok or would it over filter the tank <a href="http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2B+&fvi=1" target="_blank">http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...2B+&fvi=1</a>
any amore advice is really apreciated

also reading ICEEGRL post i quite like the look of
Pseudotropheus saulosi

are these ok with the other fish do any of the other fish have to be kept in certain numbers im thinking with that filter turning over my tank 4-5 times that i would get away with a couple of extra fish maybe 4 of each or something like that (excuse all the pictures just worked out how to do it so im still learning)

 

[dave1987]

bump

 

[kj23502]

the Pseudotropheus acei is ok i think on a website it says it grows to 5" (10cms)

dthoffsett just told you they get to 7" She is one of the most experience mbuna keepers on here and I've gotten a lot of great advice from her. Just letting you know that you SHOULD listen to her

The other fish are good, but I can't really tell you about Pseudotropheus saulosi as I've not read much about them or had them myself.

 

[dthoffsett]

the Pseudotropheus acei is ok i think on a website it says it grows to 5" (10cms)

dthoffsett just told you they get to 7" She is one of the most experience mbuna keepers on here and I've gotten a lot of great advice from her. Just letting you know that you SHOULD listen to her

The other fish are good, but I can't really tell you about Pseudotropheus saulosi as I've not read much about them or had them myself.

I certainly wouldn't call myself all that experienced. (Thanks kj for the vote of confidence though). However, I have kept p.acei for almost 3 years now, and all four are at least 6", the largest male is a little over 7". So, I will have to disagree with your book.

P.saulosi are an excellent choice in smaller tanks, and the nice thing is you get yellow females and blue/black males. Though I'd only keep 1 male in your tank.

 

[dave1987]

ok thanks Pseudotropheus acei it aint then lol will go by your advice so what ratio of fish and how many would you reccomend for my size tank also did you have a look at the filter would that be ok or is overefiltering a problem thanks for the great advice much appreciated

 

[darrel69]

About the filtration.. if your having 12fish, imo a turnover of towards 8x (400gph in your case) would be good. (More towards 10x if you decide to overstock). So one or more filters (preferably 2 incase of a breakdown & to spread out the current), that together turn over rougthly about 400gall per hour would be great..

Also id recommend getting a branded filter like Eheim/Tetratec/fluval ect because they have the reputation and are less likely to breakdown. .. they're not much dearer than the one you have already chosen.

 

[dave1987]

ok thanks

 

[darrel69]

About the filtration.. if your having 12fish, imo a turnover of towards 8x (400gph in your case) would be good. (More towards 10x if you decide to overstock). So one or more filters (preferably 2 incase of a breakdown & to spread out the current), that together turn over rougthly about 400gall per hour would be great..

Also id recommend getting a branded filter like Eheim/Tetratec/fluval ect because they have the reputation and are less likely to breakdown. .. they're not much dearer than the one you have already chosen.

Btw, that amount of filtration would be for fully grown Adults.. you could get away with a little less if your starting with juvies and add more filtration as they get bigger.

 

[dave1987]

ok cool so if i get a filter that does 100lph for now how many would you suggest with juvies and i would probably add another later when they grow bigger