How Many?

[Luke & Penny]

Ok So if it is safe to use the current water thats in the 240litre, after tropical fish have been in there and its a good established fliter system, A big filter at that ( the juwel jumbo filters it takes and about 7-8 of them ), The ammonia and nitrites in the water are clear and the nitrates at no more than 20.
Average fish prices for the more common mbunas are around £3-£6 for small size. I have around £100 to dispose of in the shop, How many fish can i get straight off, I know about the new tank syndrome just not sure about an already mature system but with different species of fish going in.

Im building some good rock cave systems with my trusty milliput and rock

Cheers
Luke

P.S. I know im probably tiring you all of this by now, and I owe you all a beer , but i gotta start somewhere.

 

[keane]

The ammonia and nitrites in the water are clear and the nitrates at no more than 20.

Just remember your filter will, at present, only hold enough bacteria to combat the amount of Ammonia created by the tanks previous inhabitants.

If your tank was fully stocked previously then great, it will hold enough bacteria to deal with a tank full of juvie Mbuna.

If it was only half stocked though, then fully stocking at this stage will cause a mini cycle in your tank while the bacteria tries to catch up.

How many fish can i get straight off,

Remember, Mbuna are better off overstocked (within reason) than understocked.

240 litres = 63 US gallons so, with overfiltration, you will be able to happily keep 25-30 adult Mbuna in your tank (i have 22/23 in my 55 gallon)

It is always best to add Mbuna as juvies and all in one go (if possible). This reduces the risk of aggression problems from adding new fish at a later stage to an already established tank of territorial and aggressive fish.

If you can't do this (either because of money or because of lack of bacteria in your filtration) then add what you are able to now but don't leave it too long until you add the next batch of fish. And make sure it is a "batch" because adding a single fish do an Mbuna tank is asking for trouble.

Again, if you want more after that lot then don't leave it too long and make sure you add them as a group.

HIH

steve

 

[Soaup]

I wouldnt go that many, for your tank i would say about 20. I have about 15 in my 55 gallon US and it looks somewhat cramped but they arent bothering one another so everything in that tank is going fine.

 

[freddyk]

In your position I would use the current water and run the tank through a fishless cycle using bottled ammonia. Because there is already bacteria present in the water the cycle will go very quickly, and the result will be a much higher bacterial content that will allow for safely and fully stocking the tank.

How many you stock can also depend on the dimensions. If it's a 60 gallon 'tall' style tank then the physical space may amount to more of a 40 gallon tank (for example) and you would have less room for the fish.

As far as numbers go... well, how can we say without knowing the stocking plans. Mbuna range from 3" to 8" grown, so obviously stocking levels can vary. The aggression of the fish chosen counts too. 30 Demasoni, a small and nasty fish, is perfectly realistic. But 30 yellow labs, a larger and milder fish, is overkill and unnecessary bio-load. I know you're not planning a single species tank, this is just an example.

 

[Luke & Penny]

Cheers all

The tanks previous occupants were well full so i guess it was at its limits although some of the tanks inhabitants werent fully grown although this was catered for when stocking up.

Freddy i was thinking about what you reccomended earlier to someone else in the sense of a group of yellow labs, some pseudo acei's and maybe a Aluonocara. Ringing my local dealer today he told me that he would do me a good deal if i brought them in a batch and he had a female ( i think ) johanni in with the labs and they were ok at this stage, although none of them were adults.

Im going to go see what theyve got and what they can get me and compare this to what i can keep realistically.

cheers all, your stars

 

[keane]

I wouldnt go that many, for your tank i would say about 20. I have about 15 in my 55 gallon US and it looks somewhat cramped but they arent bothering one another so everything in that tank is going fine.

That's funny

can you explain this then.....

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=115294

Dead fish, disease and having to replan your tank to reduce aggression.....doesn't sound too fine to me at all.

Sounds more like your tank is understocked and stressed. Not to mention the fact that you don't even know what species of fish you have.

steve

 

[freddyk]

Dead fish, disease and having to replan your tank to reduce aggression

You raise a good point under normal circumstances, but with milder fish like the yellow labs and acei in question you don't need so many to control it.