Malawi Cichlid Tank Stocking

[1234-fishy-freind]

Right i THINK me and my dad MAY have come up with the stocking for our 115 uk gallon tank after going round and round in circles.

Could we have a bunch of differnt smaller malawis and then have either 2 Dolphin cichlids (Cyrtocara moorii) or 2 Frontosa cichlids (Cyphotilapia frontosa) ?

cheers

 

[dthoffsett]

Did you decide not to go with the New World Cichlids?

Frontosa do better in groups, and IMO should really be kept in a species only tank.

The moori's do best in groups of 1m/4 or more females, they should not be kept with any fish small enough to fit in their mouths.

As for smaller malawis, what do you have available locally? Their are hundreds of species and it would be easier to give stocking suggestions if we knew what you are able to get.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Yes we have decided to not go with new world cichlids.

I am able to get a wide range of malawi species from my LFS and anything i want that they dont have, they will be able to order some for me.

In my tank at the minute ts has 1 red peacock cichlid,1 yellow peacock cichlid and 2 red zebra cichlids.

What size fish would a moorii be able to eat?

 

[dthoffsett]

Yes we have decided to not go with new world cichlids.

I am able to get a wide range of malawi species from my LFS and anything i want that they dont have, they will be able to order some for me.

In my tank at the minute ts has 1 red peacock cichlid,1 yellow peacock cichlid and 2 red zebra cichlids.

What size fish would a moorii be able to eat?

I'd say probably anything over 3" would be safe with the moorii. I guess what you really need to decide is what kind of african cichlids you want, Lake Malawi (haps, peacocks, mbuna) or Lake Tanganikya. For beginners to african cichlids I don't recommend mixing the different types, I'd suggest reading the following links and see if you can narrow down just what you are looking for.

[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake_tanganyika_diverse.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake...ika_diverse.php[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake_tanganyika.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake_tanganyika.php[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/haps_vs_mbuna.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/haps_vs_mbuna.php[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/peacocks.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/peacocks.php[/URL]

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

We would be stocking it with mbuna from lake malawi, stuff like peacocks, red zebras, kenyi's, yellow labs ect. But only fish that get 3'' + (dont want any being eaten )

 

[dthoffsett]

We would be stocking it with mbuna from lake malawi, stuff like peacocks, red zebras, kenyi's, yellow labs ect. But only fish that get 3'' + (dont want any being eaten )

Well, peacocks aren't actually mbuna; and there are a couple hundred species of mbuna to choose from. I also, really don't recommend mixing the mbuna, peacocks, and haps (the moorii) for beginner African Cichlid keepers. Mbuna are herbivores and as such are likely to get bloat if fed too much meaty protein, while haps and peacocks are carnivores and need the meaty foods to be healthy. Then you have aggression, mbuna are the most aggressive of the 3 groups and can easily kill peacocks (either through attack or stress), they can also stress or kill most young haps, however, when the haps get older the tables are often turned and it's the mbuna that are killed. Then there is "decor", mbuna need many rock caves or other structures to set up their territories and feel secure. Haps/peacocks on the other hand are open water fish and need the swimming room. It's a fine balancing act to keep both, most of that is outlined in the haps vs mbuna article I added to my last post.

So, I'd recommend picking one group, peacocks, mbuna, or haps and then stocking those. As for which species, first you'll have to pick a group, then it would be helpful if you could take a look at some profiles and list the species that look interesting to you, then post on here and we'll help out with compatability.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Ok thanks.