Malawi Mbuna Tank

[typhoon]

okay i have never kept these fish before but after looking around websites and reading other peoples posts and problems i think i am going to have a go!

My current tank is a juwel vision 260 totally standard with added heater cable and air pump (which i think i will remove)

My main questions are:

should i use just normal aquarium sand if my tap water is already in the PH range etc?

I have one royal plec i would love to keep can i keep him or should i get rid of him (basically would the high ph and nitrate levels kill him?)

i also have corys can they be kept or should they go?

My tap waters ph level i think is more or less fine its between 7.5 and 8.0 PH but while on the subject would the amount of crushed coral you use change the PH or is it goin to stay the same PH no matter how much you use?

i also have read on the cichlid forum website that the malawi species are rather easy to keep and a good starter for beginners wth cichlids is this true or myth ?


thanks alot luke

 

[hellkef]

you can use normal sand if you like seeing as you have quit a high ph a lot of people use playpit sand coral sand will increase you ph up thats not a problem as for the royal plec a lot of people have bristlenose in their tanks so i dont see a problem but try to increase you ph slowly so not to stress your plec if im wrong about the plec some one will tell us both

 

[typhoon]

please help

 

[adambrum]

If your tapwater ph is between 7.5 and 8 after it has stood for about 12 hours then any type of sand is ok.

IMO dont add the plec it will be harassed by the cichlids some say it works other dont bit if you do add it its a risk up to you.

corys are a no

the crushed coral wont make much difference to your water if its about 7.5-8 but it will add hardness to it which makes it more stable, google kh and gh these are water hardness values.

theres a bit of truth in there they are very hardy but its the fish themselves that do the damage to each other which is why stocking the right amount of the right fish is the most important thing.

and dont forget filter aim for at least 2-3 times what you need as cichlid tanks are overstocked to reduce aggression.

 

[typhoon]

i have a fluval four filter and a powerhead i can attach to the tank aswell as what is already there i really dont want to get rid of my royal plec but if i have to ill trade it for some cichlids more advice please