Malawi Tank!

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JohnRossDele

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Wazzup, Im getting a Malawi Tank in a while so i need a little Help!

Fish:
Bumble Bee Cichlid
Electric Blue Cichlid
Electric Yellow Lab
Blue Peacock Cichlid
Marbled Peacock
Can u add some more to the list that fit in and will breed like rabbits Plz

What Juwel Aquarium will suit and how many fish will that tank hold

what do you call when the tanks that are stacked upon layers of rock kinda like this http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/images/thumbimg/400/8476_3.JPG id like my tank like this coz i plan on breeding them at the same time

whats the best malawi tempreture for breeding

:good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good:
 
Right I will try to help but obviosuly there are peeps with different ideas to mine.

first of all- I am not at all sure those on your list are cichlids that can go together.
I know the yellow labs are Mbuna and the peacocks are something else (maybe Haps?). Latin names would help alot if you can get hold of them.

Mbuna seem to be the beginners fish to start with and that is what I have got.

A 180 litre tank is the minimum size tank and some people even say that that is too small. Peeps usually put their Malawi in tanks anywhere from the 180 to 7 footer plus, depends on how much time, money, space and effort you want to put into them.

I would say that over here yellow labs are very easy to get hold of and so are harder to sell if they breed.
Mine took about 6 months to settle in and start breeding.

As for substrate as they are all (i say knowling...and I am not!) are cave dwellers and so you need to have rocks and places for them to hide in.

I have in my tank Tuffa rock, which has loads of holes in for them to hide in. Make sure that you place any rocks you have in the tank on the glass bottom! very important as they also dig at sand and you would not want all your hard work to be undermind.

Hope this helps. Good luck
 
Right I will try to help but obviosuly there are peeps with different ideas to mine.

first of all- I am not at all sure those on your list are cichlids that can go together.
I know the yellow labs are Mbuna and the peacocks are something else (maybe Haps?). Latin names would help alot if you can get hold of them.

Mbuna seem to be the beginners fish to start with and that is what I have got.

A 180 litre tank is the minimum size tank and some people even say that that is too small. Peeps usually put their Malawi in tanks anywhere from the 180 to 7 footer plus, depends on how much time, money, space and effort you want to put into them.

I would say that over here yellow labs are very easy to get hold of and so are harder to sell if they breed.
Mine took about 6 months to settle in and start breeding.

As for substrate as they are all (i say knowling...and I am not!) are cave dwellers and so you need to have rocks and places for them to hide in.


I have in my tank Tuffa rock, which has loads of holes in for them to hide in. Make sure that you place any rocks you have in the tank on the glass bottom! very important as they also dig at sand and you would not want all your hard work to be undermind.

Hope this helps. Good luck

Bumble Bee Cichlid
Pseudotropheus crabro

Electric Blue Cichlid
Sciaenochromis ahli

Electric Yellow Cichlid
Labidochromis caeruleus

Blue Peacock Cichlid
Aulonocara stuartgranti

Marbled Peacock
Aulonocara sp.

is a 300 litre rio ok for around 20-30 cichlids

is there any more fish that fit into the group (make a new list excluding the ones that dont fit well together)preferably cichlids that breed like rabbits!! XD

is eco complete african cichlid sand ok

will others eat others fry?

if you also have the time can u add a pic of ur cichlid tank!!

:good: :good: :good: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:
 
Cheers for getting hold of the latin names. I can only tell you what ones I have heard or I know about. Cant help with the peacocks im afraid so someone else should be able to help.

crabro- can be abit tempramental. Some people say that they get on okay with other Mbuna and others say that they are a pain. I think it depends on the fish personally!

Sciaenochromis ahli- I have not come across these so I cannot say either way.

Labidochromis caeruleus- as I said. Very common but brings a really nice colour to the tank.

Aulonocara stuartgranti- I cannot comment on these as I havent had them.

Marbled Peacock- Ditto
Aulonocara sp.

A Rio 300 should be okay i would think. Not sure on the numbers but it is always important to have overcrowding as it disperses the aggession of the fish more. Also ensure that you have more than the usual filtration as you are going to be overcrowding. Externals are good at this if you dont already have one. Ratio of males to females is usually 1 male to several females.

I will tell you what I have in my Rio 180 tank.
Yellow labs (4- Have bred but not sucessfuly as too young).
Hongis (1 male, several females)- very pretty if you get a good male.
Kingsizei's (1 male, two females- bred and have 2 batches of fry)
3 OB fellabornia (1 male, 2 females- going to breed soon...hopefully)
3 Bristlenoses (keeps the algae to a minimum (apparently! not in my tank though!)

A really good book to get hold of that will give you abit more information about Malawis is in the series "back to nature guide to....malawi cichlids". by Ad konings. I have it as do several other people I know who keep malawis and it is really quite good at identifying species and also the internet.

Is eco complete african cichlid sand ok- I havent come across this one but normal play sand would work just as well and is dirt cheap in argos. I also use coral sand as it helps with the PH. I would not recommend mixing the two (as I did) as it makes the tank look dirty though.

Will you use just normal pebbles with your tank? as you will need to check you water parameters (PH is a good one to know).

will others eat others fry?- Yes! and they would probably eat their own after they have been spat out, I would think. The best bet is to have a separate tank/floating tank to protect them.

if you also have the time can u add a pic of ur cichlid tank!! - I will try asap.

Hope this helps and anything I have put wrong on here I am sure someone will correct me.
 
Cheers for getting hold of the latin names. I can only tell you what ones I have heard or I know about. Cant help with the peacocks im afraid so someone else should be able to help.

crabro- can be abit tempramental. Some people say that they get on okay with other Mbuna and others say that they are a pain. I think it depends on the fish personally!

Sciaenochromis ahli- I have not come across these so I cannot say either way.

Labidochromis caeruleus- as I said. Very common but brings a really nice colour to the tank.

Aulonocara stuartgranti- I cannot comment on these as I havent had them.

Marbled Peacock- Ditto
Aulonocara sp.

A Rio 300 should be okay i would think. Not sure on the numbers but it is always important to have overcrowding as it disperses the aggession of the fish more. Also ensure that you have more than the usual filtration as you are going to be overcrowding. Externals are good at this if you dont already have one. Ratio of males to females is usually 1 male to several females.

I will tell you what I have in my Rio 180 tank.
Yellow labs (4- Have bred but not sucessfuly as too young).
Hongis (1 male, several females)- very pretty if you get a good male.
Kingsizei's (1 male, two females- bred and have 2 batches of fry)
3 OB fellabornia (1 male, 2 females- going to breed soon...hopefully)
3 Bristlenoses (keeps the algae to a minimum (apparently! not in my tank though!)

A really good book to get hold of that will give you abit more information about Malawis is in the series "back to nature guide to....malawi cichlids". by Ad konings. I have it as do several other people I know who keep malawis and it is really quite good at identifying species and also the internet.

Is eco complete african cichlid sand ok- I havent come across this one but normal play sand would work just as well and is dirt cheap in argos. I also use coral sand as it helps with the PH. I would not recommend mixing the two (as I did) as it makes the tank look dirty though.

Will you use just normal pebbles with your tank? as you will need to check you water parameters (PH is a good one to know).

will others eat others fry?- Yes! and they would probably eat their own after they have been spat out, I would think. The best bet is to have a separate tank/floating tank to protect them.

if you also have the time can u add a pic of ur cichlid tank!! - I will try asap.

Hope this helps and anything I have put wrong on here I am sure someone will correct me.

Thanks!!

By flaoting tank do you mean like a beeding trap kinda sized isolation tank if not can u give me a name of one

I might try to get the book from somewere online

Do all ur fish get along?

hope you can get some pic(s) soon!! Thanks!!

:good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :good: :
 
If you are wanting to breed to sell them, it's best to have a different tank for each species plus grow outs. Mbuna can interbreed even with species that don't look the same, so keeping a single species in a tank will guarantee no hybrids.

Mixing haps and mbuna can be difficult, most haps are carnivores and most mbuna are herbivores prone to bloat, so feeding can get tricky. L.caeruleus is an exception to the rule, as they mostly feed on crustaceans and insects in the wild and are the most common pairing with haps. Just be sure not to get any haps large enough to eat the labs.

All fish will eat fry given a chance, so there are no guarantees. If you are planning to breed to sell, you'll want to remove the females to a holding tank (you can divide a 10 gal for 2 females at a time) and either strip them or allow them to spit on their own. The fry can remain in the holding tank until they reach 1/2 to 1 inch, then they should move to a grow out tank(s) of 40gal or larger. Whatever you do, don't use the hanging breeding nets, the females will get very stressed in them, and the adults can actually suck the fry right through the net. :sick:

Bumble Bee Cichlid
Pseudotropheus crabro - (Mbuna) Should be kept in a 6ft or longer tank as the males will reach 7" and are fast swimmers. Multiple males should be avoided as they can get very aggressive. I've had luck keeping a single specimen with other mbuna species. (As have Ferris and Kj), but have heard of keepers having their entire tanks wiped out by them.

Electric Blue Cichlid
Sciaenochromis ahli - (Hap) Again 6ft or longer, males will reach 10" or more. Will predate on juvenile and smaller adult mbuna when full size.

Electric Yellow Cichlid
Labidochromis caeruleus - Great mbuna, multiple males can be kept together with few problems. Very slow growers though, my fry took over a year to reach adult size. They can be a bit shy, so best kept in groups of 6 or more. 4ft or larger.

Blue Peacock Cichlid
Aulonocara stuartgranti - (Peacocks) Technically they are haps, but all of the Aulonocara are collectively known as peacocks. Pretty peaceful, shouldn't be kept with aggressive species. L.caeruleus are one of the few mbuna that can be kept with them. 4ft or larger.

Marbled Peacock
Aulonocara sp. - Same as above. Note that this is a man made hybrid.

Mbuna would be your best choice for easy and prolific breeders. There are several hundred species so I would recommed seeing which ones you can get, posting them here, and we can help put a good group together. Also knowing what size tank you're getting will help. When looking at tanks, focus on length and width rather than height, as mbuna tend to stay in the lower parts of the tank.

Any other questions, feel free to ask. -Dawn
 
As promised. A picture of my Rio 180. Has been recently landscaped but this is what it used to look like...Now has alot more Tuffa rock as it was looking abit bare.

P1010527.jpg


My OB fellabornia male
P1010553.jpg



One of my small male hongis.
P1110790.jpg


some of the others that were in my tank.
P4031306.jpg
 
As promised. A picture of my Rio 180. Has been recently landscaped but this is what it used to look like...Now has alot more Tuffa rock as it was looking abit bare.

P1010527.jpg


My OB fellabornia male
P1010553.jpg



One of my small male hongis.
P1110790.jpg


some of the others that were in my tank.
P4031306.jpg

:wub: <--- thats me falling in love with the tank and this is my face when i say it---> :blink: (speechless coz it looks so amazing)

:kewlpics: of :fish: i need 2 give u a :clap: it made me :drool: thanks for such a great help!! :friends:
 

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