Malawi's For A 4X2X2

[Nick16]

hi all, im completely new to cichlids so please bear with me!

im setting up my 4x2x2 (450L...120USG) for malawi's and will be making it a nice rocky habitat. i would love some suggestions of fish i can keep. i have some preferances...

1) not too aggressive, i would like to keep a BN and some syno's as well
2) fairly hardy/unpicky fish
3) reasonably common ones, no point suggesting ones i will never be able to find in stores
4) some decent colours

would love to keep some yellow labs and some Pseudotropheus demasoni. im not sure if these two are compatible, but i love the blues and yellows.

any suggestions of whats good to keep and how many, plus the M to F ratios.

for example. (purely made up numbers)

6 x yellow labs (M:F ??)
6 x Pseudotropheus demasoni (M:F ??)
4 x ???
4 x ???
3 x ??
1 x BN
4-6 x syno's

that kind of thing.

any help would be amazing, i can adivse on planted set ups, but i rely on others for info on cichlids!

 

[bullit]

yellow labs and some Pseudotropheus demasoni are quite a popular combo. youd need a dozen of the demasoni as there really aggresive. what else you can have im not sure as im no expert. you want species that dont look similar, hence prob labs work well. theres loads to choose from on aquarist classified. Male to female ratios will be hard unless there vented. hope that helps a little

 

[Squidward]

Hi,

I had quite a few species in my mixed Malawi set up. But these were my faves:

Cynotilapia afra
Pseudotropheus polit "Lion's Cove"
Pseudotropheus elongatus "neon spot"
Labedotropheus trewavasae

Not hugely aggressive in Malawi terms

The 1m 2/3f is often recomended. But I found this impossible to maintain. Births/deaths saw to that.

damesonii should either be kept in groups of 10+, or as an indivdual (as I did)

Yellow labs are fine. Not all the agressive. But I found they started breeding when very small and the females were stunted.

Thanks
Squidward