Might Change My Tank To A Malawi Setup

[JohnRossDele]

Hi all, for a week or 2 now, i have been doing my homework for how which i should get either a community set up with mostly livebearers or a malawi tank

how many malawi cichlids can i keep in a 240 litre rio setup?

are these cichlids ok in the same tank:

electric blue cichlid
electric yellow lab
demasoni cichlid
marbled peacock

and could you please fill in the spaces for the maximum number per fish

X_ electric blue cichlid
X_ electric yellow lab
X_ demasoni cichlid
X_ marbled peacock

thanks

 

[dthoffsett]

Looks like a decent sized tank for mbuna. I'd aim for about 16-18 adults total, so you could go for 4 species of 4-5 each.

For what you listed:

electric blue cichlid - I've seen around 6 different species given this common name, so I can't give any suggestions unless you can post a pic or get the scientific name

electric yellow lab - Labidochromis caeruleus, excellent choice and can go with most other mbuna. Multiple males are generally tolerated so m/f ratio doesn't really matter.

demasoni cichlid - Pseudotropheus demasoni, they are an exception to the 1m/3+ female guideline. Due to their high conspecific aggression they should be kept in groups of 12+, and you should avoid any similar looking speices.

marbled peacock- To my knowledge all marbled peacocks are man made hybrids. They also have a hard time standing up to mbuna aggression, so I'd avoid them.

You could do a nice tank with 10 L.caeruleus and 15 P.demasoni (because the dems are so small you can have more of them). Or you could do the dems and 5 labs along with 5 of another species such as Pseudotropheus Acei, Metriaclima estherae, or Iodotropheus sprengerae.

 

[JohnRossDele]

Sciaenochromis ahli - electric blue cichlid, how about

5 Sciaenochromis ahli, 5 electric yellow labs, 12 demasoni?

 

[dthoffsett]

Sciaenochromis ahli - electric blue cichlid, how about

5 Sciaenochromis ahli, 5 electric yellow labs, 12 demasoni?

S.ahli (which is rarely seen in the trade and often confused with S.freyri) reaches 7" and is best suited in a 6 ft tank. Most haps are carnivorous and as most mbuna are herbivores it's best not to mix the two as it's difficult to properly feed both. There's also the problem that when younger haps tend to be bullied by mbuna, but if they manage to become adults they often turn the tables by eating the mbuna.

 

[JohnRossDele]

Sciaenochromis ahli - electric blue cichlid, how about

5 Sciaenochromis ahli, 5 electric yellow labs, 12 demasoni?

S.ahli (which is rarely seen in the trade and often confused with S.freyri) reaches 7" and is best suited in a 6 ft tank. Most haps are carnivorous and as most mbuna are herbivores it's best not to mix the two as it's difficult to properly feed both. There's also the problem that when younger haps tend to be bullied by mbuna, but if they manage to become adults they often turn the tables by eating the mbuna.

5 red top ice blue cichlids, 5 electric yellow labs, 12 demasoni?
would that work

 

[dthoffsett]

5 red top ice blue cichlids

If you are referring to Metriaclima greshakei then I don't see a problem with it, just be sure to get only one male.

 

[JohnRossDele]

5 red top ice blue cichlids

If you are referring to Metriaclima greshakei then I don't see a problem with it, just be sure to get only one male.

yes, Metriaclima greshakei is correct thank you for your help

 

[JMatthew]

True - however if you look around or find a hobbiest breeding them you can do better. Look carefully at "mixed African cichlid" tanks at stores and you can somtetimes pick them up for $6 to $8. At least that has been my experience in the US.