My 1St Ever Fish Tank

[kiriyama]

Hi first of all, welcome to the forum Secondly congratulations for choosing African cichlids Thirdly , I don't know anything about the ones you have but I would take the advice given above I like the corner tank you have and I like the idea of all the decor making caves and hiding place for your fish, some cool colours in there Was wondering if the tank would be big enough for yellow labs and something else ?Really nice tank you have there, has the makings of a nice Tanganyikan tank, but then I'm being biassed, again Cheers, Sean

I do have 3 yellow tabs in there mate

Ahem, erm , I see that but was meaning if you were to start over, by removing some of the stock you have been advised again, I was asking the other forum users if the tank would be big enough for a small group of yellow labs and some other compatible species, should have made it a bit clearer, sorry

 

[Sawdoc]

30% is way too low! 50% every week is the best for a malawi tank standard!
at the start of your post you say you have been doing lots of reading i would worry what you have been reading i think if you improve you water reigeme your fish will benifit!

I completely agree with rifty, 30% is wayyyyy too little an amount to be changing for a setup such as the malawi/mbuna. A minimum of 50% a week is regarded as 'normal and necessary' and extremely beneficial for these types of fish, over filtration is always good too.
Although I applaud you for doing homework and reading about the setup and maintenance, you`ll find that other peoples personal experiences will be much better for you to take notice of

I have a 380L setup that has a sump system running underneath it, I think the amount of filtration that the tank gets is approx 4 times of what I would get from a Fluval FX5 AND I do 50% water change once a week, sometimes I`ll do 2 changes a week.

Your fish would thrive, their colours would improve even further and they are more likely to breed if the water is kept in tip top condition and that can only be good for your fish and the display you get from them

I will take all advise and do more % weekly and u guys and gals ran tanks slot longer than me and that's why I joined the forum to gain advise , I was just stating that I had read about but like I said some advise differs from place to place but you have the set ups and therefore will be doing more weekly.

 

[Sawdoc]

Hi first of all, welcome to the forum Secondly congratulations for choosing African cichlids Thirdly , I don't know anything about the ones you have but I would take the advice given above I like the corner tank you have and I like the idea of all the decor making caves and hiding place for your fish, some cool colours in there Was wondering if the tank would be big enough for yellow labs and something else ?Really nice tank you have there, has the makings of a nice Tanganyikan tank, but then I'm being biassed, again Cheers, Sean

I do have 3 yellow tabs in there mate

Ahem, erm , I see that but was meaning if you were to start over, by removing some of the stock you have been advised again, I was asking the other forum users if the tank would be big enough for a small group of yellow labs and some other compatible species, should have made it a bit clearer, sorry

You say about removing stock..... How would I go about that is it just simply rehoming the fish cos I don't have another tank or would aquatics centre take the fish in ?

 

[rifty]

most local fish stores will take fish some even give you credit for them too!
ill remove the non malawi fish 1st and maybe the big haps

 

[Ragtagcurtis]

Hi again Sawdoc, nice to see you got a few answers here. Please don't be put off by some of the negative feedback. The forum is populated with a lot of great people who no there stuff and who take pride in not only having a beautiful tank but making sure all fish are healthy and in a good environment.

The 'averages' on here are most certainly above the 'averages' you will hear from a LFS or standard hobbyist as this is such a dedicated bunch.

Doing more water changes will help your fish grow, make them healthy and thus more bright and active.

As for the size your tank, it can be managed. I have saulosi in a Fluvel 125L and they are growing up fine. When fully grown I will only be able to stock 6 or so but can be done. Maybe look into getting small cichlids like this? I like to do a 60 - 80% water change once a week, this just means I have to worry less about overfeeding and the buildup of protiens. The most important thing on my tank is the filtration I have a eheim 2217 external filter which is far stronger than what I need but keeps the water in tip top shape.

Keep doing your research an look into a few of the points raised in the thread. Everyone is here to help and wants what's best for you and your fish.