Nearly Made My Decision...

[kiriyama]

I can't even comment, I can't even spell or pronounce that allancarr (did you see what I did there?) fish , I only know them as firefish , if it's the same thing... Best thing is take your time and decide what you actually like, have a pop on google, I have nothing against discus it's just once you look past the colours they all look the same, malawi etc all look nice and colourful, TANGANYIKAN has less colour but as long as each species has a designated territory the behaviours arebfascinating to watch, never a dull moment

 

[Squidward]

[/quote]

much better explenation than my lame effort lol
[/quote]

Mark, no prob.

You shouldn't mix Mbuna with Haps or peacocks. The Mbuna will attack and kill them.

A common themed tank is to have male only of Haps and peacocks. They are some species with fantastic colours.

Mbuna tank is best kept in 1 male with 2 or 3 females of each species.

I can't even comment, I can't even spell or pronounce that allancarr (did you see what I did there?) fish , I only know them as firefish , if it's the same thing... Best thing is take your time and decide what you actually like, have a pop on google, I have nothing against discus it's just once you look past the colours they all look the same, malawi etc all look nice and colourful, TANGANYIKAN has less colour but as long as each species has a designated territory the behaviours arebfascinating to watch, never a dull moment

I agree. Take your time.

When I got my 240L tank, I saw a few photos of Mbuna and decided that that was what I wanted. After a few months the constant fighting and aggression p*ssed me off. And I packed in the Mbuna and went the general tropical route 2 years later.
With a bit of hind sight I should rather have gone the Haps route or maybe even Tangs.

 

[markandhisfish]

yellow labs tho are an eception to that rule they can be included no probs

 

[Squidward]

yellow labs tho are an eception to that rule they can be included no probs

My yellow Labs were just as aggressive as some of the other species I had!
I guess each fish has its individual personality

 

[markandhisfish]

time will tell with mine , they are still babies . but they dont seem to "cross territories" with the haps/peacocks so touch wood it should work just fine .

 

[Malawi MaD]

Its definitely not advised to mix Mbuna with Haplochromis/Peacock species, but depending on your size tank itis do able as long as each species has its own territory and its own personal space Haps/Peacocks will be just as happy and hold their own if need be Recommended in larger tanks though.

 

[Always Learning]

People make out that the open water Malawi are wussies.. far from it and you will find that the majority of them can give Mbuna a run for their money in a fight and general aggression. Providing you can cover the diet for both and you're not cramming them into a tiny space, then mixing them can work.. though imo, it just doesn't look right.

Yellow Labs are not so calm, like everyone would have you believe. I've had 3 which were all challenging to be the top dog and very territorial.. could just be that I attract the little swines, but then I have seen it in other tanks too. Ok, they're no Auratus or Kenyi, but then them things are posessed anyway!

One of the mistakes people make with Mbuna is understocking imo. There's so much more aggression with an understocked tank it's unreal! Another thing is caves.. Don't have big open obvious gaps in your rocks. Make them small and discreet. With the larger openings it's harder for the fish to hide as they can be seen everywhere and it's easier for a territorial fish to defend.. darting in and out at anything that passes. My Kingsizei was a pain for it. They will suprise you with how small the opening can be for them to fit in.

 

[Mystil]

I have a vision 450 with Mbuna and havent really had any major problems so far. Had a small spate of deaths (mainly my fault for not treating quick enough) but other than that eveything is okay. I would recommend them any day. Just make sure you have enough rock for the males to have their own territory and over filter the tank.

To give you an idea of stocking mine is:
4 Kingsizeis (1m, 3f)
2 fellabornia
4 Hongis (1m 3f)
2 WC Cyno Afra red top (new and gorgeous) 1m 1f
2 WC Msobo's (gorgeous fish) 1m 1f
7 red zebras (not my most fav fish as abit bland)
4 Maingano (very nice colouration)2m 2f
3 F1 Gold zebra "Kwanga" (very nice fishies)1m 2f
7 Polits (nice looking fish)
4 yellow labs

and even now the tank looks bare.

The problem with haps is that they need quite large tanks to get anywhere near the stocking you get with dwarf sp. mbuna.

I was advised that you should only have one peacock species in a tank as the females look very similar and so there is a real chance of cross breeding.

 

[electropunk06]

Thanks for all the advise.
So would i be wise to have maybe one species of peacocks in a mbuna set up?
Is there a way to workout mbuna stocking or is it just best to ask?
Im still tempted by tangs but the tank is in my living room an i would like a nice looking tank.
Been reading the pinned articles a little as well
Thanks
Lloyd

 

[Mystil]

I would have a look round at what Peacock sp. you really really like the look of and go from there.

Is the tank set up yet? and also what are the dimensions of the tank. It is always better to have a longer tank, than a tall one with Mbuna.

First off though I would find out how much the rocks you are going to use will cost you as that is probably going to be your main expense to begin with.

Ocean rock down my way is £35 per 25kg bag.

If you want sand, forget aquatic sand (it will cost you the earth), go to your local argos store and buy bags of play sand and just really give it a good clean in a bucket and you are away. It will cost you £2 for a 15kg bag.

 

[electropunk06]

I would have a look round at what Peacock sp. you really really like the look of and go from there.

Is the tank set up yet? and also what are the dimensions of the tank. It is always better to have a longer tank, than a tall one with Mbuna.

First off though I would find out how much the rocks you are going to use will cost you as that is probably going to be your main expense to begin with.

Ocean rock down my way is £35 per 25kg bag.

If you want sand, forget aquatic sand (it will cost you the earth), go to your local argos store and buy bags of play sand and just really give it a good clean in a bucket and you are away. It will cost you £2 for a 15kg bag.

Thanks
Tanks isnt set up yet it is cycling but noting in it yet.
i dont particularly like ocean rock but will have a look at what is available.
I was planning on coral sand because i need to raise my PH which is 6.2-6.6 out of the tap.
thanks
Lloyd

 

[markandhisfish]

if your e ph is that low oit of the tap you may want to think about using limestone for your rock as these will also help raise ph

 

[elisew]

I would have a look round at what Peacock sp. you really really like the look of and go from there.

Is the tank set up yet? and also what are the dimensions of the tank. It is always better to have a longer tank, than a tall one with Mbuna.

First off though I would find out how much the rocks you are going to use will cost you as that is probably going to be your main expense to begin with.

Ocean rock down my way is £35 per 25kg bag.

If you want sand, forget aquatic sand (it will cost you the earth), go to your local argos store and buy bags of play sand and just really give it a good clean in a bucket and you are away. It will cost you £2 for a 15kg bag.

Thanks
Tanks isnt set up yet it is cycling but noting in it yet.
i dont particularly like ocean rock but will have a look at what is available.
I was planning on coral sand because i need to raise my PH which is 6.2-6.6 out of the tap.
thanks
Lloyd

Do please be careful with coral sand, it`s known to irritate fishes gills. It can be used in another way I believe (but don`t quote me)......by putting some inside a nylon stocking inside the filter

 

[Always Learning]

There's no proof to say that Coral sands irritates the gills and i've yet to see one case of it myself. The thing to watch out for in coral sand, is pieces of sharp broken shells. You can get a lot of them out when pre cleaning, but some will surface whilst it is in the tank and all you do is remove them.
It's worth spending the little extra on decent stuff though which is well cleaned.. the cheaper sand comes with allsorts in it. Pieces of plastic.. glass.. allsorts if you have a good rummage through

You could add some coral gravel into a filter bag, then place it in your filter yes. This does a better job at buffering then gravel would in the tank and it allows more choice when decorating.

Ocean rock is ok.. but you'd be better off with something smoother. The way most people set up their tanks with lots of ocean rock and small caves, you can find that when they are quickly escaping, or trying to fit through a tiny gap, the rock can scrape their scales. That applies to any sharp rock. Give it a few days and they seem to recover, but still, if it can be avoided..

 

[Mystil]

I had coral sand and found it a pain to clean. I also found it scratched the tank no end when I was trying to clean it,hense my move to sand.

I dont think play sand is going to have glass in it as it is for kids, argos would get sued!