Need Info

[kubora666]

Right, ive kept tangynikan's and my dad and uncle have both had them before,

at the moment ive just put fish in my new tank its about 70 gal or so. its 24" high and wide, and about 40" long. strange i know it was a custom...
in there i have a large breeding pair of Geophagus Brasiliensis, and 2 small yellow labs that hide in the rocks and never get any bother.
there is lots of plants in the tank too which the geo's dont bother,
i was wondering if i switched the tank to a malawi set up could i keep the plants??? or would i have to get rid of them?
thanks

 

[darrel69]

there aren't many plants in their natural habitat, but it wont cause any harm in you keeping them. i have plants in my malawi set-up. imo, plants make an aquarium alot more attractive than without. allthough its best to keep some of the more robust varieties and plant them well as they may dig them up or simply eat them.

 

[dthoffsett]

there aren't many plants in their natural habitat, but it wont cause any harm in you keeping them. i have plants in my malawi set-up. imo, plants make an aquarium alot more attractive than without. allthough its best to keep some of the more robust varieties and plant them well as they may dig them up or simply eat them.

Yup, never had any luck with plants in my mbuna tank, they just get munched. Labs (labidochromis caeruleus) are a great species, probably the most peaceful of the mbuna, they do best in groups of 5 or more. For more information on mbuna in general I suggest reading the following links. And of course, ask all the questions you have.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/spec...r_beginners.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake_malawi_setup.php
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_75g.php

Oh, and if your tank dimensions are indeed 40x24x24, your tanks is actually 100 gallons.

 

[kubora666]

i spent all yesterday reading the Mbuna forum stuff. and ive been told by a moderator that my tank is infact (us) 120gal 4X2X2
i really like the Brightly coloured Mbuna, such as the red zebra and i like tha albino 1 too, there also seems to be many of haps and peacocks at my LFS...
what would be some suitable sugestions im still not sure wether i should or not... i can easily add tons of ocean rock to my tank and remove the pair of geo's that i have...

sugestions =)?

 

[typhoon]

lol i put one plant in and they ripped the crap outta it in seconds so i didnt bother trying ne thing else

 

[kubora666]

*BÃ¥mp*

=)

"i spent all yesterday reading the Mbuna forum stuff. and ive been told by a moderator that my tank is infact (us) 120gal 4X2X2
i really like the Brightly coloured Mbuna, such as the red zebra and i like tha albino 1 too, there also seems to be many of haps and peacocks at my LFS...
what would be some suitable sugestions im still not sure wether i should or not... i can easily add tons of ocean rock to my tank and remove the pair of geo's that i have...

sugestions =)?"

 

[darrel69]

its not a good idea to mix aggressive mbuna with haps/peacocks, however some people do and it works but for most the peacocks usually cant cope with all the grief. If you do decide to have mbuna, you dont have to have ocean rock, any type of rock that is safe will do solong you have many hiding place ect. have a look at 'members tanks' post thats pinned to get an idea. also, peacocks like a mix of both rocky hiding places with open water.

 

[kubora666]

thanks for the info, ive kept Africans once before but it was so long ago, and my uncle had a MASSIVE mix of africans of all kinds and they were fine, also he kept some american cichlids in with them too, the more aggresive robust ones, because they can take the aggression from the mbuna.
which is my 10" geophagus male.
im considering getting rid of the geo's but i have no idea what to do with them...

 

[dthoffsett]

I'd suggest going to your LFS and writing down the names of the cichlids you like, then research them. Normally in a larger tank like yours mixing peacocks or haps with mbuna isn't too much of a problem, however since your tank is only 4ft long, it's not really large enough for the peacocks to get lost when chased (I recommend a 6ft tank if you want to mix lakes). I'd stick to species from one lake.

 

[kubora666]

then that i'l do, im thinking of getting some more yellow labs on sat so i have a group of them, im gonne build up the rocks larger as ive got tons left over from my last tank. and i will see what other species catch my eye and post their names on here =)
ooh also, could african BLOCKHEAD's go with them? as ive seen them up there. xx

 

[dthoffsett]

ooh also, could african BLOCKHEAD's go with them? as ive seen them up there. xx

I'd say no, I really don't think they'd be able to handle the mbuna's aggression. Now, if you went with a peacock tank, they'd probably be just fine.