New Tank

[swampymc8]

Hi all.
Just need a few ideas. Just picked up my new tank. Got a Rio 180 and u4 filter and heater off eBay paid 40 quid.( bargain ? ) . But don't no what to do. Waa thinking of a mbuna set up , just yellow labs though. Or using it as my community tank instead of the 100l tank I gave now. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[soybean]

Do you know your ph? That's a good place to start as you can go for a specific theme/biotape rather than mix and matching.

 

[swampymc8]

Not sure on that will check it.

 

[KittyKat]

(…and the KH and GH, while you're at it, if you have the kits)

The tank is only 100 cm long, if I remember correctly (it's more useful if you put the dimensions down instead of the make ) so is too short for most Mbuna, including yellow labs. It would work for a single species tank of Pseudotropheus demasoni (a very aggressive dwarf Mbuna), they are lovely fish, but 15 would be a minimum, ideally you'd go for 2-3m 12-13+f. You would also need to fill the tank with 1/3-1/2 rockwork for that.

What's your current community?

 

[swampymc8]

Hi
Ph about 6.5 can't test others at min need new kit on order ,. Tank about 100x50x40.

Community is 2 sailfin Molly 2 dwarf gouramis neons and a bn plus 2 keyholes and 1 firemouth . I mo it not good but they all ok

Thanks

 

[soybean]

With 6.5 you're probably best to rule out African cichlids which come from harder water. South American ones would be more suitable.

 

[KittyKat]

Ph about 6.5 can't test others at min need new kit on order ,. Tank about 100x50x40.

Yes, skip on the Africans.

Community is 2 sailfin Molly 2 dwarf gouramis neons and a bn plus 2 keyholes and 1 firemouth . I mo it not good but they all ok

What are the dimensions? If it's under 100 cm long, definitely upgrade to the bigger tank because the keyholes will, IME, benefit from the extra space and the firemouth is very likely to cause problems in a tank that small with another pair of cichlids. If the current tank is 100 cm or over, your priority should still be to look for a bigger volume tank for these guys.

Unfortunately, your water is quite poor for mollies, but there's not much you can do about that now, unless you find them a new home, which is unlikely to be any better in your area. What you could do, assuming the new tank is longer or the same as your current one, is move the SA fish to the bigger tank and try to buffer up the pH in the current tank with some reef bones and shells for the mollies and gouramis, and get some more mollies.

 

[swampymc8]

Ok thanks for the advice.
Think may get rid of my 100l use the one I just got for community and look out for a bigger tank.