New Tank

[_]im]

Hi, you guys might remember me I was trying to set up a new tank. I want to start with yellow labs, I'm getting two to start with for the summer in a 10 gallon but moving them in a few weeks to a 33 gallon. What else should or could I incorporate into this kind of tank, I really like the labs but am unsure what would go well with them, colorful fish would be ince but anything that goes together well i'l like to hear,

Thanks!

 

[G_Sharky]

get 1 species of any Aulocanara(peacocks) with the ratio of 1m to 3f or you can have and all male peacock tank maybe 3-4 species.....

 

[Ferris]

I've replied to this post in the chit chat section, hope it helps.

 

[_]im]

Do they hide a lot or is it just for territorial purposes? Are they naturally hiding fish though? I was looking for something not friendly but not shy, haha.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Ferris]

No they are very active, they just need a secure cave/hiding place to retreat to if neccessary, more of a territory thing. You will not find a shy Mbuna, most can be hand fed and will even try and eat your hand given the chance .

 

[freddyk]

Yellow labs become more social if you add more - they are colony fish, not monogomous. I'd suggest adding 2-4 more labs if you want some nice activity. Throw in a male peacock and a couple of Iodotropheus (rusty) and you have yourself a nice little malawi setup.

 

[_]im]

what about yellow labs plus convicts? no?

 

[G_Sharky]

no convicts have different water parameter preferrance, plus they are very agressive specially in a small tank like yours, if you happen to put a pair of convicts and they breed then kiss your other fish goodbye......

 

[freddyk]

The biggest problems with the convicts is behavior. A pair of convicts will establish a breeding ground and defend it to the death. In a small tank this could be the entire tank, and the labs will be stuck in a corner even if they don't. Even if you only want one, it's just not a good idea, the behavioral differences just don't match well.

 

[_]im]

Good to know.

SO i was able to find some yellow labs! I got one female and one male, I plan on trying to find another pair, or two females maybe? Anyways I started this up, I set up lots of caves so they can establish themsleves. So if I were to have 4 labs in there would there be anything I could go with to complement them now? or is it just the 4 that will do.

 

[Ferris]

You could comfortably add 4 Pseudotropheus Acei or 4 lodotropheus Sperengerae. They are very compatible with labs.

 

[_]im]

are brichardi an option?

 

[Ferris]

Not a good idea IMO, mixing Malawi's with Tanganyikan’s is tricky and i don't think that combo would work.

 

[_]im]

Shoot i really liked the look of them! but its best not to risk it!

saulosi

as well i dont know if this is the place for it, but they require hard water, I am pretty sure my water is hard, but how do I go about checking this and how would I make it harder if need be?

 

[Ferris]

Saulosi could be OK but they are more aggressive than yellow labs. There would be an element of risk but then there always is with Mbuna.

Don't worry about the hard water, most fish are bred in captivity and have probably never seen Lake Malawi or even Africa. If you purchase your fish locally, they should be fine as your water should be the same or very similar to your LFS.