Set Up?

[Luke & Penny]

Right I have the chance of a spare Juwel Rio 240 the same as my other freshwater one. and wanted something different in there. For a long while now I have been fascinated my african cichlids and have been reading some literature on some of the different fish.
I think its the colours of some of them and just there general appearance that drew me to them to be honest, i suppose the cichlid keepers on here that read this will understand.

Heres my question.
What can i fill this tank with? and how easy are the species to get hold of, and their ease of keeping.

Thanx in advance

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

I'm not the best person to answer this by a long shot. A great deal of cichlids get big and most are aggressive. You also have the question of which kind. It's not a good idea to mix them from different areas and never mix africans with americans. Lol that sounds awful eh.
The actual dimensions of the tank make a difference too (As in is it deep or long, wide/skinny etc). Is there an area of the africans that appeals the most, like those from the Rift valley (That includes Malawi, Tangyanika and another) or elsewhere?
Hope someone can help you further tho.
Hugs,
P.

 

[Luke & Penny]

Yeah ive liking the lake malawis and a few lake tanganyikans ( if thats how its spelt lol).
The tank dimensions would be the same as my current one which is 4ftwide x 15 inches deep and 18 inches high, maybe even a little higher i may be wrong.

Cheers for the advice, anyone else?

 

[keane]

Heres my question.
What can i fill this tank with? and how easy are the species to get hold of, and their ease of keeping.

Yeah ive liking the lake malawis and a few lake tanganyikans ( if thats how its spelt lol).
The tank dimensions would be the same as my current one which is 4ftwide x 15 inches deep and 18 inches high, maybe even a little higher i may be wrong.

Cheers for the advice, anyone else?

At least you have narrowed it down a little now

The question is still a difficult one though because there are so any variants in these fish...colour, feeding, temperament, needs, etc.

All I will do for now is refer you to the links below. IMO the best cichlid site on the web.

Have a read though all of them (in order) and by the end you should hopefully have a better idea of what you want/what you can have. If you are unsure whether what you want will work come back to the board with your questions and you will be pointed in the right direction. freddyk is in fact a walking cichlid encyclopedia!! (sorry freddy )

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/introduction_list.php

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_75g.php

So far as availability in your area is concerned I really can't help you. Some are quite popular in LFS's but alot are very difficult to get hold of and you will only be able to do so via mail order, which costs a pretty penny.

Sorry for being so broad and unhelpful but there really are so many fish out there that to tell you exactly what to get would be impossible, particularly as each and everyone one of us has our own preferences.

steve

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Good links Steve. I have found a few that do deliver cichlids. There's a place in Bournemouth that has a very good range of cichlids too and they apparently will post them at £18 per box. I will be ringing them next week to see what they have in those I am after so I can let you know if they seem any good or not. There is also a cichlid expert who gets hold of the lesser known types, but they don't come cheap. He offered me those I asked about and it was going to be costing close to £200 for 7 fish. Call me odd but I just don't have that spare!
Hugs,
P.

 

[freddyk]

Yeah ive liking the lake malawis and a few lake tanganyikans

While it's certainly possible to mix the two, the best thing you can do for all the fish involved is to choose either one or the other. I'll try to give a little summary of both and perhaps it can help you choose a decision, since there is much more to these fish then appearance.

Malawis are the perfect cichlids for beginners. They are very hardy, flexible with water perameters, and simply a lot of fun to watch. You simply can't get better color assortment in fresh waterfish, and they do great in higher numbers - adding up to just about the nicest and easiest freshwater show tanks one can maintain. A nicely rockscaped mbuna tank will produce a 'wow' factor from visitors that no other freshwater aquaria can.

Tanganyikans are more of a connaisseur variety of fish. They are extremely diverse in shape and behavior, but tend to lack in the color department. These fish have a ton character, and unlike Malawis they settle in breeding pairs or groups and establish solid territories. Because of this the tank will be more sparse then a typical malawi tank as well. These fish are more for the hobbiest and won't produce that 'wow' factor from guests that a Malawi tank would. Tanganyikans tend to be less tolerant of soft water, nitrates, and high temperatures, and thus require more diligence in maintenance then Malawis.

Either way, aggression is a big concern, and the safest thing to do is assume different species are not compatible until proven otherwise. A lot of great reading has been provided, and once you decide on the direction you want to go, make sure you do research and get advice on the species that interest you, both to make sure they are compatible and to ensure that you provide them in appropriate numbers and gender ratios. It's much easier to spend time in advance planning the setup, then spending even more time, not to mention money, fixing problems later on.

Cheers.

freddyk is in fact a walking cichlid encyclopedia!! (sorry freddy

Don't be sorry - as long as it's a compliment I wouldn't go so far as that though. I'm just a guy who for some reason enjoys sharing many years of experience and hours of reading with those who want the help

 

[keane]

While it's certainly possible to mix the two, the best thing you can do for all the fish involved is to choose either one or the other. I'll try to give a little summary of both and perhaps it can help you choose a decision, since there is much more to these fish then appearance.

Malawis are the perfect cichlids for beginners. They are very hardy, flexible with water perameters, and simply a lot of fun to watch. You simply can't get better color assortment in fresh waterfish, and they do great in higher numbers - adding up to just about the nicest and easiest freshwater show tanks one can maintain. A nicely rockscaped mbuna tank will produce a 'wow' factor from visitors that no other freshwater aquaria can.

Tanganyikans are more of a connaisseur variety of fish. They are extremely diverse in shape and behavior, but tend to lack in the color department. These fish have a ton character, and unlike Malawis they settle in breeding pairs or groups and establish solid territories. Because of this the tank will be more sparse then a typical malawi tank as well. These fish are more for the hobbiest and won't produce that 'wow' factor from guests that a Malawi tank would. Tanganyikans tend to be less tolerant of soft water, nitrates, and high temperatures, and thus require more diligence in maintenance then Malawis.

Either way, aggression is a big concern, and the safest thing to do is assume different species are not compatible until proven otherwise. A lot of great reading has been provided, and once you decide on the direction you want to go, make sure you do research and get advice on the species that interest you, both to make sure they are compatible and to ensure that you provide them in appropriate numbers and gender ratios. It's much easier to spend time in advance planning the setup, then spending even more time, not to mention money, fixing problems later on.

Cheers.

i knew you would explain things better than me

Don't be sorry - as long as it's a compliment

of course it was a compliment

steve

 

[Luke & Penny]

cheers peeps.
It looks like i will be sticking with malawi's, from what i was readin on them links, it seems mbunas are more ideal for me than haps. I was quite surprised to read that they have quite a large fish to space ration, even in the wild, and the article says which is good news for the aquarist, who wants a really good show piece of a tank plus the bullies lose their victims more in a crowd. I like the look of them peacocks

So now on to the next stage.
What type of malawis should i get, Ive just rang my lfs and he was giving me the latin names ( something ive not been used to since i kept tarantulas) but from what i could make out, he had a very bright metallic yellow one for £4.50 and a johanna for £5.50 and they tend to stay between that price and go up to about £10 for the main common species.

Any pics and there names would be much appreciated, from you guys, and im going to try to get a book from the library too, fingers crossed they have any

One more thing are the cichlid pellets you can buy any good?

 

[keane]

a very bright metallic yellow one for £4.50

Labidochromis Caeruleus (Yellow Lab)....a less aggressive Mbuna than most (although it can hold it's own if needed). Piscivore. Prefers to be in a group (4+ would be a good number to start with). If left singly will be reclusive.

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=713

and a johanna for £5.50

Melanochromis Johannii (no common name)....one of the more aggressive. Herbivore. if keeping in a group would go for no less than 1 male to 3/4 females

I have both of these fish in my tank and they are both superb.

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=760

One more thing are the cichlid pellets you can buy any good?

Yep. I use CichlidExtreme personally but there are a couple of other decent brands out there. Make sure whatever ou feed them contains a decent amount of Spirulina, a main part of the (majority of) Mbuna's diet.

I also feed them standard tropical flakes (which they love) along with a once weekly supplement of daphnia.

I also throw in a couple of slices of cucumber once a week.

steve

 

[mamafish68]

Any pellets I feed ALWAYS get soaked first to prevent bloat (lil' hint)

 

[freddyk]

Melanochromis Johanni and Labidochromis Caeruleus are both very nice fish to go with. As with all mbuna they are best in a group, the Johanni in a harem as stated, and the Caeruleus just in a group.

Have you read the pinned mbuna artical yet?

Hey baldranger, I don't think you meant piscivore, which is a fish-eater.

Pellets are fine, soaking them is a good precaution, much more important if the pellets are large relative to the fishes size. Pellets are very condensed, dry nutrition and it's best to feed small portions to avoid digestion issues. Buy smaller pellets if you can, and make sure they are meant for omnivores and not carnivores. It's a very good idea to have spirulina flake as part of their diet as well.

 

[keane]

Hey baldranger, I don't think you meant piscivore, which is a fish-eater.

Bugger! *goes and stands in a corner with dunce's hat on*

Omnivore would the correct term .

Cheers freddy