Setting Up A New Tank

[hhawkins510]

so i have recently decided i want to set up an african cichlid tank, i have spent the past two or three weeks reading everything i can find, but dependin what you read you get different answers so i figure the best way is to ask people who know

i have a 55 gallon tank and i wanna stick to mostly rock because i like how those look for the most part. can anyone help me on wat kind of fish would be good to start with and any other helpfull advice i would appreciate it. thank you

 

[Realtree]

If you like alot of rock look at any of the Mbuna species
I have a mbuna set up and love the effect of these fish against their rocky home

 

[hhawkins510]

thanks for the input

so i found some fish i really like, they are africans from lake malawi. . .i was wondering if anyone could tell me if they would go well together and if so who else they could go with, and how many of each would be good

electric yellow cichlid (Labidochromis caeruleus)
Cobalt Blue Zebra Cichlid (Metriaclima callainos)
Blue Johanni Cichlid (Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos)

 

[HappyGeorge]

Have a read of this mate its a very useful resource. I also found that having a book handy was good as well there is a book by Barrons, called Lake Malawi Cichlids which I found useful, that way you can read up whilst on the loo as well.
I don't have the experience to answer your question directly but sure there will be plenty of ideas from others on here. I do know that Johanni can be pretty aggressive and territorial and that the Labidochromis caeruleus are happier in larger groups 5+ although sexing with them is not too much of an issue as the male/female ratio is not as crucial as with other malawi.

 

[wolfwolf]

Goto youtube and check out the videos from lake malawi. It may help you decide on rock work and substrate.

Search for cookie cutter lake malawi setups. That should lead you to a very nice cichlid forum.

 

[dthoffsett]

thanks for the input

so i found some fish i really like, they are africans from lake malawi. . .i was wondering if anyone could tell me if they would go well together and if so who else they could go with, and how many of each would be good

electric yellow cichlid (Labidochromis caeruleus)
Cobalt Blue Zebra Cichlid (Metriaclima callainos)
Blue Johanni Cichlid (Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos)

I've kept both the L.caeruleus & M.callainos and they work well together, the M.cyanerorhabdos I would avoid as all the Melanochromis species are very aggressive. For a 55gal I'd aim for 3 species of 5 each, as happygeorge said the labs m/f ratio doesn't matter, but you'll only want one male callainos. What other species do you have available too you?

And a couple of things to read (if you haven't already done so):
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=299333"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=299333[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=98179"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=98179[/URL]
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=169788"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=169788[/URL]