Should I Convert ?

[1234-fishy-freind]

I have just redecorated my tank to a malawi cichlid style setup with just slate rock but i dont have malawis in it... see my sig for my stock... i have been thinking about swaping/selling my fish and getting malawis...do you guys think i should and could i also have some stocking options for it if i have malawis...the tank is 180litre...i have 2 kribs and was wondering if i could keep them with other malawis if i buy some more...and i also really like yellow labs so is a group of them and some other fish a possibility ??
thanks 1234-fishy-freind

 

[dthoffsett]

180liters is about 48gal, and if it is a 4-foot tank, it would be fine for mbuna (rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi) which include electric yellows (labidochromis caeruleus).

However, if it is a 3-foot tank you'll want to stick to shell dwellers or some of the smaller cichlids of Lake Tanganikya.

Going on the assumption that it is a 4-foot tank you'll want to sell off or rehome all of the fish in the tank with the exception of the plecos (however the sailfin will eventually need to be upgraded). Your kribs won't be able to put up with the aggressive nature of mbuna, and they also have different feeding requirements.

I'd recommed going with no more than 12 adults, with either 3 species of 4 indviduals each, or 4 species of 3 individuals each, and I'd stick with the smaller, less agressive species such as labidochromis caeruelus, idotropheus sperengerae, and, pseudotropheus saulosi.

Here's a great article to read before deciding if you really want to go with mbuna.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706

And here's a great place to check out other members tanks:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=169788

Hope that helps, and feel free to ask more questions, you'll also get more responses in the Old World Cichlid section if you haven't already posted there.