Some Information Please

[HappyGeorge]

Hello Folks

First off an apology as my comma key isnt working so take big breaths before reading any of my sentences.

I am new to the Hobby and am looking at creating a Lake Malawi Cichlid set up. I have always wanted a marine set up but appreciate that it would be a big step to take as a first tank.

I am about to order a Juwel Vision 260 litre aquarium and am planning on setting it up with either Tahitian Moon Sand or Argos play sand (which I read on other forums in inert) and then a sizeable wall of rock - probably slate and river cobble mix probably going to create a DIY backdrop using marine silicone. I know that plants are not necessarily required and indeed would probably be destroyed and I would like to set up the tank with a "marine" look using blue bulbs to highlight the fish colours.
I have read all I can find on the net and have 2 books on the subject and I think I am happy with the general issues concerning keeping/buying Malawi Cichlids but a few questions that I just cant seem to find a straight answer to which is where I hope you guys may come to my rescue a little.

1) Is the built in equipment on the Juwel sufficient for filtration/heating do I need to add anything now to the off the peg package? If I were to go for overstocking as a means of aggression control what would I need to add to cope with the extra muck?

2) Can anyone suggest a website or resource where I can easily check compatibility of the Lakes hundreds of species? There is a lot written on this much of it conflicting and very little of it helpful I understand the major problems but when it comes to issues of keeping Plecos or other bottom feeders in a Malawi tank it seems everyone has a different view. Is it realistically a case of suck it and see appreciating that these guys have their own individual characters so what goes for one may not for another? (I do know that these fish are not suitable as community fish).

3) Given that I am starting out and have no current interest in breeding is it acceptable to keep a tank of male only specimens? Or is this going to cause its own problems given the potential for aggression in these fish? If not any suggestions as to species mix (I do know that mixing fish with similar markings/colours is asking for trouble)?

4) Is there any specific aquarium friendly paint? In theory acrylic shouldn't be a problem as I would have to assume that they use acrylic paint in the manufacturing of aquarium parts and in tank decor.

Many thanks in anticipation of some answers - they may well be staring me in the face but have read so much (good and bad) that I think I have Cichlid overload and temporary useful info blindness.

I have also posted this on the African Cichlid section

 

[smegforbrains]

As far as filtration goes, I would recommend upgrading to either a Fluval or Eheim External cannister filter. I should imagine a Fluval 405 or the Eheim equivalent would be sufficient.

I can't offer any advice on Ciclids i'm afraid.


I personally wouldn't use any kind of paint product where it would come into contact with water, even if people say it is safe to do so. That's just me though.

 

[scolby]

For the filtration just always keep your carbon crystals fresh to prevent ammonia. If you really want you could buy an undergravel filter. If you had all male fish I don't think it would make a difference if they were compatible or not, its usually just based on the fish species capatability. I'm not sure on the other questions...

 

[drobbyb]

For the filtration just always keep your carbon crystals fresh to prevent ammonia. If you really want you could buy an undergravel filter. If you had all male fish I don't think it would make a difference if they were compatible or not, its usually just based on the fish species capatability. I'm not sure on the other questions...

That's not exactly true. Carbon is best used to remove medication. Carbon does not absorb ammonia (well, very little.) Your bio-filter (nitrifying bacteria) eat ammonia and nitrite for food. Your carbon has nothing to do with that.

 

[drobbyb]

I don't keep african cichlids currently, but my brother breeds them. All male tanks work just fine. Just make sure you have enough territories so each fish can lay claim to their own. African cichlids have a dominant male and then subordinates. The subordinates do not show their true colors until the dominant male has moved on or becomes a subordinate. It's best to only keep 1 male of each species that you are interested in for this reason.

I live in the US so I have no idea about that tank. I would probably upgrade the filtration that came with a tank. Africans are fairly messy fish and you need a filter (or 2) that can handle this type of bio-load.

As far as I can tell, only epoxy type paints are safe (the kind that coats gravel to color it.)

I'm not sure on the compatibility website, but if you ask in the old world section I am sure that someone will help that has more experience than I.

 

[dthoffsett]

I am about to order a Juwel Vision 260 litre aquarium and am planning on setting it up with either Tahitian Moon Sand or Argos play sand (which I read on other forums in inert) and then a sizeable wall of rock - probably slate and river cobble mix probably going to create a DIY backdrop using marine silicone.

Since Lake Malawi has a fairly high PH, you don't need to worry about having inert substrate/rocks, in fact, limestone and aragonite sand are fairly popular to buffer your ph/kh levels. However, it's up to you.

1) Is the built in equipment on the Juwel sufficient for filtration/heating do I need to add anything now to the off the peg package? If I were to go for overstocking as a means of aggression control what would I need to add to cope with the extra muck?

You're going to want to add some filtration (I understand it's quite popular to just remove the juwel filter and put in your own). I'm asuming you are interested in the mbuna (rock-dwelling cichlids of Lake Malawi) which are commonly overstocked to help with aggression. As juveniles you can usually get away with a total tank turnover of 5-6 times per hour, as adults you'll want to aim for 8-10 times per hour or more, depending on how heavily you stock.

2) Can anyone suggest a website or resource where I can easily check compatibility of the Lakes hundreds of species? There is a lot written on this much of it conflicting and very little of it helpful I understand the major problems but when it comes to issues of keeping Plecos or other bottom feeders in a Malawi tank it seems everyone has a different view. Is it realistically a case of suck it and see appreciating that these guys have their own individual characters so what goes for one may not for another? (I do know that these fish are not suitable as community fish).

This is the best place for profiles that I know of. They also have some great articles, but don't forget to check out our Old World section for great advice. It takes some experience to work out what fish work well together, so IMO it's best to ask other keepers for suggestions. Probably the best advice I can give is to go to your lfs, write down the names of all the fish you are interested in, post it in the old world section and we can help with numbers and compatability. As for plecos, the bristlenose is probably the most recommended, they seem to be able to handle the higher ph and mbuna aggression well. However, every fish has it's own personality, and there are some keepers that have never been able to keep a pleco from being killed, so it's just a matter of trial and error.

3) Given that I am starting out and have no current interest in breeding is it acceptable to keep a tank of male only specimens? Or is this going to cause its own problems given the potential for aggression in these fish? If not any suggestions as to species mix (I do know that mixing fish with similar markings/colours is asking for trouble)?

IMO an all male tank isn't the best cichlid beginner tank. It's a bit more complicated with mixing fish. Here's a great article to give you some insight. [URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/all-male_malawi.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/all-male_malawi.php[/URL]
As long as you let the females spit in the tank you shouldn't have to worry about many fry surviving as the adults find them to be a great snack.

4) Is there any specific aquarium friendly paint? In theory acrylic shouldn't be a problem as I would have to assume that they use acrylic paint in the manufacturing of aquarium parts and in tank decor.

Are you wanting to paint the back (outside) of the tank? If so, acrylic should be fine.

 

[drobbyb]

Are you wanting to paint the back (outside) of the tank? If so, acrylic should be fine.

Acrylic paint washes off when wet. It's a poor paint to use. If you are painting the outside, spray paint and tape works wonders. The trick is multiple thin coats. Spray paint dries fast and is water resistant (and it's cheap.)

 

[dthoffsett]

Are you wanting to paint the back (outside) of the tank? If so, acrylic should be fine.

Acrylic paint washes off when wet. It's a poor paint to use. If you are painting the outside, spray paint and tape works wonders. The trick is multiple thin coats. Spray paint dries fast and is water resistant (and it's cheap.)

Thanks for pointing that out drobby, I've never painted a tank so I wasn't sure.

 

[HappyGeorge]

Thanks for the help guys I have posted this on the Cichlid section and have had some useful feed back from there as well. Was looking at info on the Juwel filters and so many people seem to have removed them I started looking elsewhere at tanks. Doing a bit of hunting last night and came across an ex-display aquarium from one of the countries largest suppliers.

Aqua One Aquience Bow Front 1500B Aquarium technical details
Dimensions Tank: 150W x 50D x 64.5H cm
Water Capacity: 380L
Lighting: 2x 30W, 2x 40W fluorescent lighting tubes
Glass thickness: 10mm
Heater: 2x 200W
Filtration: Aquis CF1000 x 2 (external canister filters)

Have paid £399 delivered and looking at the heaters/filters they seemed much better only downside is that I think these are T8's and not T5's but I understand that with Cichlids and using blue/white lights and no plants to consider that it makes very little difference. It is dark wood but as I have bare natural floorboards and unvarnished distressed pine furniture none of the options offered from aquarium companies would have suited.

What have I done? Dont know whether to be excited or petrified.