Tanganyikan Or Malawi Mbuna?

[philak]

My 125L Roma is now free to set up as per the title and the original plan was to go for Tanganyikan, partly becuase some of them seem better suited to a smaller tank and partly because i fancied including some shell dwellers or a Brichardi pair (or both as reccomended for this size tank by Frank Schneidwind's book on Tangs). However , after researching the various fish profiles they seem to prefer the temp range 77-79F . The tank in question is in a warm room with direct sunlight at this time of year and regularly reads around 82F, which was one reason for moving from my previous setup.

Looking at some Mbuna profiles ,they generally seem to fall in a higher temp range of 79-82 .

Can somebody with experience confirm these generalisations on suitable temperatures , and if i go with Mbuna,can somebory reccomend a mix for this size tank?

I have ocean rock and coral sand at the ready and would like at least one or a pair of "diggers" if possible.

Cheers

PS the tap water is around PH 7.4 and right at the upper end of the scale in terms of hardness .

 

[kiriyama]

What are the dimensions of your tank ? 125l sounds to small for Mbuna, I would go for Tanganyikan because of the interesting behaviour.
Nice shell dweller tank, maybe a few rock dwellers, what's the footprint ?

 

[philak]

From the web listing (the tank is at my g/fs) the size is 80cm long x 35cm wide x 45cm high.

The plan was for Tangs and if i had control over the temperature at all times then it wouldn't be such a problem but im generally only there at weekends. When the sunlight is direct the curtains need closing to ensure the tank doesnt overheat for fish that like it cooler , this is my main worry.If Tangs can stand 82F then no problem .

 

[kiriyama]

I have a similiar sized tank. Mbuna definately out of the question, you will have to think long and hard as to which Tangs you want in there, it's still quite tight. Have had Multies and Julies in that sized tank. Worked ok
Temperature converts to 27.7778c , no probs with Tangs at that

Meant to say, I have west facing windows so room gets very warm during the summer months, I have blackout blinds, they really help deflect the heat

 

[elisew]

The shell dwellers on their own would keep you entertained

I changed my stock to Tangs a few weeks ago and I absolutely love the multifaciatus, they`re so funny and very entertaining. Unfortunately the brichardi option isn`t one that worked out very well though. I only had one to cut down on the aggression that the brichardi`s are known for but I still had to return him to my lfs as my male caudopunctatus ended up with 3 chunks out of his dorsal fin.
As much as I love the look of the brichardi, I definately won`t be having another one.

I should imagine kiriyama or doresy can advise better than I, but it may be a possibility to have an area for a few multies and have a pair of caudopunctatus as well?

 

[philak]

Elise, Caudopunctatus were high on my list to start with but i've read half a dozen sites all quoting temperature ranges of 23-25C (73-77F).

Maybe i'm being too fussy about the temperature aspect? 2-3 degree C extra seems quite a lot to me to subject fish too. I see you have quite a mix in your tank so what temp do you keep?

I also see you use MA in Wimborne which is where i deposited the inhabitants of my community tank recently. Very helpful staff there.

 

[elisew]

My temp is at 25c, we have our heating on quite a lot at the moment and the heater light rarely comes on so the temp may well fluctuate very slightly too. The punks in my tank are currently beginning to build a mound of sand which I believe is part of the breeding process (well I hope anyway) and they seem to be very happy. Despite the different temp requirements you mention, even my leleupi are flirting like dirty rats at the moment too so they`re obviously all comfortable
I found this section of literature on the punks on The Cichlid Room website:
'N. caudopunctatus lives in waters over a substrate of fine sand punctuated by rocky islands or outcrops. It is found at depths from 3 to 75 ft (1 to 25 m). The lake temperature remains stable year round at an average of 80°F (26.5°C) with barely a variation of 4°F around this mean'........which does indicate to me that a slightly higher temperature can be maintained.
The blackout blinds that kiriyama mentioned is a very good idea if you`re still concerned and aren`t in a position to move the tank away from the direct sunlight

Obviously you need to go by how you feel about things and you`ll obtain some great advice from the other members to help you decide.

The staff at Wimborne MA are great, a really lovely bunch who I can`t recommend highly enough. They also took some of my recent Tropical stock when I changed my setup
If you want any really good advice on the Tangs when you`re at MA, ask for Luke or Ryan as they will help you as much as they can.

 

[lalo99]

For that sized tank I would stick with Tangyanikan fish. The temps of both lakes are very close a degree or two wont matter either way. If you went with mbuna I would stick with a single dwarf species. One or two males with 4-6 females.

 

[philak]

Thanks for the input everyone. Both my 125L and 240L are now stripped down whilst i consider what next. I've tried planted community tanks but the water in both tank locations is extremely hard and much better suited to the fish in the topic title .

Having said that the Bolivian Rams bred very successfully even when i stopped mixing RO water so it just goes to show how adaptable some fish can be. Anyway, on to the next phase....