Would Like A Malawi Tank! But I Need Some Advice Please.

[stevo_gti]

hello everyone,

i recently got a new tank its a 4ft 260L (57 G) custom build i already have a small 2ft tropical tank so would like something diffrent, a friend of mine has 2 tanks 1 with african cichlids and 1 with american cichlids and i like the look of the malawi

so few questions

1 - will the equipment im using be ok? tetratec ex1200 filter,tetratec aps400 air pump,rena 300w smart heater, and my light unit is a arcadia 54w T5 twin bar with arcadia marine white bulbs

2 - i been told there is no point putting real plants in with cichlids as they just rip them apart? is this true as i do like the look of plants in my tank.

3 - what enviroment do they need? rocks,sand,bogwood

4 - how many fish would i be able to have? the main one i want is electric yellow and Nyererei (Haplochromis nyererei) if i can get this one

and this is the tank

it wont be set up till around febuary as we will possibly be moving house after christmas so not much point to have to move it all so i have plenty of time to read up and stuff

cheers... mark

 

[dthoffsett]

1 - will the equipment im using be ok? tetratec ex1200 filter,tetratec aps400 air pump,rena 300w smart heater, and my light unit is a arcadia 54w T5 twin bar with arcadia marine white bulbs

The filter will work fine for the fish as juveniles, however, once adults you'll want to upgrade to a total tank turnover of 8-10 times per hour (or 450-570gph), since you'll want to overstock for aggression. You don't really need an air pump with them unless you want to, and your lighting sounds fine.

2 - i been told there is no point putting real plants in with cichlids as they just rip them apart? is this true as i do like the look of plants in my tank.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to mbuna and plants. One is to not plant, or use stuff like java fern/moss that herbivores tend to ignore. The other is to overplant so much that the plants can outgrow what the fish eat. It's entirely up to you, I've seen stunning tanks both ways.

3 - what enviroment do they need? rocks,sand,bogwood

Their natural environment is rocks and sand, the only vegetation being algae. To see their natural digging behavior I recommend going with sand (aragonite sand or a cichlid specific substrate can help to buffer the high PH they prefer but isn't necessary). And they do need lots of rocks or other structures to set up territories.

4 - how many fish would i be able to have? the main one i want is electric yellow and Nyererei (Haplochromis nyererei) if i can get this one

I'd aim for around 12-15 adults (you can have almost twice as many juvies in order to acheive the desired 1m/3 or more female ratio, just be sure to remove the extras before they reach adulthood.). Electric yellows (labidochromis caeruleus) are a popular choice, and once I always recommend. The h.nyererei I can't comment on, but I'm sure kj will. As I recall, she did have some aggression problems with hers.

As for more reading up, I recommend the following places, and of course, always feel free to ask questions.
[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=27706[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/[/URL]

 

[stevo_gti]

thanks for the info dthoffsett i didnt realise about the overstocking to stop agression but atleast with having more fish you can have a better variety, i will have to look up more info on the h.nyererei about its aggression and behaviour before i make up my mind on that one then

do malawi need to be paired up or is this just a select few that need it? or are they all more like 3 to 1

 

[dthoffsett]

thanks for the info dthoffsett i didnt realise about the overstocking to stop agression but atleast with having more fish you can have a better variety, i will have to look up more info on the h.nyererei about its aggression and behaviour before i make up my mind on that one then

do malawi need to be paired up or is this just a select few that need it? or are they all more like 3 to 1

Well, Malawi cichlids include 3 groups: haps, peacocks, and mbuna. You are looking at mbuna, and they are all, to my knowledge, polygamous (or harem) breeders, meaning a single male will mate with as many females as possible and will generally fight off any other males. In their natural setting the lake is large enough to avoid deaths in most cases, but in a closed environment the losing male can't always get far enough away from the dominant male which is why they should be kept in a 1m/multiple f ratio. There are a few exceptions, labidochromis caeruleus & pseudotropheus acei being a couple of them where multiple males are usually not a problem.

 

[kj23502]

The name I go by is Pundamilia nyererei. I think it's safe to say the hap and punda are the same fish. Mine were aggressive all the time....chasing other fish all the way across the 5 foot tank in some instances. My tank is 18"w and 26" tall and he'd sometimes follow his victim for awhile. In fact, I named my male ares. Ares is the god of war He was only just maturing also. Maybe about 2" long. The dominant male will be beautiful with the females being a drab brownish/greyish. and FYI this is a Lake Victoria fish.

I sold him and his ladies (as well a a few other males in the bunch) because I'm going to change my tanks around.