How Many Malawi's In A 85g And What Kind?

It really depends on what kind/color of fish you want.

Usually a good rule of thumb is that more fish reduces aggression, so I guess the more the merrier (to a certain extent)!
 
What kind of Malawi's do you want, mbuna or haps?

If mbuna, I'd aim for 20-25 adults, for haps I'm not sure since I've never kept them. :D

With mbuna, the general rule of thumb is 1 male for every 3 or more females. P.demasoni are the exception as they work best in groups of 12+ or a single individual. You'll need to decide if you want several speices of only a few individuals or fewer speices in larger groups. Personally I prefer larger groups, so in your tank, I'd go with 4 species of 1m/5f each, but it's entirely up to you.

As for what species you should go with, there's way too many to start making lists. I'd suggest you go to your LFS, write down all the cichlids you like, then post on here and we can help with compatability. I would suggest avoiding any melanochromis species (with the possible exception of m.johannii) and metriaclima lombardoi (commonly sold as kennyis) due to high aggression.

I'd also suggest reading this , this, take a look at this for inspiration, and here's a great site for lots of info. :good:

Also, when posting in this section (and most of the other specialist sections) you'll want to wait at least 24 hours before bumping your post as there aren't that many African Cichlid keepers so it takes a bit for an answer. ;)
 
Where in Oregon are you? If you are in Portland, check out The Wet Spot. They have a pretty good selection of Cichlids. Most of the staff is pretty knowledgeable, however I heard some bad advice given today, so take it with a grain of salt. :good: They won't let you take pictures of the fish without a manager's approval, but like dthoffsett mentioned, you can at least write down the names of the ones you like.
 
Where in Oregon are you? If you are in Portland, check out The Wet Spot. They have a pretty good selection of Cichlids. Most of the staff is pretty knowledgeable, however I heard some bad advice given today, so take it with a grain of salt. :good: They won't let you take pictures of the fish without a manager's approval, but like dthoffsett mentioned, you can at least write down the names of the ones you like.


i live in salem but could easily make a trip to portland

i saw somethings at my lfs that was called i think a "soccolfi albino cichlid" and i really liked it but i dont think thats the proper name for it
so any info on it please?
 
i saw somethings at my lfs that was called i think a "soccolfi albino cichlid" and i really liked it but i dont think thats the proper name for it
so any info on it please?

The Fish Species Index on this site doesn't appear to have info on that fish. I did some poking around Google and found that the name is: Pseudotropheus socolofi (Albino)

Scientific Name: Pseudotropheus socolofi (Albino)
Common Name(s): Albino Pindani
Geo. Origin: Tumbi to Cobue, Mozambique
Habitat: Intermediate Zone
Diet: Herbivore
Gender Differences: Monomorphic
Breeding: Maternal Mouthbrooder
Temperament: Mildly Aggressive
Conspecific Temperament: Mildly Aggressive
Maximum Size: 6"
Temperature: 78 - 82°F
pH: 7.8 - 8.6
Water Hardness: Hard
Difficulty: 1
Comments: Individuals from Cobue & Mbweca lack the submarginal black band on the dorsal fin. Those from Mara Point & Tumbi Point do have the submarginal black band. It is weakly territorial in the aquarium. It is one of the easier mbuna species to keep for a beginner. In the wild, it picks its food from short algae strands attached to the rocks in the intermediate habitat. Females and males are identical with the exception of some females who may sometimes lack egg spots.

Hope this helps!

Edit: You may also want Google 'Cichlid Exchange' if you want to see more pics of different Cichlids. It's run by the same guy that runs The Wet Spot, and there's a Photo Gallery, so you wouldn't have to make the entire trip to see what you like. :good:
 

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