I just got my malawi tank set up

[G_Sharky]

I just change my 33 community tank to a rocky lake malawi set up and I have 6 Pseudotropheus species(in my sig) and 1 auratus. What do you guys think, I got the guy in my LFS pick this guys out and he said that as long as they are put in the tank the same time there should be no problem... It's true for now and all my fish seems to school together, but would I have problems with agrresion when they reach adult size

 

[Joviella]

When I set up my malawi tank I was advised to put them all in at once and to expect some casualties.
I put 30 little mbunas,over a week, in a 50 gallon and I have lost 6. I know that when they are mature I may have some probs and also at breeding times there may be losses but I am doing as told on here.
Mine are now quite a fair size and all is well for now.
Your tank sounds like its ok with stocking levels........I would have personally gone for a few more....but then I keep my tanks with double filtration needed to keep the tank running smoothly.HTH.

 

[cluster]

I just change my 33 community tank to a rocky lake malawi set up and I have 6 Pseudotropheus species(in my sig) and 1 auratus. What do you guys think, I got the guy in my LFS pick this guys out and he said that as long as they are put in the tank the same time there should be no problem... It's true for now and all my fish seems to school together, but would I have problems with agrresion when they reach adult size

where is the pic im debating to setup a malawi 29gal - but i really want t breed kribs and im also int rams so i might have to use the new tank for one of them

 

[semper fi]

you could have problems with aggression when they start to sexually mature. auratus is very aggressive. they like to be king of the tank. you may find them commandeering a spot in the middle of the tank. p. demasoni is also another very aggressive fish. they are very territorial and intolerant of other tankmates. they do need the rockwork as they do not like to swim around in the tank with their bellies exposed. they feel more comfortable if their belly is against something to protect it. you will probably already see them swimming against the rockwork, substrate and sides of the tank doing this. right now, being juvies, they are not that interested in the pecking order. when they mature though, it will become more relevant. with a tank like a 33, there is not enough footprint to support the necessary territories to make them feel comfortable.

psuedotropheus are also known to crossbreed. if one is a female, you may find the other males vying for her attention. since they are too young to sex from venting, you should watch for this also.

 

[cluster]

so are labs the only african that would be ok in a community - from what i hear they are ok compared to alot of the other ones, also heard blue johanni is ok but i really like the labs

 

[G_Sharky]

just to update, A pecking order seems to have been established and the big boss of my tank right now is the zebra, but I haven't really seen him nip anybody's fins he'd chase everybody around but won't really isolate a particular fish. the demasoni and the auratus have not been agressive at all....I hope they don't end up killing each other when they matured cause i really like what I have right now and i'm not planning on stocking it anymore.....

 

[modernhamlet]

Sharky,

How big/mature are your fish right now? One can never say for sure, but I have to agree with semper fi... your current stock looks like a recipe for disaster in a 33g.

That's not to say it surely won't work, but there are some very aggressive species there and a 33g is just not very big for Malawi mbuna. The only mbuna I'd keep in a tank that size would be a small group of rustys, yellow labs, or maybe Ps. socolofi... and only two species max.

Good luck with your tank, however you go with it...

 

[G_Sharky]

thanks for your concern modernhamlet... My cichlids are about 1.5"- almost 2" now and i was doing some research on them and most of these guys won't grow past 4 inches so i hope they don't get too territorial. I was going to get a much bigger tank, but did not get my parents approval, they think it's ridiculous to have more than one tank in the house.....

 

[yhbae]

Sometimes, demasoni is ok if you keep only one and there's no other species that look similar to them (you have Saulosi - if this one is a male, it could look similar when it matures). But if I were you, I'd bring back Auratus - I've read so many disaster stories around them (along with Chipoke and Kenyii) I wouldn't risk it...