Malawai Tank

[Fury007]

Just bought a complete Malawi tank setup, the tanks on abit of the smaller side being only 90L [30ish gal] (but plans to upgrade to move to a bigger tank (300L - 80gal) when i get my 5ft tank for the Texas, and when the fronts get to about 5 inches plan to pop them into a tank on there own, might buy some other fronts about the same size when i move them to ther own tank [see how money is])

What im wanting to know is what filter would be suitable for this tank (got an internal one but not to keen on it [I like my gadgets]) but also be suitable for a bigger tank when i upgrade, and what turn over ratio should i be looking at? with my texas got about 7 times an hour, what should it be on a malawi setup? or should i aim for about the same??

Also what problems am i likely to run in2with the current stocking of the tank what are:
2 X Yellow Labs (one about 3" and one about 4")
1 x peacock (about 4")
1 x electric blue (about 2inch)
2 x frontosa (one about 1cm and one about an inch)
2 x bristle-nose (about 2cm and 5cm)

I do realise there are differant diatary requirements etc, but the previous owner had them running fine [differant foods etc], just want to be aware of any possible problems i could run into as they get bigger and mature.
Hav read some confliciting info on keeping labs and peacocks........should i send him to my LFS or just keep an eye on the agression and tank (but so far it seams to be working ok)

Anything else that i should be aware of with this style of tank setup, as so far only got my Texas tank; and a tank with about 7angels and a few leopard Danios and Black widows (left over from my sisters tank), done alot of reading on it, but nothing concise that this is what u should aim for with this setup etc.

Sorry for all the questions, but this is new unchartered water for me
so any help/advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated =]

Ben

 

[Pleccy]

The Frontosas can grow to 27cm/9" so make sure you have a tank that is big enough for them once they are fully grown. Mbuna need to be overcrowded to disperse their aggression, also you will need at least two (preferably three) females per male fish. The 300 litre tank should be able to house at least 30 fish. If you want to keep the Peacock (Aulonocara sp.) then stick to the more peaceful Mbuna such as other Labidochromis, Pseudotropheus acei and Iodotropheus sprengerae. As Mbuna are messy fish and since you have to overstock the tank then an external filter would be the best thing for the job, ideally you should purchase one that is rated for between 2-3 times the tank's volume. You should also aim for a tank turnover of around 8 times per hour.

For future reference I would recommend Ad Koning's book, Back to nature guide to Malawi cichlids, 2nd edition.

 

[kj23502]

Frontosa's get bigger than 9".

I have Ad Konings book too and I 2nd the recommendation.

 

[Ferris]

A 9" Front would be a baby - these guys can get to 15" and very much like Oscar's, they grow quickly. A 5 footer, at least 24" deep, is the minimum for Fronts IMO.

 

[Pleccy]

A 9" Front would be a baby - these guys can get to 15" and very much like Oscar's, they grow quickly. A 5 footer, at least 24" deep, is the minimum for Fronts IMO.

I've never seen a 15" frontosa and a lot of the info I've seen says they grow to 9-10", thanks for the info.

 

[kj23502]

I'd say 23 fish max for an 80 gallon tank.