Malawi Tank - Seting Up

[saz326]

I am now getting to the stage where the tank is coming together.

Rocks and sand are in, I am just waiting for a new filter hose and some conditioning salts to arrive so I can fill the thing up.
Tank is a 200 litre - I shall put an image up if I can pry the camera from my man.

Once up and ready, I am planning on transferring some spare filter media from my tropical tank into the clean filter on the mbuna tank and get a couple of fish in the tank to "maintain" it. I am getting married in April and dont want to make the tank too needy too soon. In terms or fish I intend to get some different colours in there but am not overly keen on overstocking the tank until I have had some experience of these guys and all the wedding stuff is done and dusted.

Have been looking at some of the less agressive species so that I could in the future add some extra fishies. I have been thinking of the following:

Iodotrohpeus Sprengerae - Rusty cichlid
Cynotilapia afre "cobwe" & "cobue"
Labidochromis "Hongi island" & "mbamba"

Which of these do people think would be the one to choose to add first as a tank maintainance fish (keep the filter running) until I can add the next stocks. I estimate they would be in there on their own until the end of April.

 

[Malawi MaD]

Hi saz, first of all congrats on getting married!

200L is at least a better sized tank for a first Mbuna tank. Malawi's need to be added in larger groups as this spreads out the aggression, if you add just a couple of fish these will choose their territories, meaning its quite difficult to add more fish in the future. Id add the mature filter and monitor the tank for a week, checking your water parameter's to make sure there is no drastic fluctuation's. If everything is then ok id go for the three species you have chosen and add 3 of each for the meantime then add at a later date. Ideally another 6+ fish, i personally always find it best to add at least 6 or more at a time and mix the rocks around a little so the new fish don't get attacked by the fish currently in the set-up (your set-up). You don't always have to overstock either, most people assume this is always the best way to stock malawi's but if you choose your species wisely (which you have done) the fish will live in harmony and in less numbers, meaning more space for your fish to be happier.

If you have to wait till April to add extra fish, id just add some fish from your tropical set-up in the meantime to maintain the filter's.

 

[saz326]

Thanks for the congrats! Am super duper terrified - lived together for 6 years so its not like I dont know what Im getting myself into, lol.

If you have to wait till April to add extra fish, id just add some fish from your tropical set-up in the meantime to maintain the filter's.

I was thinking this - but I am put off from it as there are so many nice hide-y holes in the rocks for the little chaps to go into that I would have a #29### of a time trying to fish them back out. Also I would like the water to be all Malawi-d up and these tropicals are softwater fish...

The idea of adding a few of each species then uping the numbers in April could work quite nicely. I guess I could go for all males, then try to add mainly females in the top-up of numbers. I would like to end up with a mixed sex tank.

Otherwise, is there any companion fish I could add that would then stay in there with the Cichlids in the long term?

 

[Malawi MaD]

Thanks for the congrats! Am super duper terrified - lived together for 6 years so its not like I dont know what Im getting myself into, lol.

If you have to wait till April to add extra fish, id just add some fish from your tropical set-up in the meantime to maintain the filter's.

I was thinking this - but I am put off from it as there are so many nice hide-y holes in the rocks for the little chaps to go into that I would have a #29### of a time trying to fish them back out. Also I would like the water to be all Malawi-d up and these tropicals are softwater fish...

The idea of adding a few of each species then uping the numbers in April could work quite nicely. I guess I could go for all males, then try to add mainly females in the top-up of numbers. I would like to end up with a mixed sex tank.

Otherwise, is there any companion fish I could add that would then stay in there with the Cichlids in the long term?

That's ok, ah everything will be fine Just enjoy it!!

True, would be a pain having to move everything about to catch the fish. You could have some synodontis catfish in there with the malawi's or BN's at least then these can be left in there when you add the malawi's later on.

Yeah if you wanted to add 3 of each of the 3 species you mentioned then that would be good. Id go for multiple males with at least 6 to 8 females of each species, depending on how many males your wanting. How many you thinking?

 

[saz326]

That's ok, ah everything will be fine Just enjoy it!!

True, would be a pain having to move everything about to catch the fish. You could have some synodontis catfish in there with the malawi's or BN's at least then these can be left in there when you add the malawi's later on.

Yeah if you wanted to add 3 of each of the 3 species you mentioned then that would be good. Id go for multiple males with at least 6 to 8 females of each species, depending on how many males your wanting. How many you thinking?

The Synodontis Catfish should be in groups though shouldn't they.. I imagine they are quite messy? Would that be too high a bioload to dump on the tank? I guess a group of three if given a non-feed day on introduction and then light feeding for a couple of days would be fine.

I was thinking final stocking:
Two male and 4 females Iodotropheus sprengerae
One male and 3 females Cynotiliapia afra "cobue"
One male and 3 females Labidochromis "Mbamba"
and One male 3 females of the Lab "Hongi"

Perhaps introducing the Iodotropheus first as they are the least aggressive, then adding the remaining fish.

Are you saying it would be better to have multiple males of any one species?

If I do this, would it be best to remove either the Hongi, or Mbamba since they have similar appearance?

 

[Malawi MaD]

That's ok, ah everything will be fine Just enjoy it!!

True, would be a pain having to move everything about to catch the fish. You could have some synodontis catfish in there with the malawi's or BN's at least then these can be left in there when you add the malawi's later on.

Yeah if you wanted to add 3 of each of the 3 species you mentioned then that would be good. Id go for multiple males with at least 6 to 8 females of each species, depending on how many males your wanting. How many you thinking?

The Synodontis Catfish should be in groups though shouldn't they.. I imagine they are quite messy? Would that be too high a bioload to dump on the tank? I guess a group of three if given a non-feed day on introduction and then light feeding for a couple of days would be fine.

I was thinking final stocking:
Two male and 4 females Iodotropheus sprengerae
One male and 3 females Cynotiliapia afra "cobue"
One male and 3 females Labidochromis "Mbamba"
and One male 3 females of the Lab "Hongi"

Perhaps introducing the Iodotropheus first as they are the least aggressive, then adding the remaining fish.

Are you saying it would be better to have multiple males of any one species?

If I do this, would it be best to remove either the Hongi, or Mbamba since they have similar appearance?

The syno's do like to be in group's yeah but as you say three wont do any harm at all on the bio load and three will be a good start until you add a couple more in the future or pass them on that's entirely upto you.

Yeah if you wanted to introduce the sprengerae i don't see a problem with that. You shouldn't have high aggression issues if you introduce bulks at a time (as i said earlier 6+) and even if you do get a little it will only be some chasing about but nothing to serious.
Again that's upto you i prefer to have either 1M or 3or more M(depending on tank size) because if you have 2 your always going to have that sub-dom male that's going to get non stop harassment and never colour up. Where as three spreads out the aggression and the dominance may spread between the 3, meaning you may get 2 of the 3 colour up one time then the 3rd colour up more than the other 2 etc..
Yeah id remove one of the 2 not because of the male's having similar appearance but the females look a like which can lead to cross breeding between the 2

 

[Squidward]

That's ok, ah everything will be fine Just enjoy it!!

True, would be a pain having to move everything about to catch the fish. You could have some synodontis catfish in there with the malawi's or BN's at least then these can be left in there when you add the malawi's later on.

Yeah if you wanted to add 3 of each of the 3 species you mentioned then that would be good. Id go for multiple males with at least 6 to 8 females of each species, depending on how many males your wanting. How many you thinking?

The Synodontis Catfish should be in groups though shouldn't they.. I imagine they are quite messy? Would that be too high a bioload to dump on the tank? I guess a group of three if given a non-feed day on introduction and then light feeding for a couple of days would be fine.

I was thinking final stocking:
Two male and 4 females Iodotropheus sprengerae
One male and 3 females Cynotiliapia afra "cobue"
One male and 3 females Labidochromis "Mbamba"
and One male 3 females of the Lab "Hongi"

Perhaps introducing the Iodotropheus first as they are the least aggressive, then adding the remaining fish.

Are you saying it would be better to have multiple males of any one species?

If I do this, would it be best to remove either the Hongi, or Mbamba since they have similar appearance?

A group of 3 Syno cats should be ok. I had some with my Malawis and didn't find them overly messy. Not more than the BN that was in the tank.

Malawis are best introduced in 1 or max 2 batches. And shouldn't be introduced in groups of less than 6.

If you are going to introduce 1 species only, then yes, the least aggreassive first (Rusties) would be a good idea.