My First Malawi Tank.

[Malawifan]

My tank is a 3ft 180 litre.....thinking of maybe getting salousi instead to keep the size down

That will look good.

 

[shepherd88]

Update

Play sand added £2.98 per 15kg from argos......fish seem to enjoy alot better.. digging all day lol

New fish added list so far is

3 yellow labs
3 yellow tailed acei
3 strawberry peacocks....( i was told peacocks and mbuna can live together fine aslong as the mbuna arnt too aggressive which mine arnt. Plus so gorgeous i cudnt resist.

Upgrading tank size once i have moved out with the gf.

Lava rock removed as it was crumblng up all the time...

 

[Malawifan]

Your water looks a bit cloudy. It could be that you didn't rinse the sand off enough. Don't get me wrong your tank is looking good. What filter are you using. As you are adding more fish you may have to upgrade your filtration. My tank is 4f 240l, it's fully stocked now. My fish are between 2 inces and 7 inches . I have 3 juvies and 22 adults. I'm a newbie to this just like you. I've only been keeping mbuna for 8 months. I started with a tetratech ex1200 and now just added an eheim 2215 classic. As you add more fish and they grow your bio load will increase. Other than nitrate levels (40ppm) my water has been great. The extra filter and the shed load of matrix should help. And just one more thing the argos play sand can be a pain in the arse. It's very fine and light and can end up in your filter. Don't worry I've made loads if mistakes. All I can say is that you learn by your mistakes and move on. Wellcome to the joys of keeping Malawi.

 

[shepherd88]

Ye the cloudyness has settled now...running an aquamanta 300 stated 1100lph but prob half that with media. Was looking at running another filter along side or maybe just upgrading to a bigger one.

The sand is a pain but worth the effort as gravel just doesnt look right i dont think.

Tempted to rehome the peacocks and add more acei and labs they seem pritty laid back and always happy to come to the glass to see me.....what else would you advise? Stocking numbers and fish wise as its only a 3ft tank.

 

[Malawifan]

Have a look at these sites they are both very reputable.


http/www.midlandsmalawis.co.uk/

http/northantsmalawis.co.uk/

Try to keep to fish that don't look like each other from the same genus. Stick to 4" growth. 15 fish would probably be your limit. This should help.
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=2