My "malawi" Set-up

[fry_lover]

apologies for pic quality, all done with my mobile phone!!!

Please be patient for pics, may take me a while to work this out

anyway this is the story really..........

Please let me know if i have got any species wrong from the (blurry) pics.

Also, please let me know what you would advise for the long term of this tank, i think as some of the Malawi get bigger i will have to make alternative arrangements or upgrade.

Anyway, i bought a Rio 300 a whilst back, which in terms of actual water carrying measures, 48" length x 20" wide x 22" high and like the name suggests holds approx 300 litres of water which is 66 UK Gallons and 81 US Gallons i think.

It had a load of Malawi in when i got it, LOADS, massively stocked theres pics of it somewhere on this forum, also had x2 large Parrot fish in it. The trouble was, it had some more carnivorous Malawi (like Nimbochromis Venustus in it) mixed with Mbuna so after quite a few months of re-organising i am left with the following combination in the tank (most were already there, i have added a few small Malawi and most of the Tangs were added by me). The Tangs were added as i gave up on my Tang Community Plan. I know its not ideal mixing Malawi and Tang, so i am happy for some feedback here please

Okay, Tank

- Ocean Rock and Lava Rock, Lava Rock at front bottom area, Ocean Rock stacked up against the back. There is a fair bit of swimming space round the back of the Ocean Rock that all fish can fit in, and the Lava Rock on the surface of the tank provides lots of "nooks and crannies" so to speak!!!

- The substrate is the usual very fine aqaurium sand, its quite light in colour

- I have a black background

- Heater is 1x 200W, ideally i would prefer 2x 150W for safety reasons, so if one fails i got a back up and also i dont want the wattage to high as although its never happened to me, i am terrified of a heater getting "stuck on"

- Filtration is provided by x2 Eheim 2028 Externals. At the moment i also have x1 Fluval4+ internal as i ordered too much Eheim media, so i stuck some of it in my Fluval 4+. I also have a Fluval 2+ in there. Part of the reasons for these additional Fluvals is i own x2 Eheim 2028 and x1 Eheim 2026 and i am not overly impressed with the flow rate on them, no matter how i fill it with media and no matter how i clean the media, i wouldnt even want to leave my Malawi tank with just x2 Eheim 2028's (bioligically it seems more than adequate) but i am not happy with the water flow. I was wondering to just get x1 powerhead in there?

- Lighting is x1 Marine White and x1 Marine Blue

Fish Stock

MBUNA
6 x Labidochromis Caeruleus approx 2-3" each
4 x Maylandia Pseudotropheus Zebra (Blue) approx 2" each
2 x Maylandia Lombardoi Female (Kenyi) approx 1.5" and 3.5"
1 x Maylandia Lombardoi Male (Kenyi) approx 2"
1 x Melanochromis Chipokae approx 3.5"
1 x Red Zebra Maylandia Estherae approx 4"
4 x Small Red Zebra Maylandia Estherae approx 1" each
4 x Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Ngara - white tailed) approx 1" each
1 x Maylandia Greshakei Male approx 3"
2 x Female Greshakei approx 1" and 2"
2 x Labeotropheus Trewavasae (Chilumba) approx 1.5" each
1 x Un-identified yellow "lab" type, either a yellow lab or some kind of Zebra 2"

HAPS
4 x Copadichromis borleyi (Kadango) approx 1" each
1 x Aulonocara (un-identified type) approx 3.5"

TANG
3 x Neolamprologus Tretocephalus approx 1.5" each
2x Neolamprologus Meeli approx 1" each
1 x Julidochromis Marleri approx 2"
1 x Julidochromis Dickfeldi approx 3"

OTHERS
2 x Bristlenose approx 2" each
1 x Chinese Algae Eater approx 2.5"


COMMENTS

My Chipokae (despite the reputation) is as cool as a cucumber, doesnt trouble anyone and no one troubles him. PLEASE CONFIRM if you think he's a Chipokae from pic, one of mate thinks he's an AURATUS, i still think Chipokae

My Kenyi's are pretty placid, although 2 of them are still quite small. Perhaps when they get bigger their reputation will become true? The biggest Kenyi i have is the female who is the mother of the other 2 in the tank. I had to move the father on as he was causing havoc after i got the tank, a true Kenyi!!!!

One of the Trewavasae is constantly chasing the other one (violently) but no harm has come to it, and mostly they stay out of each others way

In x3/4 months approx i have had x1 death (yellow lab) died out the blue, no markings or anything on it.

Its very rare i see a fish with any damaged finns in this tank, very rare. There is some "argy-bargy" at feeding time but thats about it. The Greshaki sometimes hassles one of the Blue Zebras and sometimes the big Red Zebra gets fed up of all the Yellow Labs chasing each other (its like they are playing with each other and the Red Zebra cant be bothered to watch it anymore LOL)


DIET (approx figures)

x1 per week, Courgette and Cucumber, left in for 24 hrs
x1 per week, Lettuce left in for 24 hrs, gets 90% eaten anyway
x2 per week, JBL RIFT Algae Pellets
x2 per week, Hikari Cichlid Excel pellets (Wheat Germ and Spirulina)
every 3-4 days or so, FROZEN SELECTION (Brine Shrimp, Mysis or Cichlid Diet)


WATER PARAMS

in terms of the water params, as i live in London, its hard and alkaline, when i test its between 7.5 and 8.0 and probably closer to 8.0

Recently when i tested the GH was 12-degree's and the KH was 8-degrees.

I keep the temp at a stable 78-79F

I used to prefer doing 40% w/c per week, but i now do about 25% every 3-4 days. I feel its worth it.

Nitrate comes out my tap in between 10-20 mg/l so i like to keep on top of it, and keep it to 50 mg/l or under in the tank.

I test for ammonia and nitrite every week and never get any readings.


DAMN, NOT SURE HOW TO UPLOAD THE PICS, i have some all on J-Peg on my Hard-Drive, can anyone help me out with the pics please?

 

[MEePStER]

upload them onto photobucket, then tank the image url and past it on here

 

[fry_lover]

upload them onto photobucket, then tank the image url and past it on here

just doing it as we speak (or type)!!!!

LOLgot it working, the pics coming out at funky positioning!!!Sorry for the cr*p quality, taken on mobile, more coming

 

[MEePStER]

looks great! i love how you used the ocean rock with the lava rock,

 

[fry_lover]

is that a male or female Maylandia Estherae in bottom right???its stopped working, bear with me

looks great! i love how you used the ocean rock with the lava rock,

thanks!!! is a male or female Estherae please???

Is this is a Chipokae? My friend thinks it might be an Auratus?

LOL, my text is all over the place, i havent even been drinking tonight

what do peeps think the yellow cichlid is above, not the first yellow, i know its a yellow lab. I got the other yellow of my little friend Twinkle Star, is it a female Lab or a pseudotropheus?

 

[fry_lover]

Male Kenyi

i think colour wise, this is my fave Malawi in tank, time will tell if he starts to kick a**, as Kenyi's tend to do, according to my research (and also experience with his father who was a nightmare to contain once i got the tank!!!)

DOES ANYONE WANT ME TO COME ROUND AND TAKE PICTURES OF THEIR FISH FOR THEM, I WILL DO IT FOR FREE

 

[caboose_122]

i dont see an auratus but i do see the chipokae

chipokae: http/www.cichlidforum.com/profiles/species.php?id=755

your tank looks great! like meepster said i like how you have the ocean rock and lava rock it has a good contrast

keep the pics comming

 

[fry_lover]

i dont see an auratus but i do see the chipokaechipokae: http/www.cichlidforum.com/profiles/species.php?id=755your tank looks great! like meepster said i like how you have the ocean rock and lava rock it has a good contrastkeep the pics comming

thank you very much, glad you think so, the water is really crystal clear but you would never know from the pictures!!!!i do have a digi cam, i just need to set it up, i wish i could get my tank on here how it looks now, but the pics dont really do it justice.more fish pics coming

This fish is a stunner, i got 3 ages ago and still have all 3, but BOY, do they not like each other, they occupy completely different areas of the tank and low and behold one of them ventures into anothers "area" LOL, loads of huffing and puffing and "gill flaring" with these guys, but no damage, stunning colours. Neolamprologus Tretocephalus like i said, i didnt mean to mix Malawi and Tang and need to sort out what i am going to do with this set-up for the longer term, but its working at moment, i was mostly concerned about DIET, so if people can please feedback to me on the DIET info i have listed above (my feeding routine)

terrible pic though, best i could getthese are such little characters, they are the smallest fish in the tank, i have x2, but they can hold their own, basically they are "shell dwellers" so my two just dig themselves a cave in the sand and sit-tight!!! The longer i have the set-up the more i see of them, they used to sit in their cave all day and only come out for feeding, now they always out, what amazes me about these two is no matter how hectic it gets they are completely un-fazed by it all, and no other fish has over tried it on with these guys. They dont hang out together, they dont really get on!!! They mostly spend their time on the very bottom of the tank, almost like a tiny version of a Bichir, almost crawling on the sand. I used to think they were just scared of the Malawi etc, but now i think its just the way they areI really didnt want to put them in with the Malawi, but i had no where else, it was either the Malawi tank or my Community Livebearer tank, but i didnt want them eating my fry. Neolamprologus Meelihttp/i94.photobucket.com/albums/l89/bobb...ardoiFemale.jpgFemale Kenyi (mum to my other Kenyi's)Pic makes her duller than she is, shes not the most colourful Malawi but is more blue than pic makes out, in the background is my Aulonacara lurking about

 

[caboose_122]

the diet looks fine to me some more experienced people may say different though

 

[fry_lover]

Female Kenyi (mum to my other Kenyi's)Pic makes her duller than she is, shes not the most colourful Malawi but is more blue than pic makes out, in the background is my Aulonacara lurking about

the diet looks fine to me some more experienced people may say different though

yeh, i try to get the Tangs enough "non veggy" food to keep them happy. All the Tangs in the tank are great colours and no signs of any issues at all, and its been this way for months. Some of the Tangs are now breeding (the Julidochromis)

Kadango Hap, i have x4 and they shoal, only little, about 1 to 1.5" i know they will eventually get quite big, about 6-7" i believe and the males (if any) will totally change colouring

doing a couple more hopefully less blurred

 

[caboose_122]

that looks liek a male kenyi to me, females are blue

 

[fry_lover]

that looks liek a male kenyi to me, females are blue

yeh i got x1 male and x2 females in my tank, one of the females is the mum to the other two

 

[fry_lover]

i subdued the lights a bit

Right thats it for now folks, it's more about the feedback than the pics, please take a look at my initial post on the full detail of this set-up and make suggestions as to the way forward for the long term and what you think of the information i have given, especially with reference to the diet and water ParamsThanks

 

[dthoffsett]

While I would NEVER recommend your stocking to someone, it sounds as if yours is working out so far. The food you're giving sounds fine, allowing plenty of veggies will help with the extra protein you add for the Haps and Tangs. As everyone matures though, the tank dynamics could completely change, and either they'll all work it out, or you'll have a blood bath, only time will tell. I think long term you really need to either set up a couple more tanks (a Tang tank, and a Hap tank), or decide what kind of set up you really want, and rehome the fish that don't fit in.

Water parms sound fine, and if you want to exchange the internal filters for powerheads, they should give you plenty of water movement.

The pic where you ask if the m.estherae is male or female - looks like a male to me.
Not sure on the yellow one you are trying to id, a better pic would help.

 

[fry_lover]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes i agree, although i think the bloodbath terminology (although possibly true in theory) is a bit extreme, i watch this tank everyday and if i ever go on holiday i have fish-keeping mates come round daily. I am lucky in that regard.

But yes, its not your text book combination, i think i will end up splitting this tank into two (not literally of course) but trying to find a place in my flat for all these fish but spread over 2 tanks perhaps, they would also be the same size (300 litres)

There is 5-10 mins of aggro after feeding and thats it, the tank is in front of my PC and due to college committments i have averaged about 5-6 hrs per day front of my PC over last few months!!!

I'm certainly not wanting to be defensive of any criticisms, otherwise i wouldnt have posted the thread for sure!!!