My proposed Malawi Mbuna tank... How does it sound

[guppygirl]

Hi all,
I was thinking about this Malawi mbuna tank, and since I've never done an african cichlid tank, I wanted to get some second opinions.
These are the fish I was thinking about:
Labidochromis caeruleus "Electric Yellow"
Labidochrimos sp. "Mbamba"
Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos
3 or more clown loaches

How does this sound? What other fish do you think would be good?
I'll probably do a 30-35 gallon tank (or a bit bigger, depends on what I find at petsmart), and make sure it's a "long" tank.
My well water has a pretty low pH (about 6.3) so should I use limestone or crushed coral in the power filter? And should I have two filters?
Thanks in advance!!! I'm so excited, It's just about all I've been thinking about for the last few days!!

~Robin

 

[vantgE]

well waters all you got? they need a higher p.h. at least 7.0 for sure and best above 7.5
I doubt crushed corall would be enough but i'm not sure

 

[guppygirl]

ya I know they need like a range between 7.5-8.2
So should I pre-condition the water before I add it in a water change?
Thanks!!
Robin

 

[thecichlidaddict]

With water so low in ph you should use additives to help bring it to more desirable level.

Baking Soda will help achieve a higher kh and ph, while adding a little bit of marine salt can help to stabilize it. One tsp per 5 gallons of water is fine for the salt. For the baking soda you will need to experiment with your water. You want enough B.S. to raise the ph to 8.2 and the kh to about 12.

Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and run an airstone in it. This will dissipate the co2 in the water and give you more accurate readings. Now test the ph and kh, and note the results. Dissolve one tsp of B.S. and let it disperse. Then test the water again. Do this until you have achieved the desired results. Now you know how much baking soda you need per 5 gallons of water.

The effect of baking soda does wear off. I find that weekly water changes keeps things stable, but if you go longer you may need to add some between water changes. Regular testing will keep you aware of what is going on in the tank. Eventually you will have a good idea of your tank's chemistry and will be able to cut down on testing.

Now, onto your fish selection

Avoid any fish from the Melanochromis genus. They are extremely aggresive and need a lot of space or aggression will become fatal. A 55 gallon tank is the very least I'd recommend for these guys.

Labidochromis Caeruelus is an excellent one. Take care when shopping for these guys, because of their popularity there are a lot of bad strains out there, look for nice bright yellow with little in the way of black markings on the body. Black on the fins however, is fine.

Labidochromis Mbamba is much more aggressive then the Caeruleus, and I think you will have problems with them in a smaller tank. In addition when Labs are mixed in aquariums it is almost guaranteed that they will crossbreed.

Some other species worth looking at for a 35 gallon tank include Idotropheus Sprengerae (rusty), Pseudotropheus Acei, Pseudotropheus Saulosi, and if you keep the tank moderately stocked, Aulonocara.

Hope this helps

 

[yhbae]

I'll be going with a similar tank setup for my first Malawi tank. (33g tank, 3ft long).

I'm debating between:

- 4 x Lab C
- 4 x P Acei

OR

- 3 x Lab C
- 3 x P Acei
- 3 x P Salousi

The requirement is to have a group of peaceful fish, featuring a good mix of different colors. The first setup gives you a good mix of yellow and blue, and they are supposed to be non-aggressive and easy to keep.

2nd setup looks a bit crowded (any one with comments?). I don't want to have a tank that requires heavy maintenance - biweekly water change would be nice if possible. (All my other tanks now get bi-weekly water change with absolutely no problem).

3rd possibility is:

- 3 x Lab C
- 3 x P Acei
- 3 x I Sprengerae

The only issue (other than potentially overcrowding the tank) is that I am still not convinced that I Sprengerae looks good... Most people claim they look far better in person, so I'll have to find one at LFS to see it really is. From the pictures, they look exactly what their name says - pile of rust...

 

[vantgE]

these are great fish to keep so as long as you got a plan for your water, i'm sure you'll enjoy them

 

[guppygirl]

Ok, so I took your advice on the fish selection, CA. What do I do with the pseudotropheus demasoni? I read somewhere that you can't keep more than one male in less than a 50 gallon tank, but how many should I get, and what's the male/female ratio?
Thanks for all the wonderful advice guys!!
Robin

 

[vantgE]

IF the mbamba is too agrisive then so is a demasoni, they are some of the most agrisive, mbuna, too bad the look so nice i don't think you can get them in

general male female ratio is one to 3 if you are keeping more than one male of a same or similar species

 

[thecichlidaddict]

- 4 x Lab C
- 4 x P Acei
Would make a very nice and peaceful smaller tank, IMO.

The ratio's for mbuna depend on species. The 1:3 rule is generally a good rule of thumb, but not always the case. Lab. Caeruleus can usually be kept at a 1:1 ratio without a problem, while the really aggressive ones like Demasoni are best at 1:the more the merrier.

What do I do with the pseudotropheus demasoni?

I wouldn't keep them in a 33, in the end you'd just end up with one. If you bring it up with the others you may get away with one, but if you try any more you'd probably end up with one anyway. Male Saulosi look a lot like demasoni, and they're much less aggressive too:


Also, clown loaches get pretty big, and will outgrow the tank. Another great bottom dweller for a mbuna tank is the Synodontis catfish. Like most cats Synos are schooling fish and are happiest with company. Synodontis Petricola is a smaller variety, better for smaller tanks. They grow slower then mbuna, so it's best to introduce them at a larger size, but it's one of my favourate bottom feeders for african tanks.
Petricola

 

[guppygirl]

What other kinds of Synodontis cats are there that would be good for this setup? I'm sorta lost, there's so many!!
How does this sound~ (and no I'm not debating your reccomendations)
(still not sure about the stocking)
Labidochromis caeruleus
Pseudotropheus "acei"
P. Saulosi
A school of synodontis cats

 

[vantgE]

In a 30-35 gallon the only ones worth looking at are a school of syno petricola, or a syno eupterus or nigrita

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Labidochromis caeruleus
Pseudotropheus "acei"
P. Saulosi
A school of synodontis cats