What Else?

[Jake Jackson]

Just looking for something out the normal bristlenose and syndontis(sp?) plec and catfish.

After all of the mishaps w/ my previous setups, I've decided this would be the best way to start. After a trip to the lfs, I now have a pair of 2inch Pictus catfish I intend to house w/ some smaller cichlids once I get my 55gal here in a week or two. Just wondered if I should leave it as the pictus and cichlids, or would there be another fish type I could add who are capable of withstanding the cichlids aggresiveness? Or should I just add a bristlenose for cleaning purposes and leave it at that?

 

[Puffdaddy]

That would depend on what kind of cichlid you got. Any ideas in what you want or are considering.

 

[Jake Jackson]

I'm intrested in the Malawi cichlids.

But I already have the 2 pictus cats... so something that could exist w/ them in a 55 gal, along w/ a bristlenose cat

 

[adambrum]

Im not 100% sure but i think the diet of pictus cats differs from mbuna but i would check it out.

Try getting some synodontis nyasse these are quite different to the normal synos you see and are from lake malawi heres a pic of one of mine its about 4" now

 

[Jake Jackson]

Okay, so here is where I am now and where I want to go.

I have the 2 pictus. Alone in a 10gal tank.

I was going to add a pair of 1.5inch bristlenose catfish/plec. I was told the pictus are schooling fish. The 2 I have dont school much, but they do seem to have a bond. So should I add a 3rd pictus so they can form the schooling bond now alone in a tank w/o the presence of the rowdy african cichlids?

And then I'll start working on my 55gal setup to include the baby africans. Going to buy a Wal-Mart setup to start, next check for a stand, check after that for the tank, next check will go to water chemicals/solutions and substrate... but that's atleast a few dozen posts away....

So, is this a suffient start/plan?

Oh, and after all the checks, it would more than likely be an overall time of 1.5 months for the pair or trio of 2inch pictus stayed in the 10gal tank along w/ the 1.5in bristlenose. The tank has a nice slate rock setup in it(I can change if need be) with atleast 5 -7 possible places for the little fish to hide.... I think I've included all the details now.

 

[Garbage]

Red Tail Black Sharks work GREAT with africans as long as you dont get them as babies. Id say anuthing from 3-6 inches and you are golden! My RTBS actually chases some of my africans around so he is definantly not at the bottom of the food chain in an otherwise all cichlid environment

 

[Jake Jackson]

Okay, so the black tail sharks, can I house 2 of them in a 55gal?

Also, I've heard clown loaches are good w/ Africans as well... any suggestions?

 

[Garbage]

Okay, so the black tail sharks, can I house 2 of them in a 55gal?

Also, I've heard clown loaches are good w/ Africans as well... any suggestions?

Probably just 1 red tail shark, they wont tolorate their own kind

 

[Boids-n-more]

giant danios will work too , but theres so many different colors of malawi's why not just make it malawis only. Also those tanks at walfart come with junk for accesories "atleast the ones here do" , you might be better off buying the tank and getting your filters and stuff piece by piece and that way you can get good stuff that will last a long time.

 

[Jake Jackson]

I believe I have everything I would like. And I think everything has a purpose.

I have the pair of pictus... I hear they are schooling when small, and once mature fight for territory... So I'll just keep the pair. They can scavage and clean up after the cichlids. Also stab them w/ the barbs if the cichlids get to close.

The pair of bristlenose catfish... They still dont have any bristles or anything, but they do look a lot like some pictures of baby bristlenose cats I picked up in the bristlenose forum. They will clean rocks and the glass of the tank. Once the bristles start coming in(and the 55 gal setup is complete) I may add the cichlids then, but that depends on the overall size of the bristlnose, not just the bristles.

I may add a baby red fin shark once I move them over to the 55 gal. That will be just a lone shark, for a little variety.

And finally, I'll add the cichlids... I know its far off, but after all of the other fish, how many cichlids would I be able to put into the 55 gal setup?

 

[bluedollars]

i bought one of those tank setups from wal-mart...a 29 gallon...everything was great except for the heater...i would get a larger heater they usually dont give u a strong enough one...the stands work very nice as well and look pretty good...not to mention the setup, stand, and a better heater will cost you much much less than what you would by at a lfs for just a tank

 

[adambrum]

So far you have a 55g tank thats ok about min size for mbuna

filtration ? I can recommend the rena xp3 as a very good budget filter

substrate ? crushed coral or similar to help with the ph levels

rocks ? lace/ocean looks good but expensive, lava rock a bit cheaper,limestone very cheap and helps with ph and river stones free.

bristlenose plecs, perfect for cichlid tanks.

pictus, check the dietry requirements if it requires a meaty diet then its not for a mbuna set up as a meaty diet can kill mbuna.

clowns and black shark both of these will work but prefer a more acidic water than mbuna and dont forget the size of clowns.

the cichlids all depends whats available to you but you can go either an all male tank which can be very hard to get right or the more traditional route of 4 species with a ratio of 1m-3f.