Advice needed(again)

Hey guys really sorry for asking for help AGAIN. So I am thinking of getting a 300 Litre malawi tank. I heard that their are two types of malawis mbuna and something else. I also need to know preffered PH, filteration temperature etc. Plase tell me which speices go well together. Also you can PM anything if you don't want to post in open forum.

 

Trik, you can always ask for help on this forum.
About the cichlids, mbuna are an excellent and beautiful kind to keep. Because mbuna are in the same classification most will go perfectly together. In the wild cichlids are kept in temperatures of 25-27C. Mbuna cichlids like a PH of 7.5-8.0, but this also depends on the current PH of the lfs that are keeping the mbuna. Please read this article for morre information: http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/mbuna1.htm

Some more information on Mbuna:
Diet:
Most mbuna are herbivores and have a very long digestive tract. Feeding them foods too high in protein can lead to a condition known as Malawi bloat. To avoid this it is recommended to avoid feeding your mbuna meaty foods. Instead stick to a low protein pellet, veggie flakes and fresh vegetables. Fasting the fish for a day can also help to prevent bloat.

Filtration:
When stocking with mbuna it is best to over filter your tank as they can be quite messy and some people overstock them heavily.

 

@trik107

Malawis are - for me - some of the most fascinating fish...I have a 4tf tank in my bedroom and spend hours at night watching my very own "soap opera".

On the PH side I cannot tell you much as I cannot remember when last I actually checked :blink1:...but I can check tonight if you would be interested.

I did some research before hand and tried to setup the tank as close to their natural habitat as I can - lots of "caves" and big rocks - and it paid of for me.

I - well they - have had 5 "batches" young ones to the point that I have to let some of them go not to overstock the tank :wacko:

I have a Boyu cannister filter and one internal filter - not sure of the make :amuse: and I do my weekly 20% water change (+- 75 liter) and add aquarium salt the next day (nice big hand full)

I use Seachem Prime and Stability with every WC and clean the internal filter weekly.

In my tank I do not have a fine substrate - was sold the "wrong" type - and have noticed that it actually helps in the big picture.

It cleans easier (Vacuums) and the new fry has some nice place to hide - yes IN the substrate.

Temp is on a constant 25C - but think colder water "triggers" a spawn (Just my opinion)

In the tank I have mostly Mbuna and they do "get along" nicely - they are Malawi's :bigsmile:

The only problem I have had thus far was when we had a 11 hour power interruption :evil: and I lost 7 fish - all added shortly before the problem occurred - but the young ones has already replaced those - with interest :bigsmile:

Go ahead and get yourself some Malawi's...but do some research, ask questions and above all get the way that works for you.

They are lovely fish and will give you hours of fun.

PS : If you buy, buy from a reputable dealer with good stack and kept in good conditions.

 

What does the aquarium salt do?

OK and what is substrate?

Also I am thinking of getting/keeping fire moss. Will that do well in the tank?

And if you can/want too please pm me your phone number will love to give you a ring!

 

Hi trik107!
substrate is what you have at the bottom of your tank... be it gravel, sand or something else. HTH?

 

OK thaught so just was a bit confused but thanks!

 

No prob! :blink1:

 

Lake Malawi has a Salt concentration of round 3kg/1000liter(About one tenth strength of sea water) - this the fish have evolved to live in over thousands of years... replicating these conditions in your future tank will help keep your fishies happy and healthy...

As for your second question,FLAME moss wont do at all.....nom,nom,nommed by your Malawi's - remember that Mbuna are evolved to feed on Vegetarian fare,so your moss will just be a snack to them... Some people have sucsess with Anubias and Java Fern,but for me - I prefer just a well packed Rock wall and to let the colours of the fish be the main atraction in the tank...

 

@trik107 Hi I have kept the malawians for some time in the past. Lets hope I can give some pointers.
mbuna are known as rock fish - they have short snouts/faces to aid in grazing, then you get Aulonacara aka peacocks (do not be fooled that they are entirely "open" water fish as they also require rockery, to establish territories. there snouts are longer and they have longer fins and deeper bodies. Male malawis are highly aggresive toward other males. so territories are vital, I recommend keeping either mbuna or peacocks, avoid mixing them. Mbuna are more available and the colour variations are diverse, keep more than less, otherwise a dominant/hyper male will bully the others. The more fish the less specific targets. You can always get dither fish (but leave that as a last option)


oh and remember Venustus, livingstoni, etc grow large 20cm plus.

So filtration is a high priority especially when stocking quantity.
Let us know what you are thinking and we can suggest species to you.

Peace out!

 

There you go...see GREAT forum...all questions answered - hopefully - and I just read the thread

Just one note extra on feeding.

As Azure said they like their "veggie" diet and will destroy your plants - they even destroy the fake ones I have in my tank :wacko:

What I did notice is that they LOVE "Tetra Pro Algae". I also feed them "Ocean Nutrition" but mine prefers the Tetra. Ocean Nutrition now gets fed as in "between snack" :bigsmile:

 

Just rember: In the words of the prof - fish are like kids, they will enjoy sweets, does not mean its good for them!

 

OK so how many should I stock in a about 250 litre tank?

What is dither fish?

Tetra pro algae is this a type of food brand?

 

Will depend on the type you get....Livinstoni will get Huge and that will reduce the amount....I currently have 38 fish (excluding babies), most almost grown up, and not planning to get any more...

Remember when they are young the load on the filter ain't that bad , but as they get older the load increases...

Yes...it is part of the Tetra range of products....if you do not get the "Algae" one you can also use the "Vegetable" one...both have "spirulina" (???)

 

dither is a distraction fish, that is quick and will take the hyper males attention away from the smaller fish, only if you do not stock enough.

hard to tell how many fish, depends on what you have in the tank, ie rocks, wood, skeletons/shipwrecks???? who knows.

if your filtration is good and you are willing to do plenty water changes (and still maintain a steady pH) you can put plenty in.

They are also relatively easy to sex.

 

Spock how would you breed these ?

 

I don't want to jack Brandon's thread, its easy

 

OH ok, sorry Brandon. PM sent spock

 

Thanks @spock rider...just learned something new :nuts:...hence the name NEWBY :idea:

trik107... try getting limestone rocks...seems to work well maintaining things in my tank

 

No harm done you can continue and elaberate. And how do you know my name?

 

So they are mouth brooders (after they spawn the female picks the eggs up in her mouth, and tumbles them untill they hatch) You can easily tell cause her buccal cavity is enlarged and she won't eat. When the eggs hatch, she will let the fry out close to her for short periods. and if there is danger they will swim back inside. This obviously cannot continue for a long time as the fry will get to big. Here is where the problems start, in a community tank the fry will be chowed immediately. So if you want the babies, you have 2 options.
1. Take her out when she has eggs and pop her in her own tank.
2. Strip her of the eggs (I would NOT recommend this technique for beginners) because it is harsh, difficult, you need a tumbler and in my opinion only to be used if she is a KNOWN egg eater. (this requires numerous tries to be sure)

I know your name because I am a man off infinite recource and not to mention sagasity!