Malawi's

Hi Guys

I don't see much discussion on Malawi's so im hoping that maybe some of you have experience with them

i have a 1.5 x 600 x 600 tank and a 100l sump with filter sponge and bio-balls .

the tank has been running without fish for about 2 weeks now and i have added some bacteria start up not sure the brand but im sure they all pretty much the same thing.

does anybody here keep any Mbuna and how many do you think i could keep in that tank, It is pretty full of rocks.

 

yeah, you should be able to get away with about 30 to 40

 

That was my plan the LFS said about 60 but thats sounds like way too many

 

i am also currently setting up a 1.8 malawi tank, advice i received was 50 mixed fish, i was thinking of 30, to keep space for growth and territory, but i might put as much as 40

 

I've got a 250L tank with Malawi's. About a third of the tank is filled with rock and i have 16 fish in there, all very happy. U've got over 500L there and it depends on how much rock u got in there. If half u're tank is filled with rock i would say start with about 20. Many say if u overstock it helps with aggression, but personaly i don't like to overstock.

 

how do i add pics here?

 

The LFS forget that they grow. They mean 60 of the small ones they are selling.

 

hahaha ja maybe they have only ever seen them small

 

hmmm, sales, sales, sales, sell, sell, sell

 

so can someone tell me how to attach a picture of my tank?

 

at the top left of the page it says post reply, click that then below section to type msg, is a section where you can upload pics

 

when i try click choose file it wont select it, do i need more posts b4 i can add pics?

 

Click new post.
Click the little icon that looks like a paper clip.
Then browse for the pic on your pc.
Press upload.
Pic can not be bigger than 95Kb I think

 

weird its not letting me select choose file so i cant even get as far as to look on my desk top

 

The number of rocks in a tank is not the measure for how many malawis can be kept in there nor is the volume of the tank...

Malawis, by the local definition, can easily refer to all cichlids from Africa – including those that are found in rivers far from Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria or Lake Tanganyika. This is a problem when making a suggestion on how many fish can be kept in a tank as these fish have greatly varied maximum sizes. Consider two commonly available malawis – Pseudotropheus demasoni and Nimbochromis venustus. The Demasoni grows to 10cm maximum while the Venustus gets to around 20cm, literally double the size of the Demasoni. This maximum fish size must be considered when purchasing fish for your tanks as the cute little fish you bought at 35mm will quickly grow to a 20cm monster.

A simple calculation for the number of fish a tank can have is Length of the tank in cm multiplied by the width divided by 30 (30 for freshwater tanks) = total cm of fish. So a standard 4ft would be 120cm x 45cm / 30 = 180cm of fish. Now you need to take the maximum size of the fish you want to keep in your tank, eg. you want to keep venustus and demasonis and you know that these grow to 20 and 10cm respectively which means that you could keep 6 of each (6 Venustus = 120cm + 6 Demasoni = 60cm, at adult size). This rule is just a guide and assumes that basic water parameters are optimised with the best filtration you can provide as well as good maintenance.

The other critical factor with Malawis is aggression and this must be managed first by researching the species you want to keep to determine if they are compatible. I can guarantee that you can have a 2m tank with hundreds of rocks in there and 50 different malawis and all you have to do is introduce a small group of Neolamprologus buescheri and they will kill every other fish in that tank, fortunately this fish is not commonly found locall.

 

OK im going to be keeping Mbuna only

 

Forums, species or general discussions, new thread and there should be an option to attach files and add your pics.

 

What???

 

That's how you add pics

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbuna

Mbuna (pronounced mboo-na) is the common name for a large group of African cichlids from Lake Malawi. The name mbuna means "rockfish" in the language of the Tonga people of Malawi.[1] As the name implies, mbuna are the cichilds that live among piles of rocks, as opposed to the utaka, cichlids living in the open water like many other haplochromines.

Mbuna in aquaria

These cichilds are some of the most colorful freshwater fish for the home aquarium. Mbuna, pronounced with only two syllables, are very aggressive & territorial fish, although they are suitable for beginner fishkeepers who have researched their needs. A suitable aquarium setting includes many rocks, caves & hiding places; plants may be uprooted so they are best avoided but a small number will work well in the aquarium. These include Java fern, which may become the object of mbuna aggression but will not be eaten due to an undesirable taste.
Sand or gravel is the ideal substrate. The hobbyist will want to mix in some sort of so-called "tufa rock" as a pH buffer. However, Limestone, Holey rock, crushed coral & specially mixed bags of substrate will do. Generally, tanks of no less than 120 centimetres (3.9 ft) in length is required for mature Mbuna; 110 litres (24 imp gal; 29 US gal) tanks will work beautifully for juvenile fish but will need to be upgraded as they mature, grow & become more aggressive & territorial (this will occur in just a matter of weeks or months).
These cichlids are usually kept in well filtered, heavily stocked mbuna-specific aquariums. Over-crowding helps spread out the aggression & no particular individual gets picked on to death. They are maternal mouthbrooders & breed readily in good conditions. Mbuna are mostly omnivores, & generally benefit from a varied diet.


Notable mbuna cichilds
Many mbuna cichlids are regularly stocked & sold by pet shops. Some of the most common ones are bumblebee cichlid, auratus cichlid, electric yellow cichlid, red zebra cichlid, Maylandia callainos & Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos(Blue Johanni) cichlid. Cichlids belonging to any of the genera listed below are usually considered mbuna.

Cyathochromis Trewavas 1935
Cynotilapia Regan 1922
Genyochromis Trewavas 1935
Gephyrochromis Boulenger 1901
Iodotropheus Oliver & Loiselle 1972
Labeotropheus Ahl 1926
Labidochromis Trewavas 1935
Maylandia Meyer & Foerster 1984. (syn. Metriaclima Stauffer, Bowers, Kellogg, & McKaye 1997 [2])
Melanochromis Trewavas 1935
Petrotilapia Trewavas 1935
Pseudotropheus Regan 1922



the size range of the above list of "Mbuna" is from 3"(75mm) to 7"(175mm)