Hi all,
I'm new to the board and new to the NZ fish scene.
Back in Scotland I had various tanks over the years. Starting with the standard 20 gallon tank of misc tropical fish. Upgrading to a larger tank with Oscars then finally to a large marine tank.
I came to NZ in 2008 and only now getting around to starting up a tank again. Planning stage at the moment, planning to buy mid year, stocking July/August onwards.
I've got very limited space and have agreement from the boss that I can fit in a narrow tall tank such as the AR620T.
I'd like to keep Lake Malawi Cichlids and I'm looking for guidance as to which, readily available in NZ, fishes I should be looking to stock this 130ltr tank with.
Torn between the idea of a mixed community tank (selection for compatible breeds will be crucial but I need help here) or to go with a single breed. e.g. I love the look of the Blue Dolphin Malawi but I suspect it would be too big for a 130ltr tank.
Also, I've heard conflicting info about stocking levels with Cichlids - i.e. dense stock to avoid territorial behaviour, add ALL the fish at the same time to avoid any individual/group staking a territory. This is contrary to what I've learned over the years - build up bio load slowly, keep stocking levels to low/modest levels etc.
more daft questions to follow :-)
cheers
Phil