WerePanda Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 Hi guys I've been keeping mostly malawis for over two years and I'm really passionate about them! I thought I'd drop by and say hi, plus there are few things I wanted to ask. I'm planning to restock my malawi tank since I transferred most of them to my parents (because their visitors like them ), so I'm down to two big male lionheads, one big eyebiter, six electric yellows (babies-juvies), and three hard-to-identify mbuna species (juvies) and a cute male gba (juvie-mature). I had them in two separate tanks to avoid keeping both large and small fish but they seem to get along just fine. The tank is full of life and action, and sometimes it gets too much since other fish have been transferred, so I want to restock my tank with new fish to reduce aggressiveness and for a new look. Being a uni student, I don't have much money to afford fish from a pet store and trademe doesn't list juvies often enough and even then, most of them are out of my price range. So I'm wondering if anyone in Auckland has some they want to send to a new home for an affordable price? I'm sorry if I sound too stingy and needy, it's just that I find it hard to pay for everything already so yeah. I'm studying post grad marine science and I really want to have experience in breeding. What I'm looking for are possibly two female lionheads, one male eyebiter, one female gba, and 2 or 3 electric yellows, and other species (many different species would be perfect!). For the three unidentified species, I'm going to post a picture later so I can finally ask to know what these little guys are! To conclude my little rambling, I'm looking for juvenile malawi species (preferably those above, but I don't really care if they are of different species as long as I can have babies to look after!) I can add to my tank. Oh, and does anyone also know where I can get nice looking limestone slabs or any stone slabs for cheap as well? Thanks! -Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 Hi Alex, How big is your tank? Remember that if you are stocking for breeding then you don't want to stick an assortment in there that is how you end up breeding hybrids.. Generally if you are trying to breed you want to do it in a species tank or mix the species that are less likely to cross (or produce obvious hybrid babies which can be culled or given away). Also if you plan on getting more eye biters you need to end up with 1m and 3f++ the males are super aggressive and if you end up with a pair chances are your female will get killed.. As for juvvie fish I breed a few and live out west, usually sell things for $6ea depending on species around 2-3cm long let me know if you would like to come out and have a look. Put up some pics of your randoms and we will see what they look like. Stone and water world is probably the place for your rocks as well. Good luck and get in touch if you want to have a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WerePanda Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Hi ryan Thank you for advice on breeding! Yeah I thought about them cross breeding, so I'm thinking of investing in another tank once they reach big enough to breed so I can separate them into a species tank. My tank is 90x30x45 and got another small one, 40x30x30. Oh all I knew were that eyebiters were relatively peaceful. I think my tank would be too small to keep 4 fully grown eyebiters My fish are all at least 4cm, so I'm looking for juvies over that size, would you have any? If so, I'll be more than glad to come visit you and have a look at your fish! I'm getting my camera back this weekend so I'll post pics up then. Once again, thank you so much for your tips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Ok well your tank is too small really for one eye biter (they easily get to 15-20cm long) and the majority of african cichlids.. I would probably only try for 1 pair of lump heads in there once they pair off they can get quite agro, and probably only electric yellows. Depending on what your other fish are you may need to move them on before they outgrow the tank as well.. It might be working now but as fish grow and mature that is when things go wrong and there not many mbuna that can be done in a tank as small as yours, dems/yellows and some peacocks might go alright for a while but most will outgrow the tank in a year or 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WerePanda Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 So you won't suggest me getting any more? I was thinking maybe I could get upto 20 in this tank before I move out of this apartment into a house at the end of feb where I could store a 4 or 5f tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 You need to identify the unknown fish in your tank first.. But I wouldn't recommend getting any more unless you were going to start again with 2-3cm youngsters which would take time to outgrow the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WerePanda Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 These are the three fish I don't know the names of My current tank - some rocks are out for the night as I'm going to rearrange right side of the tank tomorrow Fish no 1 Fish no 2 & 3 Sorry for the quality, used my phone instead of my camera. Even juvies 4-5cm would be too large for my tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 are they socolofi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WerePanda Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Oh google images for socolofi match exactly with those two! What about the first fish? It has yellow/orange hint to the fins and along the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 iceblue cichlid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WerePanda Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Do they usually have striped though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reptilez Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 according to google images they do. I think thats it? No expert.they all look to be like socolofi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WerePanda Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Thanks They look like socolofis but my first one looks a little different from ice blue. It's body has orange hint to it, whereas images from google shows only dorsal and caudal fins have orange colouration. But I may as well be wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Fish 2 and 3 could be socolofi (or socolofi crosses that have thrown back - very hard to know without knowing who bred them etc) and the first one looks like a hybrid call it a blue zebra or whatever you will, it is not an ice blue. I should add these fish are likely to get bigger and very aggressive because they are zebras (especially the hybrid male). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WerePanda Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I got these as babies from a local guy who was trying to sell his 60cm tank along with 20 babies in them. Had kenyis, and these guys. Lost contact with him so I don't know who he is haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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