Bananalobster Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hi there, I would like some advice on stocking a 4 ft tank ( 120 x 45 x 45 ) with Malawi's... Any tips, advice on what to do and what not to do etc is all very appreciated as I have been out of the hobby for about 5 years. I had a small colony of about 8 electric yellows in a 3 ft tank in the past which worked great, but I would like to do something a little different with maybe 2-3 species this time around. So where to start... I guess I would like something not too risky, a mix which is likely to work well and not species that will get too large for the tank eventually etc. I would like some species that are bright and contrast eachother, preferably where both sexes of the species have decent colors. My aim would be to add good amounts of the 2-3 species at a young age, to ease aggression and hopefully make the whole reintroduction to fish keeping fairly stress free! Oh, and lastly if possible with my tank dimensions etc I would like to know what others would choose to keep all levels of the tank active, maybe something that likes the upper / mid levels of the tank. The species I have seen and like the look of, but not sure if it would work or not (again advice appreciated) would be: Electric Yellows (labidochromis caeruleus) Demasoni (Pseudotropheus demasoni) Pseudotropheus socolofi Reading up a little bit on the Demasoni, they seem to need a good sized group to begin with to have a chance of getting along well, do you think this is possible in this sized tank and with other species? How many would you recommend? What other fish would you recommend with or instead? Sorry for all the questions, Im just very interested in starting off well with a setup I know has a good chance of succeeding. I would love to hear what you all would do with a 4 ft setup for Malawi, any pictures you have of your own setups would also help me out a bunch! Oh I should also add, filtration-wise would a sunsun 1400 lph canister be adequate? Or should I plan to get two of these? Thankyou for reading my novel and I look forward to your suggestions / experience and advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWER77 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Demasoni / electric yellows go really well together and are both colourful and active fish that provide a great contrast. I have a whole bunch of Malawi's growing out in the exact same size tank, there are about 25 dems @ 3-5cm and 8 small yellows in the mix. The dems keep to themselves and are doing really well cause of the size of the group. You could look at a group of minimum 12 dems and 10 yellows as a start? I would go for around 20 dems if you can afford it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananalobster Posted February 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 The tank is still in early planning stages so getting it right would be more important than saving a few dollars short term. I have just spotted another fish for the wishlist, by the name of pseudotropheus acei. would they fit in ok with the labs and demasoni? Say 15-20 dems, 10 labs and 6 acei? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWER77 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Not sure if we have those in NZ? Where did you see them? If you can get a hold of some nice red zebras that could be a good group to add in terms of colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananalobster Posted February 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Oh maybe not I was just looking through profiles and researching some names of the ones I like to see if they were semi suitable before asking on here. That's such a shame, they are beautiful fish! The red zebras are pretty similar to the electric yellows but not as bright.. I think I would prefer just one yellowish species in there and if I had to choose between those two I would probably go with the electric yellow. If the amount of fish I threw out there looks about right, I want to have the yellows, dems and a third species.. Something with that light blue color or something that will stand out? Any ideas please throw them out there! Also if you know good sources for these fish for when I am ready to go ahead with it, (after baby comes along, due end of may). Seeing as it can be hard to source 10-20 juveniles from pet shops I would assume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nudge Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 We dont have acei in nz as far as I know. Labs and zebras will cross breed. Labs and dems are a great combo and look awesome def fork out a bit more cash and try and get 20 dems. Its a good combo as it looks great and you shouldnt have to much to worry about aggression wise as they will leave each other alone. They both like to hang around rocks so I you make your rock piles pretty high they should full most levels of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananalobster Posted February 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Okay thanks for the heads up with the Zebras.. So considering they will cross breed Im assuming Maylandia callainos ( Cobalt Blue Zebra) for the third species would be a bad choice? Is there a species that will fit in that likes the middle / top of the tank? That's another reason why I wanted the Acei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWER77 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 pm sent (I will have enough juvie dems ready for May). Nothing else really comes to mind that would go well together and both sexes are nicely coloured. I'm also breeding Pseudotropheus aurora, the males look really nice but the females are quite dull. You could add 3 of them and maybe look at another species to add a similar number? Alternatively I would look at adding more yellows or dems if you want to add numbers. As adding other species may just cause problems, the mix of yellows and dems seems to have worked really well for many people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananalobster Posted February 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 So your saying 3 species in this hypothetical tank would be too many? Just stick with the two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nudge Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 I would tend to agree. There arent to many othet mbuna available that would go well in your tank. Haps would get to big, you could try a couple of male peacocks but that could go either way. They will either be fine or they will constantly fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananalobster Posted February 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Alright thanks for the tips =) Going to just stick with the two species. Given Im going to have just the two, would say 10 electric yellow and 20 demasoni be a good way to go? And would a Sunsun 1400lph canister filter sound about right for that? I was thinking I could also add an internal of atleast 1000lph otherwise, or just two canister filters. Say this paired up with one of the beamwork led light sets on trademe that seem reasonable with good reviews... Maybe some pool filter sand if I can find some and try and find a good source for some nice rocks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWER77 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 That sounds like good numbers. To give you an idea I am running a Aqua One Aquis 1200 Canister Filter and a EHEIM 2012 internal. The Aqua One has a max flow rate of 1100 L/hr and the filter volume is 12L. Not sure how this stacks up against the Sunsun but you want to be looking at flow rate and volume which will tell you how much bio media you can have. The EHEIM is a great filter and helps with keeping the water nice and clear but only downside is you can see the filter in the tank, whereas the external can be hidden behind the stand. I have a lot more fish than you are looking at in the same size tank and my water quality is good with weekly water changes. You should be able to find info on what size tank the filter is rated to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 That sounds like good numbers. I have a lot more fish than you are looking at in the same size tank and my water quality is good with weekly water changes. Hey there, sorry for hijacking the thread, do you have some photos of your tank and setup. I dig seeing what people are doing in there aquariums and yours sounds awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWER77 Posted February 20, 2014 Report Share Posted February 20, 2014 Hi Greg, contacted you a few weeks back about peacocks and haps for my all male tank I'm working on. Will stick to my own thread "Peacock / Hap tank" and try get some pics this weekend to post an update. But yeah it's all looking good, only got another 5 fish to get on my stocking list now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananalobster Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 Just looked up the specs, it is a Sunsun 303A 1400lph filter.. Rated up to a 600 litre tank (I'm sure that's being generous as they normally are). So on a 240l 4ft African I may be able to get away with the one do you think? The Dimensions give me a volume of 26 litres, take away a few litres for the motor etc I would assume it must be about 20 liters for media too, (4 baskets). Also its 35 watts if that is a deciding factor. You say you have a lot more fish than me.. Would you advise that? I have seen most people advise slightly overstocking African tanks to ease aggression.. Do you think I should bump it up to say 15 yellows and 25 dems to be safe? Or too much? Im really weighing up between going for a ready made sunsun 4ft long sunsun tank with stand or buying a normal rectangle tank and making a stand.. Hmm.. The first way is more expensive but its for my living room and I want it to look nice.. I guess that way I could also run the in built filter to be super sure though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nudge Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 The flow rates on canisters are with no media in the canister so once loaded with media you can expect the flow rate to be a lot less than 1400. That being said if you are starting with juvies in a tank that size I would say 1 would be fine, you can always add more filtration if needed later on. 20 dems is a good num To start with and 10 or so yellows as the yellows usually breed like rabbits so you will prob find your numbers will increase once they hit breeding age. As far as aquascaping that comes down to personal preference. Both prefer rocks so a couple of piles at each end of the tank to help define territories is usually a good start. What ph is ya water, mid 7's to 8 is what most people aim for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananalobster Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 Hi there, I havnt checked ph lvls in my town for quite a few years but last time I did the tap water was about 7.4 from what I can remember. I was thinking of adding something like limestone chips into the canister filter to buffer the water naturally and not stress the fish. How do others deal with this? I've always been told to stay away from the ph up and down chemicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nudge Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 If it is 7.4 then I wouldn't worry to much that will be fine. Limestone and coral and aragonite substrate such as crushed marble are what most people use to help buffer water. It won't raise it much past mid to high 7's which is what you are after anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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