Thinking of getting into Africans

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
COG Commando said:
1. Yes, I've had my P. elegans and P. interruptus breed in my community mbuna tank.
2. Depends on what type of fish you like... Haps, Peacocks, and Mbuna are all similar but very different as well. Are you looking for open water predators, sand dwellers, rock dwellers??
3. 10-12 fish should be fine in a 55 gallon for quite a while, if not for life.
4. I keep my water at 80F, 8.2 pH, and fairly hard; it comes out of the tap this way for me
5. Mbuna especially get a bad rap for being absolutely nasty. I realize all individuals are different, but I've never had a problem with aggression in my tank... at least so far haha
Feed them a high quality protein based diet, like NLS formulas, for the best growth, color and overall health.
Click to expand...

^ Ya if you want them to catch bloat lol, its best to feed them a LOW protein based diet and a quality vegetable flake food. Mbuna are primarily herbivorous. NLS is good though
 
C L O W N K N I F E said:
^ Ya if you want them to catch bloat lol, its best to feed them a LOW protein based diet and a quality vegetable flake food.
Click to expand...
Not true at all... (DISCLAIMER: At least from my own findings and based upon the findings of others haha)
It's all about the quality of the protein, not the amount. Krill and other easily digestible proteins can be fed in higher concentrations to mbuna and other herbivorous cichlids than previously thought. RD has a lot more information about this subject than I could ever come close to... but I've been feeding my Pseudotropheus elegans 'ngara' (from newly hatched fry to 5"+ adults) NLS Small Fish formula, for the younglings (48% Minimum Crude Protein) and NLS Thera A for adults above 3" (38% Minimum Crude Protein) and I've never lost a fish to anything...
I used to think high protein (above 36%) could cause bloat in mbuna (especially), but with further research and my own studying I've found this to be completely untrue.
Malawi bloat is still completely misunderstood, but from what people have identified thus far it appears to occur in tanks of high stress conditions; low water quality and poor diet (especially low quality proteins such as fish by-product meals used alongside corn/potato fillers which can block up a fish's long intestinal tract and lead to an "explosion" in normally helpful protozoans).

The only thing I really "know" about this whole subject is: NLS is the way to go!!
 
^ Ya if you want them to catch bloat lol, its best to feed them a LOW protein based diet and a quality vegetable flake food. Mbuna are primarily herbivorous. NLS is good though
Click to expand...

The following post was made a sticky shortly after I posted it. If you want to understand bloat, and the role that protein, stress, etc plays in it, read on .......

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?456034-Bloat-Causes-Cures-and-BIG-Myths

In that post you will find where I posted the following.
I have raised some of the most bloat prone species of fish on the planet (Tropheus sp., Tropheops macrophthalmus, etc) on diets of 50% protein, 10% fat (fry & small juvies), and never lost a fish to bloat.
Click to expand...

It's unfortunate that many people in this hobby still rely on outdated & incorrect information from 30 yrs ago.
 
RD. said:
The following post was made a sticky shortly after I posted it. If you want to understand bloat, and the role that protein, stress, etc plays in it, read on .......

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?456034-Bloat-Causes-Cures-and-BIG-Myths

In that post you will find where I posted the following.

It's unfortunate that many people in this hobby still rely on outdated & incorrect information from 30 yrs ago.
Click to expand...

i agree with nls thats all i feed my yellow tail acei and my blue rainbow tropheus the only problem it is a little expensive and has the garlic smell but the colors pop i feed that and spirulina flake every other day
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom