This is prolly more of a general question than a cichlid one but is there any concern with adding about 26 mbunas at once to a 180 gallon with about 10 small to large mbunas currently in it? I have no idea what size the fish I will be getting are. I am just concerned that adding that many fish at once may cause my water params to go nuts.
adding fish
- Thread starter mrbondatut
- Start date
i would not worry as it sounds like the tank havs been up for quite a while
if u are still woried reduce feeding when the new fish are added and slowley increase to allow the bio load ajust
if u are still woried reduce feeding when the new fish are added and slowley increase to allow the bio load ajust
It is actually suggested to introduce "large" numbers of mbuna at once to curb aggression to the new guys, but I don't think 26 was quite what people were driving at 
Anyway, just watch the parameters and if necessary do more frequent water changes to keep the parameters in check. Reducing feeding (as mentioned above) will also help quite a bit.
I guess two other things to worry about are the different species your are mixing and the size of the fish. It is not usually a good idea to mix the most aggressive mbunas (e.g. kenyis and auratus) with the least aggressive (e.g. yellow labs). Might not be as much of a problem in a 180g with 35+ fish, but still keep an eye out for bullies and victims. If you have some smaller fish, then they might get picked on more aggressively or even eaten (depending on size).
Good luck.
Anyway, just watch the parameters and if necessary do more frequent water changes to keep the parameters in check. Reducing feeding (as mentioned above) will also help quite a bit.
I guess two other things to worry about are the different species your are mixing and the size of the fish. It is not usually a good idea to mix the most aggressive mbunas (e.g. kenyis and auratus) with the least aggressive (e.g. yellow labs). Might not be as much of a problem in a 180g with 35+ fish, but still keep an eye out for bullies and victims. If you have some smaller fish, then they might get picked on more aggressively or even eaten (depending on size).
Good luck.
What is already in your tank for species (and their sizes)? How often are you doing waterchanges, and how big? What filtration do you have? How come you don't know how big the new fish are going to be?
I don't think you are giving us enough information to get a straight answer. Personally I don't recommend adding that many mbuna to your tank especially if you don't know what size (and maybe the species?) you are getting. Even in a tank that big, the increased bioload could easily set your tank to re-cycle - likely killing most of the cichlids.
2 Adult Acei, 2 Adult yellow labs, 3 yellow lab fry around 1 inch are currently in the tank. Water changes are currently about once every 1.5-2 weeks based on water params. I usually change about 40%. Filtration is a 40g rubbermaid tote wtih a 3200gph pump. Turnover is prolly 8x with the head pressure and having a divert back to the sump.
I don't know the size of the incoming fish cause I'm ordering from an online retailer and I can't request size or sex. Fish include 8 rusty's, 6 more yellow labs, and 10-12 labidochromis mbamba or cynotilapia afra cobue (havent decided)
I don't know the size of the incoming fish cause I'm ordering from an online retailer and I can't request size or sex. Fish include 8 rusty's, 6 more yellow labs, and 10-12 labidochromis mbamba or cynotilapia afra cobue (havent decided)
I think you will need to step up your waterchanges for a few weeks to give the bacteria time to adjust to the extra bioload. A big filter doesn't mean there is a big bacteria colony - bacteria will only get as populated as their food source allows. Increase the food source and the bacteria will increase, so long as the food source isn't too much too fast.
Even if your parameters test okay, I would still increase the frequency of your waterchanges - Malawians LOVE fresh water.
Even if your parameters test okay, I would still increase the frequency of your waterchanges - Malawians LOVE fresh water.