Converting a Tank to africans, exciting

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
N

NCStateFisher

Polypterus
MFK Member
Sep 27, 2010
3,814
123
96
NC
I'm soon converting my 45 gallon over to my first african cichlid tank. I got a 4.5" Red Zebra from the petsmart I work at for 8 bucks because he came in as a koi :nilly: and love him, original plan was to trade him in at the LFS but I'm intrigued by his (i think its a he) behavior of digging etc, ive had him for 2 days and unfortunately he's currently in a 10 gallon that i've buffered with crushed coral, though he'll be in the 45 once i convert it within the next 2 days so don't flame me too bad for the 10g, he's eating well :P

Basically i just wanted to tell you what I planned to do with the setup and ask if you think there's anything I need to add etc to be successful.

- Crushed Coral/PFS substrate
- Reef Rocks to maintain PH in addition to the coral
- Will purchase some slate to make caves/territories

Is there really anything else I'm gonna really need? The guy at the LFS told me that I should really good african cichlid lake salt, but i wasn't sure if that's really a necessity or not.

Also, do you have any suggestions for other Lake Malawi Tankmates? I saw a cobalt zebra at the LFS today that I'd really like to have and figured that would work, but i was thinking probably 3-5 fish for this tank and would appreciate any ideas.

Second, here's a picture of the guy i got for 8 bucks, just wanted to verify that it is a red zebra and was curious if you could confirm the sex for me?

FishTanks5051.jpg


Fish also has several dots on the anal fin that didn't really show up in the picture.

Any other basic information that would be key in the keeping of these fish would be greatly appreciated, filtration will be two AC50 Hob filters and picking up a used Fluval 303 tomorrow if all goes well with this craigslist deal, fingers crossed.

Thanks in advance
 
That's awesome! Wow, she does look good :)

Males are usually powder blue, females are dull yellow or orange. I have a lone male that I would give you if we were closer!

I would stay with other mbuna Malawis to help minimize aggression. You could look into an OB Peacock if you wanted some color options.

Nice looking lady!
 
Sheesh, I was excited to answer and forgot half my post :)

I wouldn't add salt. You could check your ph, but they are pretty adaptable actually (within reason). As long as it's stable, I wouldn't worry.

You will want a variety of foods...flakes, pellets, frozen varieties for treats. Also, having a place for them to hide out when they need to is a good idea.

There, now I am finished :)

Congrats!
 
It is a red zebra, males can be red as well. As for the sex do not go my egg spots for mbuna. I would recommend looking at other mbuna and see which you like the look of the most. Then give us a list and we can help narrow it down.
 
thanks haha :P My girlfriend is hellbent that I will have at least 1 blue one (I'm in agreeance) and she'd also like one that's reddish, i was thinking maybe the girl i have now, a cobalt blue zebra, and auratus(spelling?) and then whatever red one she wants/we can find if there are any you can think of that fit the bill.

I do like that OB peacock :P

Glad you said that about the salt, can't blame him for trying to make a few more bucks though

I've always got lots of different food cuz of my bichirs, frozen bloodworms, ive got veggie flakes, freeze dried bloodworms, shrimp pellets, different kinds of cichlid pellets, algae wafers, etc - would africans be okay eating Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold+ as a staple with veggie flakes and bloodworms mixed in? I have a whole $20 bag i've yet to open
 
mike dunagan;4842840; said:
It is a red zebra, males can be red as well. As for the sex do not go my egg spots for mbuna. I would recommend looking at other mbuna and see which you like the look of the most. Then give us a list and we can help narrow it down.
Click to expand...

Blue Cobalt Zebra
Auratus (though i've just read up on them a bit, probably a bit more aggressive than i'd like to start out with)
OB Peacock
Any suggestions that are red colored? (noob question but its easier when she likes the fish haha

Psuedotropheus - demasoni, I don't know how expensive/hard to find these guys are

also i've seen some people keep clown loaches in there tanks with africans, i dont want CL's as they get too big but how bout angelicus botia would they potentially be able to go in? I only ask because I have a single specimen i haven't decided what to do with when I transfer tanks over
 
dang, well I appreciate the thought either way :P
 
Odd, I can't think of a single Malawi speicies that is actually red. I am sure there is one, but I can't think of it. Most Cichlids will fade, color up and fade again. The closest I can think of to true red is actually a dull orange...or very close in coloring to yours.

If you do put a male mbuna in the tank, you will want to consider adding another female or two to help spread out aggression.

Cichlids are both awesome and frustrating! There are so many gorgeous species available, it's hard to grasp everything available. Some get along, some don't. I have spent more time researching a $7 Cichlid than I did looking into a $500 Husky :)

But, they are rewarding when it works!
 
There are several really cool blue mbunas. I would suggest a Cobalt Blue, Socolofi Powder Blue, and Johanni (all are differnt shades of blue) if you want to add them with your Red Zebra. My favorite solid blue African is the Electric Blue Ahli. They are a Malawi Hap. I have kept them with Peacocks and Mbunas.


1.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom