there are three distinct groups of fish in lake malawi. peacocks, haps, and mbuna. you can (but i don't recomend) keep them together, but usually mbuna should only be kept with other mbuna. haps and peacocks work together pretty well though. i have 7 mbuna in my 40 gallon tank (i just had a couple of losses and need more), probably 10 would be pushing it bioload-wise.
jewel cichlids arn't mbuna (theyre from west africa, a totally different environment), melanochromis auratus are generally one of the most agressive mbuna, so some of the less agressive mbuna may hide away.
need lots of filtration (i have 2 internal and 1 external filter), lots of hiding places, preferably rock caves, and small grained substrate. coral sand helps keep the ph up, but it can irritate the fishes gills when they sift through it.
come to think of it, you should put the mbuna in a 55, the jewel cichlid in the 40 with some congo tetras or some other fish from their area, and put a devider in the other 55 for mbuna fry rearing (and get some money out of your hobby!)
jewel cichlids arn't mbuna (theyre from west africa, a totally different environment), melanochromis auratus are generally one of the most agressive mbuna, so some of the less agressive mbuna may hide away.
need lots of filtration (i have 2 internal and 1 external filter), lots of hiding places, preferably rock caves, and small grained substrate. coral sand helps keep the ph up, but it can irritate the fishes gills when they sift through it.
come to think of it, you should put the mbuna in a 55, the jewel cichlid in the 40 with some congo tetras or some other fish from their area, and put a devider in the other 55 for mbuna fry rearing (and get some money out of your hobby!)
