Looking to stock a 125 gallon with Malawi cichlids

[Zcddrew]

I'm having to much trouble with my south and central American cichlids at the moment and I'm planning on removing my stock of fish to give to some friends. I am thinking of switching the tank over to african Malawi cichlids. I've got a few questions.

1) how many is a good number for my size tank? Is over stocking them always advised?
2) should I get rid of my current substrate? It's medium size smooth river stones. I've heard sand is better but is it necessary?
3) my cities natural tap water pH is 7.8 will this work?
4) is a wave maker or added current needed? I currently run an fx5 with double output nozzles in the center of the tank and a very large bubbler.
5)any recommendations for breeds to keep? Is lake tanganykia worth looking into?

Thank you for anybody that takes the time to respond. Your opinions are greatly appreciated

 

[A201]

A 125 gal. Tank Is a good size for an African Cichlid community. Overcrowding is a broad term regarding stocking levels. Slightly overcrowding to achieve a relative agression stalemate is probably more to the point.
An all male Aulonocara - Peacock & Haplochromis- Hap tank always looks good. Stocking levels depend on what varieties of cichlids you choose. Some grow bigger than others. Some are more aggressive.
My 120 gal. Has approx. 25 Africans. Haps include several Nimbochromis & Copadichromis varieties as well as many Aulonocara.
Your filtration is fine, but you still need to change out 50% of the water weekly.
Here's a pic of my tank.

 

[Zcddrew]

A 125 gal. Tank Is a good size for an African Cichlid community. Overcrowding is a broad term regarding stocking levels. Slightly overcrowding to achieve a relative agression stalemate is probably more to the point.
An all male Aulonocara - Peacock & Haplochromis- Hap tank always looks good. Stocking levels depend on what varieties of cichlids you choose. Some grow bigger than others. Some are more aggressive.
My 120 gal. Has approx. 25 Africans. Haps include several Nimbochromis & Copadichromis varieties as well as many Aulonocara.
Your filtration is fine, but you still need to change out 50% of the water weekly.
Here's a pic of my tank. View attachment 1388616

That looks great! I already change 25% weekly so a bit more water won't be much hassle. Is there any way to know male peacocks when selecting juveniles? Does their colouration show up at an early stage?

 

[A201]

Thanks. Be sure to thoroughly research what fish you like. Sometimes juvenile male Peacocks will show a little color, even egg spots. A flashlight can illuminate subtle juvenile male coloration. IMO, the best method for picking juvenile male Peacocks or Haps is to select the most aggressive, buffed up specimens in the vendors display tank. Lol. That system has worked 90% of the time for me.

 

[Ulu]

My first 30g African tank soon became this 55g, which eventually became my 125 African cichlid tank. I have a mixed batch, some donated, some purchased, and some bred in the 55. (carpet cleaning day...)


This is the 125 at first filling. I have lots of plants and junk in the aquarium for the fry to hide in. Anyhow I chose the 125 as it was the largest that would fit on the hearth. I only have 16 fish from 3 to 7", but you can jam a lot of fish in a 125 if you want to.

 

[RD.]

There's a lot of different options available regarding African cichlids, and a 125. Here's what my all male hap/peacock tank used to look like. Just click on link to go to thread ....

Being an all male set up this tank evolved & changed over the years as trouble makers got shifted elsewhere, but this is what the tank looked like early on. There was over 200 lbs of granite boulders in there.


View attachment 1367233

 

[Ulu]

This is the 125 tank today, with plants, much better lighting and clumps of snail eggs. Most of the plants are artificial.

Ooof! I should turn down the lighting. That's too bright.

 

[Ulu]

There's a lot of different options available regarding African cichlids, and a 125. Here's what my all male hap/peacock tank used to look like. Just click on link to go to thread ....

That's a lovely collection but the tank is so austere. Will the fish breed in a situation like that?

If you keep an austere tank you can see the fish all the time because there's nowhere for them to hide. My fish hide a lot unless they're eating. But they eat a lot

 

[RD.]

That's a lovely collection but the tank is so austere. Will the fish breed in a situation like that?

If you keep an austere tank you can see the fish all the time because there's nowhere for them to hide. My fish hide a lot unless they're eating. But they eat a lot

Thanks, but if you view that image in it's largest form, while it is still difficult to see, there are areas where an 8-9" fish can completely disappear. Some of those granite boulders are 30+ pounds. The idea was to as best that I could mimic what one sees in their natural habitat, Lake Malawi. Have you ever viewed the lake, underwater? It's basically just granite boulders, and sand - and the species in my tank were for the most part open water fish, not cave dwellers that live their life in hiding. The idea was to give the Utaka/Haps, that were open water fish, lots of open water. That, and it was an all male tank, so no breeding was expected. lol

That tank changed over the years, and initially, with the exact same floor plan, in what you refer to as austere, the species that had females, bred on a constant basis. Haps, peacocks, as well as mbuna. Probably thousands of fry were produced over the early years, before I decided to go all male. African cichlids in the wild breed in the open, not inside a cave or hidey hole.

 

[Ulu]

RD.
Thank you.

I thought I had an all-male tank too, until I caught them doing the dance.
So I've seen the Africans breed & now I have a bunch of unexpected hybrids.
All very bright colors, but for one with brown stripes.

I'm afraid I'm not much of a "natural biotope" guy. I have a community of mixed rescue fish, Mbuna, Malawi, Nile, some SA plecos, and a boatload of collected aquarium junk.

I am hoping the big ones will grow to 8 or 9" but the current monsters are 6 to 7".