New 100 gallon African tank

[sbrady5pts]

So I am in process of cycling a 125gallon tank for African cichlids, and I am really not sure of what I want to put in the tank. I kept africans before, and have kept new world cichlids my whole life. The main reason I am interested in Africans are because of the exotic colors, the higher number of fish in each tank(compared to SA/CA cichlids) and I think the mouthbrooding is interesting. I really like some different Mbuna, and haps. Based on that info, what do you think is my best bet?

First question- Would it be possible to have multiple trios (1m 2F) combo's of Mbuna? I was think about having 5 or 6 different trios of Mbuna, but my concern is would the 5 males kill each other off, or would they would be ok since each male would have females?

Second question- Could I keep a trio of Venustus with a trio of Nimbochromis Fusco? If so, could I also add a few Mbuna? If not, what does everyone prefer Venustus or Fusco?


Third Question- Could I mix a trip of a Hap species with a breeding group of Mbuna? Or would the male Hap & Mbuna kill each other??

Fourth Question- Is it possible to mix Compressiceps with Mbuna or is this not possible because of the diet differences?

Fifth Question- What are some great online vendors?

And finally, what would you do if you were starting over, and could get exactly what you want?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!!

 

[wantokeeptrout]

Welcome to malawi cichlids:

1. assuming the mbuna are from different families and do not resemble each other too much it might work, but i'd have a 1-3 or 1-4 male female ratio. Research and choose less aggressive mbuna since some more aggressive mbuna like P. Salousi need around 10 individual s to prevent deaths.

2. yes/no and no. it might work out but they might fight each other or cross breed. If they do don't sell the fry or you'll ruin the gene pool. hybrid african cichlids are rated below worthless with the exception of OB peacocks and selling hybrid fry will do more harm then good. for mbuna It might work short term but unlikely long term, the mbuna will constantly harass the haps assuming the haps will not outright eat them. The best way to do this sort of mix for any period of time is to only have very few mbuna and lots of cover at the bottom of the tank with the surface relatively clear.

3. because of the aggression mentioned above as well as the diet issues I wouldn't do that

4. again not recommended because the compressiceps will either get harassed by the mbuna or will eat the mbuna, and they have some very large mouths even for cichlids, an 8 incher can hold 300 fry at one time so lots of room to fit mbuna in their mouth.

5. don't know, never orderel online

6. My current stock is 1 male compressiceps, 3 female compressiceps, and 3 unsexed blue dolphins in a 75, my dream hap tank would be a 200+ with compressiceps, nimbochromis, exochochromis, ramphochromis, cytocara moori, and tyrannochromis

 

[wrslrcichlid]

I will add that as long as you do research you can do haps with mbuna (but I would not do mbuna with peacocks). I currently have a variety of mbuna (around 20 total) with about 10 total haps (moori, deep water hap, borleyi) and it is working out great. I will also mention that I started with the mbuna in a 55gal, but added the haps after establishing the mbuna in my 125g so they didn't grow up together. Now, I did not choose aggressive mbuna (yellow labs, rusties, red zebras, afra, etc.) so that could be why it has worked out so well, but if you choose your species well then it can definitely work.

Also, I definitely agree with wantokeeptrout's suggestion of more a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio - that will help aggression but again it depends on the species you choose. I have pasted a good site below to check out a pretty complete list of cichlids available in the hobby. It allows you to choose the lake/group you want to look at and then specify the type within the lake/group (ex. Lake Malawi and then mbuna or haps). For mbuna, try to keep their aggression levels similar. It normally doesn't work to mix the least aggressive mbuna (such as yellow labs) with the most aggressive (such as kenyis).

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/

As for your last question about what I would do if I started over...I have actually been thinking about this quite a bit because a large percentage of my mbuna are from my original group when I first started when I didn't know about M:F ratios. I like them, but have since learned about so many other cool species that I want. So if I could start over with my 125gal tank I would probably do something about like this:

The Mbuna
1M and 3-4F of yellow labs: they are common, but I think they are beautiful and add great color to any tank
1M and 4-6F of Tropheops sp. Red Cheek (Red Face Mac): had one of these but lost him in a mishap, I really like them, but have since learned they can be aggressive - so not so sure about these
2M and 6-8F of cynotilapia afra (not sure which collection point I would choose yet): love how they turn their colors on and off
1M and 4-5F of Metriaclima greshaki: like the orange dorsal and light blue body, but can be hard to find good specimens in my experience
1M and 5-6F Labeotropheus fuelleborni: like the mouth on these guys, differs from most mbuna
1M and 6-8F Metriaclima sp. "Zebra Chilumba" (Maison Reef): I think this one is great, but probably wouldn't do it because it is highly aggressive, so it is a maybe - plus they could cross breed with the greshaki, same genus

So a total of 25ish mbuna and then for the haps:

1M and 2-3F of Otopharynx lithobates: gorgeous blue with yellow blaze, would have some now if my LFS hadn't confused me and said they were peacocks - which kept me jumping on them then
1M and 2-3F of Crytocara moori: like the blue with the hump
1M and 2-3F of Placidochromis electra (deep water hap): have some now and just like them
2 Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus: great size and look good
2 Copadochromis borleyi: have two now and like them, even my "plain" female looks good

That is a total of about 12-15 haps, for a total of 35-40 fish in a 125g. That is probably slightly more stocked than I would want, especially since I would want to include 2-3 catfish from Lake Malawi (such as the synodontis eupterus - featherfin catfish). So I would probably cut the "chilumba" since it is so aggressive, dropping me to about 30-35 total fish. That is similar to the number I have now and I like that level of activity. You could do more if you wanted as long as you have enough filtration and are willing to do the necessary water changes and other minor maintenance.

Good luck and I would also suggest posting up what you think might be your final stock list just so others can weigh in on potential aggression issues or cross breed issues.

 

[sbrady5pts]

Thanks for everyones input, I am going to do lot of research on different Mbuna. I am leaning towards 4-5 groups of Mbuna and maybe a few Haps. wrslrcichlid I really like some of the Mbuna on your dream tank list, is there anyone online that regularly has these fish?

 

[wrslrcichlid]

Well, I don't think the fish I listed are overly rare. I have two LFS that have pretty good african cichlid stock and can get whatever I want/need. Since I have two good LFS near me I have not bought online, but all of the ones I have looked at have most (if not all) of my stock. Unfortunately I don't think I am allowed to list those sellers (MFK rules, or maybe I'm wrong), so I would suggest looking at the MFK sponsors and on the Marketplace/Vendors area.

Glad you liked the list. I am probably going to be moving to TN in December (after I graduate from school) and will likely sell most of my current stock before leaving. That way I can finalize my stocklist and setup my dream tank!!! There are just so many fish species to choose from, it is crazy awesome but hard to choose sometimes.

 

[ialtalal]

an all male tank would be perfect. there is less aggression in an all male tank. i got 120 gallon with mixed peacocks and haps

 

[wrslrcichlid]

Less aggression in an all male tank is not always the case. A lot of times you can actually have much more aggression. Also, this tends to work better with peacocks than mbuna from what I have heard.