New Malawi Setup

[ravensfan73]

Setup my first Malawi tank. it's 55 gallons and has a cool blue stand. so far i only have a few fish and one convict, which I can't seem to fish out, so i just gave up on him. I'd love to hear some constructive criticism on it as I'm still learning. Also, I apologize for the terrible camera work, I still haven't gotten the settings quite right. Enjoy:

(The fourth image should be rotated but i don't know how to do it)

 

[EastBay]

Looks pretty nice so far! Should be an interesting battle between the Convict and the Africans. Most will say the Africans will eventually kill the convict.
You still have room to add more. You'll find for Africans, the more overcrowded it is, the less aggression there is.
Good luck and welcome to the world of Africans! A lot of people will bad-mouth them as "boring" but I enjoy the constant activity.

 

[jlam]

Nice, something different

 

[ravensfan73]

Thanks! I used all my baby Cons to cycle the tank, and i just couldn't manage to get that sucker! So far its been all Convict, as he has been the one that has been nipping at the other ones.

Also, I had a question about the Auratus Cichlid. I hear that they become quite nasty as they grow, and they eventually kill all their tankmates. Is that true? And do you think my fish could live together happily?

 

[EastBay]

As long as you keep the tank over-stocked, everyone should stay happy!
In your setup, it appears the Auratus would be the most aggressive. The P Aceis and especially the yellow labs are fairly docile - although I have a BIG P Acei male (about six inches and fat), who is second-in-command in my tank - behind my Kenyii. As you get more into Mbuna, you'll find that the auratus is actually pretty timid compared to some others. I've never had a problem with mine.
In fact, I need to add some to my tank because the Kenyii is starting to get a little more cantankerous! But I need more mature fish as most of mine are.

 

[ravensfan73]

I was thinking about adding some more aggressive fish but i wasn't sure if the Lab could handle it as you said. What kinds of Malawi's would y'all recommend?

 

[EastBay]

If you let the labs mature and then add new juvenile fish, they should be OK.

Other fish to get (these are all Mbuna. I wouldn't mix them with others):
- Maingano
- Chipokae
- Johanni
- Demasoni (never had these, but very popular, very pretty and very aggro, from what I hear)
- Bumble Bee
- any of the fish from the pseudotropheus species

Just remember, these particular fish are mostly exclusively vegetarian. Be sure to feed them a high quality flake high in spirulina algae.

If you want more extensive info on African cichlids, check out cichlid-forum.com

Good luck!