[Jappo112]

Thanks for popping in... UK based Newbie :fish:

First the tank set up:

Juwel Trigon 190L (Corner Tank)
Filter - Ripped Internal Filter out and replaced with Aqua One 1200 External Filter
Base - Coral Gravel
Rock - Ocean Rock

I'm close to finishing the decor and will be looking to add some Cichlids. This is the first Cichlid tank I have owned and thought I would go for Mbuna. Is this a good place to start given the size of my tank? Can you keep Pink Parrotts with Mbuna?

I like the look of tha Labidochromis Caeruleus as a starter variety as it seems to be more forgiving than others and very colourful. A wise choice? If so, how many would you recommend - 1 male to 4 females? Also, what other fish can I put with them that are towards the mild of agressive - something blue in colour preferably for contrast?

I hear "crowding" is good when first stocking the tank so as to avoid agression. Is this true? if so, how fast do you stock and how many Mbuna would you add to my 190L set-up?

Any views on Plecs (though I know are not from the region) for Algae control?

What are the thoughts on the importance of PH levels. I've read mixed views on its importance and I want to make sure I get this right!!

Recommendations on a good food for Mbuna and frequency of feeding?

Views on frequency of water changes and percentage of change?

Aside from water treatment to remove chlorine from the tap, is there any other chemicals recommended for water treatment? Is it necessary to add salts at all??

As you can tell, I could do with some helpful hints and some good friends...

Thanks for listening.. :fish: :fish: :fish:

 

[remarkosmoc]

Hello and welcome to the forum :thumb:

My 2 cents worth:

Parrots and Mbuna: You probably can keep them together but its not optimal.

Yellow labs: you could have more than that if you want in a 50 gal tank. Yellow and blue do go well together and I like the look of Electric Blue's with them as well as acei. 1-4 ration of male to female is optimal with all Mbuna as a rule of thumb.

Aggression control: Overstocked and over filtered does help reduce agression, or at least spread it around. Having lots of rockwork with lots of places to hide helps as well. I think it isn't best for the fish to overcrowd, but lots do it successfully even though a lot of the purists will oppose this.

Plecos aren't that effective after a while (some are some aren't). I like the siamese or chinese algae eater for algae control.

PH levels: More important to be consistent than precise. If you do Mbuna they will show better collor in high ph hard water. This is easiest achieved by using coral rocks or having limestone in the tank.

There is a nice post if you search for malawi buffer here or maybe mbuna buffer for a good mix of salts, chlorides and bicarbonates that makes a nice malawi buffer.

Please post some pics and keep us updated on your progress! opcorn:

 

[chevyjock]

I'm new to being on a fish forum, so HI!!! My name is Dakota and I've had my tank running for about a year with the original fish and some new additions.

So my tank is a 54 gallon bowfront corner tank.

Anyways, my tankmates are...

One 6" Green Terror named Verde
Two 7" Tinfoil Barbs named Dum and Dee
One 4" Lake Malwali named Pearl
One 4" Zebra named Kensington
One 10" Pleco named Ginger
One 10" Brown Pleco named Snap
One surviving baby pleco named Litte Foot.
One 6" Chinese Algea Eater named Frisky
One 7" Shubunkin Goldfish named Hawn
One 2" Dyed Jellybean named .... JELLYBEAN (she was my first that started me off)
One male Crowntail Betta named Royal

Everything has been going smooth for the better part of the year with everyone staking out their territory. My turtle tank is also a bit odd but completely functional.

One Red Eared Slider
Two Gold Gourami's named Faucet and Sara
Five Tiger Barbs named my Dolls (after the pussycat dolls)
Three High Fin Tetra's named my Girls (after the dream girls)
One 6" male Lake Malwali Cichlid named Avita

So basically if these two combos can work you should test it out. if you really want something bad enough, you can make it work. It may take some fiddling though.

 

[addicted2cichlid]

I'm new to being on a fish forum, so HI!!! My name is Dakota and I've had my tank running for about a year with the original fish and some new additions.

So my tank is a 54 gallon bowfront corner tank.

Anyways, my tankmates are...

One 6" Green Terror named Verde
Two 7" Tinfoil Barbs named Dum and Dee
One 4" Lake Malwali named Pearl
One 4" Zebra named Kensington
One 10" Pleco named Ginger
One 10" Brown Pleco named Snap
One surviving baby pleco named Litte Foot.
One 6" Chinese Algea Eater named Frisky
One 7" Shubunkin Goldfish named Hawn
One 2" Dyed Jellybean named .... JELLYBEAN (she was my first that started me off)
One male Crowntail Betta named Royal

Everything has been going smooth for the better part of the year with everyone staking out their territory. My turtle tank is also a bit odd but completely functional.

One Red Eared Slider
Two Gold Gourami's named Faucet and Sara
Five Tiger Barbs named my Dolls (after the pussycat dolls)
Three High Fin Tetra's named my Girls (after the dream girls)
One 6" male Lake Malwali Cichlid named Avita

So basically if these two combos can work you should test it out. if you really want something bad enough, you can make it work. It may take some fiddling though.

um.... im going to disagree with settin up your new tank like this ^

yellow labs and demasoni are a popular mix, the yellows and blues have a nice contrast to them... research the profiles here on the site and find some mbuna u like, good luck

 

[addicted2cichlid]

I'm new to being on a fish forum, so HI!!! My name is Dakota and I've had my tank running for about a year with the original fish and some new additions.

So my tank is a 54 gallon bowfront corner tank.

Anyways, my tankmates are...

One 6" Green Terror named Verde
Two 7" Tinfoil Barbs named Dum and Dee
One 4" Lake Malwali named Pearl
One 4" Zebra named Kensington
One 10" Pleco named Ginger
One 10" Brown Pleco named Snap
One surviving baby pleco named Litte Foot.
One 6" Chinese Algea Eater named Frisky
One 7" Shubunkin Goldfish named Hawn
One 2" Dyed Jellybean named .... JELLYBEAN (she was my first that started me off)
One male Crowntail Betta named Royal

Everything has been going smooth for the better part of the year with everyone staking out their territory. My turtle tank is also a bit odd but completely functional.

One Red Eared Slider
Two Gold Gourami's named Faucet and Sara
Five Tiger Barbs named my Dolls (after the pussycat dolls)
Three High Fin Tetra's named my Girls (after the dream girls)
One 6" male Lake Malwali Cichlid named Avita

So basically if these two combos can work you should test it out. if you really want something bad enough, you can make it work. It may take some fiddling though.

um.... im going to disagree with settin up your new tank like this ^

yellow labs and demasoni are a popular mix, the yellows and blues have a nice contrast to them... research the profiles here on the site and find some mbuna u like, good luck

 

[remarkosmoc]

One 6" Green Terror named Verde
Two 7" Tinfoil Barbs named Dum and Dee
One 4" Lake Malwali named Pearl
One 4" Zebra named Kensington
One 10" Pleco named Ginger
One 10" Brown Pleco named Snap
One surviving baby pleco named Litte Foot.
One 6" Chinese Algea Eater named Frisky
One 7" Shubunkin Goldfish named Hawn
One 2" Dyed Jellybean named .... JELLYBEAN (she was my first that started me off)
One male Crowntail Betta named Royal

That seems a little crowded, and it is also quite a mix. Some of those fish like cold water, some warm, some like hard high ph water, some like neutral softer water. It doesn't seem ideal. Unless you are really into the algae eaters, it seems weird to have so much of the bioload tied up in them.

Best overall advice I could say is to choose between ca/sa and africans first. Then take a look at the cookie cutters in the library here and pick one you like or almost like and make some minor modifications to it.

 

[Basolisk]

I'm new to being on a fish forum, so HI!!! My name is Dakota and I've had my tank running for about a year with the original fish and some new additions.

So my tank is a 54 gallon bowfront corner tank.

Anyways, my tankmates are...

One 6" Green Terror named Verde
Two 7" Tinfoil Barbs named Dum and Dee
One 4" Lake Malwali named Pearl
One 4" Zebra named Kensington
One 10" Pleco named Ginger
One 10" Brown Pleco named Snap
One surviving baby pleco named Litte Foot.
One 6" Chinese Algea Eater named Frisky
One 7" Shubunkin Goldfish named Hawn
One 2" Dyed Jellybean named .... JELLYBEAN (she was my first that started me off)
One male Crowntail Betta named Royal

Everything has been going smooth for the better part of the year with everyone staking out their territory. My turtle tank is also a bit odd but completely functional.

One Red Eared Slider
Two Gold Gourami's named Faucet and Sara
Five Tiger Barbs named my Dolls (after the pussycat dolls)
Three High Fin Tetra's named my Girls (after the dream girls)
One 6" male Lake Malwali Cichlid named Avita

So basically if these two combos can work you should test it out. if you really want something bad enough, you can make it work. It may take some fiddling though.

Dident you allredady post this in general aquaria discution..
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=176257
And please dont hijack some one elses thread...

 

[chevyjock]

i wasnt meaning to hijack... i didnt wanna have to type it all ove again and thus changed the meaning i was posting it for. i was mearly posting so the thread starter would know that i have a diverse tank that is doing fine, that way he wouldnt feel like anything was inpossible. i thought more people would be a bit more... accepting i guess would be the word.
sorry
i didn't mean to speak out of turn.
you all seamed nice when i was reading everything.

 

[Basolisk]

If you ment it as sutch then i aplogise. It just seemed that it looked like your trying to ask the same advice agen that you allready had.

 

[chevyjock]

honestly i wasnt, but i di copy and paste. i changed most everything except the list of my tankmates. sorry if it came out that way.

 

[Doane]

Here are my two cents. While some people have made off and odd mixes work, its not recommended. I would tell you that you need to consider the fish, its much better to have a happy tank that needs very little work, than a tank where everyone is constantly dying and is a heartache.

People who make turtles and Mbuna are the exception not the rule.
People who make NA, SA, African, and West African work in the same tank, exception not the rule.

The first advise you were given was correct, labs and blue's make great tanks. Saulosi is also a great species only tank.

 

[chevyjock]

I agree. I have had dood luck...but it is just that... luck. I think asthetics of the gorgeous yelows and blues are wonderful to add activity to your tank.

 

[Doane]

I would also warn you chevyjock, I had a similar situation with a M. Esthrae and it turned sour. Luck runs out. You've already named these fish, and that makes the situation harder, but I would strongly suggest you find homes for these incompatible fish that you love, before you are pulling them dead out of your tank. Talk to any avid gambler, luck runs out.

I wish you the best of it, but please, for the sake of the animals, go to something more compatible. Your keeping Polar Bears and Parrots in the same environment, it will not end well. Sorry to say. I would be more than happy to help you find a mix of those fish that makes them happy, and works better.