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NEW MALAWI CICHLID TANK SET UP 9/19/08
Hi Crew,
I am about to set up my first Malawi cichlid tank and I was hoping you could advise on a couple of issues with regards to PH and one related to adding rocks.
<OK.>
The first one involves bacteria and PH. I have 2 existing tropical tanks that I was intending to pinch some filter media from to kick of the cycling of the tank. These tropical tanks contain hard water at a PH of 7.2 (London tap). As the Malawi tank will need a PH over 8 and will contain sand and rock to raise/buffer the PH, will the bacteria adapt OK to the new PH conditions? I suppose my concern is that the bacteria would suffer an equivalent of PH shock and die off as fish would in this situation.
<This should be fine.>
The second query involves establishing the right PH in the first place. If I had e.g. 40lbs of sand/rock in the tank and the PH was buffered to e.g. 8.0, would adding more sand raise the pH more and more or does it max out at some point?? I have seen a product called PH Up made by API
which is a liquid that can be added to set PH at 8.3 (I am intending to add this to new water during water changes to raise from the PH7.2 tap water to PH8.3) but I would like to have the right amount of sand/rock to buffer the PH to the same level to ensure it didn't alter up or down between water changes as the sand rock leaches into the water. I am assuming that just adding 7.2 water to 8.3 water will lower the overall PH until the sand/rock buffers it up which is not desirable. Are there any other ways to raise the PH of tap water before adding it to the
tank??
<Don't rely on rocks or coral sand to buffer the pH; once these are covered with algae and bacteria they're effectively isolated from the water, so can't dissolve. Instead concentrate on adding stuff to the water. There are commercial Malawi salts available, or you can mix your own very cheaply. Once common recipe is this, per 5 gallons/20 litres:
* 1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
* 1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
* 1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)>
I also have some large pieces of holey rock for this tank, all about 18 inches by 9 inches. These are pretty heavy. I am concerned about the rocks slowly sinking through the sand and hitting glass at the bottom of the tank and cracking it. I have looked this up on the web and seen that some people recommend egg crate. I was wondering if there was some sort of plastic mat that I could place on the bottom of the tank before adding the sand to protect the bottom. The plastic would need to contain no chemicals that might poison the fish. Are there any other ways to protect the tank floor??
<Here's the best approach. Cover the bottom of the tank with a layer of gravel or coral sand to around 2-3 cm depth. Place a plastic gravel tidy on top. You can buy these ready made to various sizes from your aquarium shop. You can also use plastic mesh from the garden centre, though you'll need to pick a plastic that's sold as pond safe and is fine enough to not let gravel fall through it. Put the gravel tidy on the first layer of sand/gravel. Now put your rocks onto the gravel tidy. Silicone the rocks together if you're building a significant height. Once you're done, use the remaining coral sand or gravel to fill in the gaps on top of the gravel tidy. You'll now have the mesh preventing the cichlids from undermining the rockwork and also preventing the rocks from falling onto the glass at the bottom of the tank as well.>
Any advise you may have is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Brian
<Cheers, Neale.>

Mbuna and Ammonia Problems 7/7/08
Hi there. Wondering if you may make a couple of suggestions regarding filtration, etc.
<Sure thing!>
A number of months ago, I read Ad Koning's book on African Cichlids. Since I was experiencing ammonia levels in my 55 Mbuna tank, I followed his advice and fed the fish once every other day (vs. 2-3 times per day). This brought on a great deal of aggression and I lost a lot of fish. So I went back to feeding them twice per day - an amount they can consume within 30 seconds.
<I have to say I agree with your experience. Whilst in theory feeding fish less than once per day may have distinct advantages, on balance I'm in favour of the "multiple small meals" approach. All my day-active fish get two meals per day, but small ones. One in the morning, another in the evening. The catfish get their pellets or wafers at night, after lights are out. This way you spread out the ammonia and problems with uneaten food.>
I then commenced doing 10% water changes every other day which did nothing to abate the ammonia levels.
<Ah; well, if you're getting ammonia present "in real time", then there's three things to consider -- overfeeding, under-filtering, or overstocking.>
I am back to conducting 30-40% water changes on Saturdays. Despite taking ammonia tests, which show no trace of ammonia, a few of the fish still flash. I've been treating the water with Amquel which neutralizes ammonia and I have found this effective. I also have a canister and a large hang on filter equipped with ammo chips. I change the filter media once per month (not at the same time intervals).
<Chemical ammonia removers only work up to a point, and once a dose has been used up, any new ammonia produced by the fish is left untreated. Amquel is of no value at all in this context; it is exclusively for removing ammonia from tap water prior to adding fish.>
I understand bio media aid in the nitrification process. Both filters are loaded with the stuff.
What to do? I must be doing something wrong?
<As outlined above. Given the tendency for Mbuna tanks to be overstocked, filtration has to be profound. I'd reckon on a big canister filter at least 6 times and ideally somewhere between 8-10 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. So adding a second big canister might be just the ticket.>
Look forward to hearing from you.
Lisa Mae
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Mbuna and Ammonia Problems 7/9/08
Hi Neale, thanks so much. With both filters (canister and hang on) I'm turning over an equivalent of 685 gph which meets the needs of the 55 gallon tank. The canister is only filtering 185 gph which is rather weak. Looks like I need to seriously upgrade the canister. What about media Neale? Is zeolite effective if changed/recharged once per month? What do you use to combat ammonia levels and spikes?
Thank you very much! Lisa.
<Hi Lisa. The problem with combining multiple "weak" filters on a single big aquarium is that unless you position their inlets and outlets carefully, it is very easy to end up with corners of the tank with minimal water movement. Adding powerheads can help, as will an undergravel filter. But in all honesty, with fish are big and messy as Mbuna, filtration needs to be robust. If you are detecting ammonia, then you clearly don't have enough biological filtration. I wouldn't bother with zeolite -- realistically this will be very expensive, and removing some biological filtration media from one filter to replace it with zeolite makes no practical sense at all. So, what I'd look at is something like a couple of Eheim 2217 'classic' filters. These aren't expensive, have lots of capacity for biological media, and are extremely reliable. At about 260 gallons per hour turnover, two of them would give you well over 10 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. You could of course simply add one and use that alongside what you already have, or combine one filter with a reverse-flow undergravel filter that would take care of carbonate hardness as well as ammonia. While old school, reverse-flow undergravel filters are inexpensive to set up and extremely effective at dealing with ammonia and solid waste. Either way, fill with good quality ceramic media or sponge for biological filtration. That should take care of your ammonia. In properly maintained, mature aquaria with suitably sized filters, you shouldn't get ammonia spikes or problems. It's as simple as this: if you detect ammonia, you either have too many fish for your filtration system; put too much food in the system for the filter to deal with; or just don't have enough filtration for the overall bioload. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Mbuna and Ammonia Problems 7/9/08
This is great info - thank you so much! My problem has to be poor filtration - I only have about a dozen Mbuna in the 55 gallon so I'm not overstocked. I'll swap my current canister for the Eheim 2217. Thank you!
<Hi Lisa. The concept of "being overstocked" is a practical rather than theoretical one, which is why I am leery of these inches-per-gallon rules. If you have a system where ammonia never gets to zero, you're overstocked. As you say, on paper at least a dozen 10-15 cm Mbuna should comfortably fit into a 55 gallon system. But in practise these fish are so active and have such high growth rates that it is very easy to find the otherwise reasonably sized filter being overwhelmed. I have a 40 gallon system in which I keep a few smallish tetras and glassfish along with a 15 cm Panaque nigrolineatus. Although water quality is perfect, the tank itself gets dirty very quickly simply because the catfish eats wood and produces masses of brown faeces. So it has two canister filters offering water turnover of almost 10 times per hour. Seems ridiculously over-filtered on paper, but actually the least I can get away with! In other words, one should go by empirical data -- ammonia tests for example -- rather than what is stated on the box the filter came in. Cheers, Neale.>

210 Gallon setup - Malawis
Setting Up a Big Lake Malawi Cichlid Tank 4/16/08
Hi Bob and crew, I thought I would run a few questions by you all. I've been more into the marine side of aquaria for the last 10 years or so but I'm quitting that side of the world and migrating my 210 gallon tank (7ft x 2ft x 2ft) into a Malawi cichlid tank in the next couple of weeks. I've found a new owner for all of my angels and big 12" Niger trigger, so they will be well taken care of in the future :-)
Main questions are focused and geared toward Nitrates (NO3) before I even get started. My main filtration on this tank on the marine side for over 4 successful years was 80% all skimmer (no carbon, nothing, nada) and 20% refugium (macro algae in Mud filters) because I learned the hard way that canisters were not for saltwater because they were nitrate factories, and I saw that first hand. Is this different in the freshwater world?
< As organics accumulate the nitrates always have the potential to increase. The best filter is one that is able to be regularly cleaned.>
I'll be using most of my existing equipment I have been running, and some stored in closets for years. (2) Amiracle Mud Filters (Medium sized), basically one for each overflow and both connected via 1" PVC bulkhead for equal water levels. I had bought 2 of these 4 years ago because I got them on clearance for about $70 each with everything included, lol. They work great, and I'll be replacing the live sand in there of course, with Eco-Complete plant substrate to grow freshwater grass-type plants and other stuff that will not grow high. Some idea of nitrate export anyway....
With a huge ASM G5 skimmer, that's about all I needed, but now with the skimmer gone, I'm scratching my head as to what to really filter this tank with. From previous years (back in my Mega-NO3 days) I have a Eheim 2229 wet/dry canister that's full of Eheim's pro-substrate media, Fluval 404 canister, and I think I even have a couple of Emperor 400 filters some where lying around. The more reading I've done though today it seems as long as I keep the pre-filter sponge clean (3x a week) the Eheim should not be that dirty inside and should only need cleaning about once a month, and shouldn't become a NO3 factory??? But then again, I've read conflicting information stating that my Eheim wet/dry canister filters were the only ones that were NO3 prone? I have a shower stall in my basement, so water changes are not a problem, but would love to have a plan for 30% - 40% water change every 2 weeks and maintain a nice "easy street" NO3 level for my Malawis? (10ppm, maybe, experts weigh in ??
< Nitrate levels will depend on the volume of fish and the activity of the fish selected. Less than 20 PPM nitrate will be just fine.>
I currently do about 50%-60% water change weekly in my 46-gallon bowfront that has my baby Malawis in there right now. and that tank stays about 2-5 ppm now, but only has a Emperor 280 hang-on filter on the tank and a sponge on a powerhead..more info on those guys later.....
Water circulation...whoa boy...my marine side of life for the tank is Tunze Turbelle stream pumps at each end of the 7-foot tank. I'm definitely pulling one out since I don't want my Malawis feeling like they are in a hurricane, lol. Even though Tunze's are not forceful and provide gentle currents Smile The return pump on the marine system currently is an Iwaki MD-55RLT, and I'm debating keeping that, or putting my original Mag7 pumps back in each of the AMiracle sumps for each return overflow connection.
Lighting...well the 6-foot, 3x250w 14k halides are definitely coming off to save money on my electric bill, lol. Probably will go back to old-school, all-glass triple tube lights...gearing towards the 50/50 and 420 actinics since they make my existing Malawis in my 46 gallon look so pretty.
The substrate in the tank will be Eco-Complete Cichlid gravel and maybe a little bit of natural gravel...probably about 75/25 ratio of the live Eco stuff. The tank will be 'cycled' initially with a Red Empress adult male (about 5 inches) and 2 beautiful male peacocks (about 3.5 inches, think they are called H-stripes???)
< Never heard of H-Stripes before.>
that my local LFS is holding for me. I chose these because they are supposedly a little more laid back, and they shouldn't just 'attack' my smaller guys that are waiting in the 46-gallon bowfront once the big tank is cycled and ready.
Ok..now for those existing Malawis in that 46g tank. A 3.5 inch male Borleyai? (definitely the Alpha boss right now), a 3 inch electric blue (2nd in command), 2 red zebras, and a 2.5 inch Venustus Nimbo (definitely want another one of him. pretty guy) Also have a 10 gallon tank with smaller guys: a 1.5 inch OB peacock, and (3) 1-inch golden labs.
I keep all water in those cichlid tanks at 78F, pH 8.3 with SeaChem's Malawi buffer.
Ok guys...give me some pointers on the filtrations...you kinda see what animals will be growing in there...and I have a lot of space. Kinda leaning towards using the Eheim as major bio filter, and using something S-I-M-P-L-E for mechanical like hang-ons; since I will be letting refugium work do some filtering as well with whatever plants I can grow in those Amiracle filters, and using either carbon or Purigen in the filter pads on the AMiracle...Just don't want to fight NO3 anymore since I'm leaving saltwater, I should have an easier life???
< Go with the two Emperor 400 filters. Easy and quick to clean. Add the canister if extra circulation is needed. Gently vacuum the mulm from the gravel when you do your water changes. Nitrifying bacteria will live on the Bio-Wheels so you don't have to worry about new tank syndrome.>
Is the Venustus Nimbo that I have pretty safe for temperament as far as cichlids go?
< Your Nimbochromis venustus will get about 8 inches long and will prey on smaller cichlids that will fit into its mouth. Not very territorial unless it is getting ready to breed. Then it will stake out a territory and chase all other fish away.>
I've seen pics of Nimbo Fusco...that no one ever has in stock. but I figure that might be for a reason? Meaning the Fusco is a pretty mean #%$& when he grows up?
< The Nimbochromis fuscotaneatus is a very beautiful fish that also gets very big. Once again a fish eater that will catch and eat other cichlids up to 25% of its body size.>
Thanks for any helpful info, I've tried this same text on cichlid-forum.com, and malawimayhem.com and just get reads and no replies. Larry
<The genus Nimbochromis is not very popular with other aquarists since they get too big for most commonly maintained tanks.-Chuck>

Lake Malawi cichlid questions, comp. mostly 3/23/08
Hey crew,
<Micah>
A few questions, on varying subjects. I've got a recently established (no ammonia or nitrites as of yesterday, woo!) 55 gallon freshwater tank in which I keep 5 similarly-sized (about 2.5 inches each) Lake Malawi cichlids. I haven't identified them all yet, though I'm decently sure that one of them is a Pseudotropheus crabro, and one is a red zebra -- they're all some variety of Pseudotropheus from what my research has told me. Unfortunately, the only label on their tank was "assorted African cichlids."
<Mmm, too often a bunch of hybrid junk>
I've had these guys in my tank for about 3 weeks, though this weekend, I added many cleaned river rocks that my boyfriend picked out while he was camping in the mountains, and built some cave structures out of them to add some variety. They've already starting making the caves larger by re-landscaping the substrate (a crushed coral aragonite type deal), and seem to be enjoying themselves. I feed them a few different foods, and I try to limit myself to feeding them once per day.
<Twice would be better>
Depending on the day, they get Spirulina-enriched brine shrimp, red bloodworms, pellets, algae wafers, or something called emerald entree, which is a frozen combination of krill, spinach, lettuce, and many other things. They seem to be doing well, and I've been watching them carefully since adding the rocks, and testing the pH regularly to make sure the addition didn't throw anything off kilter. If possible, they seem to be more active and more hungry.
I'm wondering if it's okay for me to be considering adding 3 more "assorted African cichlids." That would bring the total to 8 in a 55 gallon tank... I'm not sure whether I'm just being greedy or not, as there are no real aggression problems now since there's territory to claim galore (between the fake and real plants, various decor, and rock caves), but they're so fascinating to watch that I'm itching to add more. Insight?
<Should be done sooner rather than... as these fishes can become fiercely territorial... You'll read re the benefit of crowding or not...>
Second, I'm considering adding an algae eater...any recommendations?
<An armored South American... Loricariid... "Pleco"... of size, toughness. See WWM re>
Third, I'm disassembling a small aquarium which contains a few mollies and 3 ghost shrimp of varying sizes. The person that's adopting my mollies isn't interested in the ghost shrimp (they freak him out, apparently), and I'm trying to figure out which of my 3 established tanks to add the ghost shrimp to, in the hopes of keeping them not only from getting eaten, but from eating their companions. I have the cichlid tank, as described above, and I have a 20 gallon tank (also freshwater) with 5 dwarf Gouramis, 3 balloon body mollies, 3 Danios, and 1 lonely Otocinclus. I also have a 10 gallon freshwater tank with 3 male guppies, 2 Hatchetfish, and 1-2 Otocinclus plus a seemingly infinite number of common pond snails that I've given up on eliminating. Which of the three tanks would you recommend as a compatible home for 3 ghost shrimp of varying sizes?
<Not the cichlid...>
Finally, one of the cichlids has utterly stumped me in terms of identification. S/he started off a rich, chocolate brown, but some time in the last week, has started to show distinctly purple-looking vertical stripes. Any ideas? I haven't been able to get a good picture.
Thanks so much for all your help!
Micah
<A few choices... Need a good pic. Bob Fenner>

Re: lake Malawi cichlid questions 3/26/08
Oh, and one more question.
Would my mbunas be interested in the little pond snails that are attempting to hijack my smallest community tank? I'm more than happy to scrape a few off and offer them up, I just want to make sure that no harm can come of feeding small mbuna common pond snails.
Thanks again!
Micah
<Snails are a fine food for many cichlids, either whole or squished. HOWEVER, you do need to take care they don't transmit diseases. Obviously if the tank donating the snails has whitespot or whatever, don't use them. But more seriously, you want snails that have been in captivity for a long period of time (many months, if not years) and haven't been collected from a pond that contained goldfish or similar. Snails are notorious parasite carriers, even for humans. In aquaria, the parasites can't finish their life cycles so quickly die out, but it is certainly possible for snails in goldfish ponds to carry viable parasites. Unlikely, but possible. But with this caveat mentioned, snails can be used safely if the snails have lived their entire lives in aquaria. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: lake Malawi cichlid questions 3/26/08
Thanks so much, Bob! <Uhh, Neale... RMF>
I think I'm going to put the ghost shrimp in the dwarf Gourami tank...the fish in there are big enough/fast enough that I'm not terribly worried that either one will bully the other, and from what I've read the lone Oto in there would be happier back in my smallest tank with his friends, anyway.
<Otocinclus certainly are schooling fish.>
As for the brown cichlid, I've done more research and have more or less positively identified him/her as a rusty cichlid (a/k/a Iodotropheus sprengerae).
<A lovely fish. Generally peaceful and non-territorial. Often called the best Malawi cichlid for beginners being hardy and easy to keep. Take care not to mix with Mbuna (tends to get pulverised by them). Gets on well with Yellow Labs though, as well as open water things like Aulonocara.>
Apparently the variety in diet has encouraged the little guy to show off his true colors. Only 2 more to go, identification-wise. Then on to gender! Heh.
<Good luck.>
Your site and assistance has been invaluable, as always.
-Micah
<Cheers, Neale.>

Mbuna aggression. -03/17/08
Hello there.
<Lisa,>
Just a quick question. I experienced a horrible encounter with introducing an Mbuna to an established tank yesterday. Despite rearranging décor and shutting off the lights, about a half a dozen Mbuna went after the new guy. They ripped him to shreds.
<Happens with Mbuna, unfortunately. Why you need to select species super-carefully, and ideally introduce them all when young, and the most aggressive last.>
Poor guy. I immediately isolated him to a 10 gallon hospital tank and added Melafix (I also see you made this recommendation for an individual with the same problem).
<Not I said the Little Red Hen. Melafix is not something I'd personally recommend/use for this sort of damage.>
Is there anything else I can do for his damaged fins and open wounds?
<Industrial-strength anti-Finrot/Fungus medication of your choice. Maracyn for example.>
I cannot see any gashes but I know the mbunas' teeth are sharp...
<Indeed so, for scraping rocks.>
Should I raise the temp to high seventies?
<I assume this is degrees-F! Yes, Mbuna should be maintained at 25C/77F regardless.>
I have plenty of filtration and using an established sponge filter for bio and aeration purposes.
<Good stuff.>
Thank you. Lisa.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Mbuna aggression. 03/19/2008
Thanks Neale. I have Maracyn-2 on hand. I have about 1 tsp of Melafix in the tank. Is it okay to add the Maracyn to the Melafix? Shall I do a 25% water change first?
Thank you. Lisa
<Hi Lisa. Water changes are always good when finish one course of medication and before starting a new course of medication. Melafix and Maracyn can be used together without problems.
Cheers, Neale.>

Ngara cichlid, repro. of Aulonocaras – 03/10/08
Hi all,
I have a trio of NGARA peacock cichlid which I would like to breed. I have them in a 90 gallon aquarium. Is it possible to add additional cichlids to add life and color. I do worry about hybridization so I know other peacocks are out. If the answer is no, could I add additional NGARA to the tank? What cichlids would be appropriate based on the low aggression level of the NGARA's? Thank you in advance for your help.
<Greetings. Hybridisation should always be considered when stocking cichlids, and I am very pleased that you are doing so! Aulonocara stuartgranti "Ngara" is only at risk of cross-breeding with other Aulonocara spp., so provided the other fish in the tank were from other genera, you'd be fine. Obvious choices for tankmates would be yellow Labidochromis caeruleus and Iodotropheus sprengerae, both peaceful and hardy Malawi cichlids. Avoid mixing Aulonocara with Mbuna; Aulonocara are simply not aggressive enough to do well. One possible exception might be Pseudotropheus 'acei', a reliably docile member of the Mbuna group. To some extent this would depend on the design of the tank -- the Pseudotropheus 'acei' like to hover above piles of rocks, whereas Aulonocara will utilise open sand areas. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Ngara cichlid, sys. 3-11-08
One additional question if I may. I have eheim 2026 canister filter and still noticing particles in the water column. Do you suggest additional filter or am I just being overly critical?. Thank you and have a great day. Phil
<Yes, you likely need additional filtration. For cichlids, anything less than 6 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour is likely to be disappointing, and there's no harm in going up to as much as 10 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. Malawian and Tanganyikan cichlids both love strong water currents. It's a good idea to have a pair of filters, one optimised for biological filtration (sponges, ceramic noodles) and the other for mechanical/chemical filtration (filter wool, fine sponges, crushed coral). That way you can regularly clean or replace the mechanical/chemical media without worrying that you're losing biological filtration. Cheers, Neale.>

Filtration For A 90G Malawi Cichlid Tank 9/6/07
I have a 90g freshwater cichlid tank (mostly Malawi with a large Pleco) with 28 fish of small to med size. The tank is 4 months old now and seems to have properly cycled. I have one 250W heater, a Fluval 405 with the recommended media (Foam screen, bio rings and carbon pouches) and two bubble stones. pH is good (7.5 to 8+), no nitrites, the LFS says my phosphates are somewhat high but not to worry about it unless I have a big algae problem, which I don't. Plus I do 33% water changes once a week (I don't always take all the decs out of the tank, but still agitate and python much of the exposed gravel. I am wringing my hands as to whether I should get an additional filter (It would have to be a canister because I have no room behind the tank for a hang-on) which would likely be the Eheim 2126 for the following reasons:
1) I have never achieved what I would characterize as crystal clear water (only briefly after doing a diatom filter of the water)
2)These are dirty fish
3)I have a tendency to overfeed (albeit they only get fed very other day)
4) It might be appropriate anyway given the size of the tank and type of fish
5) We will start to travel weekends in the winter, so the redundancy of the filtration and heater might make sense
6) It might reduce on going maintenance
7) When I have changed the carbon, or rinsed out the foam (but not the rings) I get cloudy water for 3 or 4 days which I think is a bacteria bloom. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance for your help.
Thomas
< For a 90G tank I would recommend that the filter turn the tank volume over at least 5 times per hour (450gph). Your 405 is rated at 340 gph without any of the media being clogged. The 2126 is rated at 275 gph. When running unclogged both your filters will run 615 gph. A little overkill but well worth the investment in keeping your fish healthy. You still need to service the filters on a regular basis. Just because the waste is out of the tank it is not out of the system. That only happens when you clean the filters. I would recommend that you alternate cleaning the filters so you don't lose the biological filtration.-Chuck>

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