6ft tank for cichlid.

[winksta]

Nimbochromis needs to be in a rocky terrain as they prey on mbuna which lives in there i've been keeping them for some time. once in a while they'll go around the rocks searching for food. them playing dead is a fun thing to watch man but gotta train them back to eat live food . go to XL lah they got sorta big haps there going for around 30 - 35 or AI lah.. there also got nice ones.. the aulonocara baenschi something like dat the spelling i forgot adult size going for rm80. or i can get u the red flame peacock, size around 4 - 5 inches = rm 28.. well make up your mind and ask CC to get them for u..

[Plecowhacko]

Well technically speaking...i dun trust those taiwan bred stocks.
The fish that u buy tend to be something else rather than what u wanted to get. Sometimes its so different that you don't see it in any reference as in its a hibrid or a freak...

Up to u...u want real original stuff, get from u know who la. If u just wanna play play, then AI or XL stock is ok.

[dom]

AI stock...i dare not to get. Not healthy at all. unless CC can help me to squeeze into their breeding area n get the better pair.

[Plecowhacko]

AI breeding area...nah...those very common species...no point taking. Go for the varietis that are rare...then more fun...otherwise ur tank will look something like LFS

Choose those that nobody seen before...catch people's eyes.
Baenschi ??? Common...

Oh yar...one pointer...Macs are not a good choice for a community except if u overstock it. They can rip up a opponent with those mean looking teeths...

[RazorBlade]

The problem with a lot of local stocks is quality of the fish (or rather, the lack of quality fish) - ppl who have seen quality cichlids (wild-caught, F1, line-bred, etc) can testify to that.

Baenshi is very common in LFS, but they are all hormoned. They grow exceptionally large too (due to the hormones).

Remember, even the common cichlids are beautiful. Nimbochromis = interesting behavior (and body pattern no other common cichlid have). Baenshi = the best golden-yellow peacock you can get. Electric Blue = a beautiful metallic blue hap (and it's very easy to get). Even the common Yellow Lab is a beauty.

Yeah, Nimbochromis has that interesting behavior ... but gotta train them to eat live fish/fry. If you feed them pellets, they will get used to it ... and "play dead" less. Heck, even if you feed Mbuna pellets all the time, they will not scrape algae from the rocks as much.

Dom, it's your choice. I stick to my original suggestion to get mid-sized haps since you're planning to downsize to a 4-footer in future.

[dom]

Malawi trout pairs coming into my 6ft soon. Currently in joe's place n i am cycle my tank water. Will get some pictures after the trouts are in...

[RazorBlade]

Malawi trout = Champsochromis caereuleus right?

[zibert]

I have a 6 feet tank of Malawi cichlids too, but i dont think it is adviseable to put in drift wood. Because drift wood tense to make the water PH unbalance and the acid level will be higher.

If you are going for Malawi cichlid i suggest that you put broken corals and fine sand at the bottom. Then some huge corals or maybe some life stones or dead one also can. (dead stone are those corals plate that died and normally its white in color).

Add some salt to the water because Malawi lake where the chiclids are from connects to the sea so there will be a mixture of salt and fresh water. Then only it will brings out its color. They are very hardy fish so wont give any problem just that they need a big space and plenty of tiny caves or place to hide.

Most chiclids are teritorial and they will fight until death. Therefore u need to prepare plenty of hidding place for them.

[dom]

Originally Posted by zibert

I have a 6 feet tank of Malawi cichlids too, but i dont think it is adviseable to put in drift wood. Because drift wood tense to make the water PH unbalance and the acid level will be higher.

If you are going for Malawi cichlid i suggest that you put broken corals and fine sand at the bottom. Then some huge corals or maybe some life stones or dead one also can. (dead stone are those corals plate that died and normally its white in color).

Add some salt to the water because Malawi lake where the chiclids are from connects to the sea so there will be a mixture of salt and fresh water. Then only it will brings out its color. They are very hardy fish so wont give any problem just that they need a big space and plenty of tiny caves or place to hide.

Most chiclids are teritorial and they will fight until death. Therefore u need to prepare plenty of hidding place for them.

Thanks for the advices. I kept malawi years ago... But never heard of malawi cichlids are in brakish water!

For haps, they all prefer to have open space to swim. Instead of plenty of tiny caves. The "dead"/"live" stone you mentioned is Dead Rock or Live Rock. This is the correct term used in Marine. No one will said that is live stone or dead stone.

John, yes...that is the one.

[RazorBlade]

Originally Posted by zibert

Add some salt to the water because Malawi lake where the chiclids are from connects to the sea so there will be a mixture of salt and fresh water.

Sorry zibert, but I think you got it wrong. Lake Malawi has only one major water outlet - the river Shire - and it is far far away from the sea.

I believe you may have read something like "Malawi Cichlids are believed to be decendents from marine fishes". But that was thousands of years ago.

Originally Posted by dom

Thanks for the advices. I kept malawi years ago... But never heard of malawi cichlids are in brakish water!

For haps, they all prefer to have open space to swim. Instead of plenty of tiny caves. The "dead"/"live" stone you mentioned is Dead Rock or Live Rock. This is the correct term used in Marine. No one will said that is live stone or dead stone.

Malawi cichlids are NOT a brackish water type. They are in clear clean well-oxygenated water. Having some salt helps to prevent infection. They are pretty hardy (well, most of the LFS ones anyway), so they can tolerate high levels of salinity.

Yes, most Haps prefer open water (some still prefer rocky areas though). The Malawi Trout is an open-water predator hap.

Originally Posted by dom

John, yes...that is the one.

Oohh .. I've never seen a live Champsochromis caereuleus before. Heard that the colours are impressive. Do post pics when you get your fishes!