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Home      Reply		Viewed: 230 -- Replies: 6
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Posted	Tang's and malawi's
21-04-2006 06:02 by andyjh	I've kept fish for years but I've never kept any of these fish. So I'm looking at getting a couple of tanks, and once I've built the extension maybe another large 6ft+. Some questions then. Whats the minumum size tank needed for a good show? What stuff do I need inside (gravel, sand, rocks etc)? What sort of stocking level would be safe? Species list? something like anna's looks really impressive but what I've seen in bedfordshire has been pretty dull so obviously im missing something or are they all like that and then colour up better once they're settled into a decent tank? Anything else I might find of use. Obviously I'll go and read up before I do anything but would like to see if its worth looking at first, I was aiming for a bank of 2 or 3 x 3ft with sump however im flexible and could go to 4ft at a push in the space I've got. Had planned to just use them to keep something different and maybe do some breeding, but the pictures are awesome that some of you guys and gals are putting up, makes my planted discus tank look dull. Cheers in advance I'll not be on to read your answers till Sunday so don't get upset with me when I don't reply till then. Have good weekend you all. Andy
21-04-2006 15:56 by yanton	why not focus on just one first - the easiest (and most fun) are malawis. get plenty of rockwork, a nice coral gravel bed, introduce some youngsters and let it all happen. most malawis are hardy fish, that thrive with plenty of rocks dart around in, and clean water. i change 20% of my water fortnightly,
21-04-2006 20:33 by anna	hey andy its easy to setup a lovely lookin setup just need to play with it until u get it right!! if youre ever interested in any tangs or malawis let me know as we do mail order now and have had great sucess!!
21-04-2006 22:32 by yanton	andy, ooops, misunderstood - i thought you meant marine tangs - derrrr yes, no probs with mixing malawis and tangs, mine get on fine.
23-04-2006 10:35 by Ray	Andy,what are your local water parameters,Rift valley fish need hard water,with a high PH,Tanganyikans need harder water than Malawis. Tank sizes differ between types of fish ,but I think that a standard three foot tank is too small for most Malawis,some Tang's would be ok. I dont use gravel at all,silver sand gives the best effect and will not drain the colour from the fish.Mbuna need loads of rockwork in their tank try to build a reef almost to the water surface,garden centre limestone is a cheap way to do this. Hap's need less rockwork and more open water,with Tang's a a good balance is to have two rock piles at either end of the tank,so fish like Julies can have a territory and you may be able to have more than one pair in a tank,L.Lelupi look great swimming in and out or rockwork.You can try plant's and may get some to grow(my lot destroy them before they are planted). Stocking varies with diferent fish Mbuna tend to be overstocked to reduce aggro,this is not so with others, Julies for example will pair up and attack any conspecifics in the tank,best to look round lfs then read up or ask about a species. Generally nobody breeds Mbuna,they do it themselves,like rabbits lol,they are total slappers and one male should have at least two females,I keep Hap's in pairs although it is recomended to have more females.Tanganyikans vary so you need to research the species,but lots of them form proper pairs. Clean water at optimum quality is a must get that right and they are easy rewarding fish.
23-04-2006 22:19 by andyjh	OK thks vm for your answers looks like water quality will be the major problem, always kept acidic type fish best i look up how to control the other way with out chemicals.
23-04-2006 23:58 by Ray	If your tap water is acidic look on atlantis advert on here they stock a range of addatives to maintain Rift valley fish,or you could use bicarb and epsom salts.Arogonite,crushed cockle shells or calcium plus in a filter will help to buffer the water.

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