Do you have other mature tanks in your home? Perhaps you can use 25% of that water to help you out as well.

Edit: you could also hang more media in your tank near the filter outlet stream in current tanks to seed bacteria. That way you will have some from him and some from your own tank to help kick things off.

No, I have no other tanks. This is my first! (a little adventurous I know)

I got the tank and Cichlids! They are beautiful!! I will post pictures when the mist has cleared! The fish were transported in a large (25L ish) container. They all seem fine except for one which is sitting on the bottom of the tank, and occasionally lifting himself up for a little swim then settling on the gravel again. I need to do some research to find out what he is but he's whitish in colour with faint black vertical stripes.

Like I said all of the other fish are swimming about and re-familiarising themselves with the tank and the change in rock layout

My master test kit is reading:

Ammonia - 0.15ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 10 ppm

Temp - 24 degrees

I dechlorinated the water in the bucket as I was adding it to the tank. Tank is about 2/3 full (so about 130 Litres).

1 other question - I have an external filter, and UV steriliser, but there is no air pump/ air stones in the tank. Does it matter?

Probably a good idea to have one, im sure someone will say not as long as the surface is well disturbed, but trust me, have one anyway, if the filter packs up it will be a lifesaver one day. Also malawi cichlids. Start taking ph very seriously and check thelevel often, wanting ph 8 ish. Keep temps close to 75f. Despite being from a very hot area of africa the great lakes seldom rise over 77f because of the expanse and depth of the water. Make sure you have the diet well researched too. Err on the side of vegetarian formulas until you have the ID's of the fish established, though obviously the frontosa will like his meaty treats.

Get pics when you can, will help with id's.

Definitely go for air! I have 4 stones / bars in my tank and I have never had problems. Your ammonia needs to be zero so keep doing smallish water changes - 20% - until it is.

Love to see some pics!

PH is currently 7.2 so it needs to come up. I have a little bottle of PH 'UP' but no instructions with it. I don't think it came with the Master Test Kit because in the Master Test Kit Instructions it only briefly mentions it but doesn't give any Instructions on how much to add.

The fishy that was sitting on the bottom has now perked up. He his swimming around now. I'll put it down to being a bit lethargic after the long journey

Topped the tank up now so it is full. Temperature has dropped to 23 degrees but the heater should bring it back up over the next few hours.

The Frontosa is awesome. I will be sad to give him away. The tank is 200 Litres. He's probably going to outgrow it in a matter of months. He's just over 4 inches (10cm). When I put him in the tank he appeared to have a funny little streak just to the left of his mouth and there were little bubbles sticking to it. I was worried it might be a sore of some kind but it seems to have gone. He keeps rubbing it on the gravel though as though it is itching him. I think he may even be using his left pectoral fin to itch it too... how funny!

The guy brought some 'Tetra Prima' food with the tank. I'm not sure its ideal for Cichlids but he said he uses it along with live and frozen foods (shrimp etc). I was a bit dubious about feeding them so soon but I did throw just a few (like 20 pellets) in and they snaffled them in a matter of seconds. I'm going to feed them sparsely for now until the tank is properly re-cycled.

Pictures will be on the way tomorrow when the tank is clear. The fish seem relatively happy now, as my knowledge on fish karma goes they seem to be fine - moving gravel around already to get dug in to their hidey holes.

Sounds like they are doing ok then. Good luck with it all.

Needto know the brand of the PH up but usually you would only put in like 1 teaspoon wait a day test then add another and so on. You should move PH very slowly so as the fish do not get PH shock - it can kill some fish.

I have been lowering the PH in my tank it has probably taken the best part of 10days to do a teaspoon full at a time it is much easier on the fish and safer done slowly.

hey my uncle has chiclids and he used coral and a smashed coral substrate to raise ph u can also put some of this in the filter i think to raise ph but i would wait for some1 to confirm this

Aha... I think that is what I have. Smashed coral substrate, and there's definitely some smashed coral in the filter too... maybe I can leave it and it will gradually rise. I will let you know when (or if) it does. If not then I'll add some PH Up.

Prima is what the average petshop/person uses before they realise what malawi cichlids really need. Often its the only other thing they know about other than flake, and indeed its fine for many omnivorous central and south american cichlids in moderation , but most malawis browse a lot of algae, so staple foods like this are more appropriate.

http://www.hikariusa.com/products/cichlid/cichlid_excel.html

https://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~ON6335.html

plus algae wafers , other cichlid staples, and they can have frozen livefood treats, but only in serious moderation, or malawi bloat tends to become a severe and lethal problem. Long and short of it, watch the animal fat and animal protien doesnt get excessive.

and for the frontosa...

http://www.hikariusa.com/products/cic ... cichlid_gold_sinking.html

http://www.hikariusa.com/products/tro ... al_sinking_carnivore.html

..and of course TMC and many others do ground and whole cockle and mussel, various shrimp, gamma fish, and a range of insect larvae like bloodworm etc he would happily eat.Variety being key.

Ultimately though, the species will have to be identified, the rift lakes have species that eat from just about any resource going, specialists, and generalists.There is no one feeding protocol or food suitable for all.