i have decided that after many years of longing i shall have a malawi tank.

problem is im not really sure what to keep.


i have 2 stunning yellow labs, something electric blue and two 'bumblebee' cichlids. these were all in under the useful title of 'assorted malawi cichlids'. i know that the yellow labs are definately what they are meant to be because i have always wanted a pair and they are very yellow with the corret very black line on the top fin etc.

question is (to me anyway) they're prettey dear round here so i cant buy them all at once as youre meant to. i also have no idea what they blue thingy is i bought him because he truly is beautiful. i dont know how many to get, or what i can mix or anything like that every book i have contradicts the last.

one says overcrowd them the others say keep the water spotless?

i know they need caves etc which i am providing for them. also there are still 5 black widow tetras in there i couldnt get out without causing undue stress. will they be ok or are the new residents liable to disappear them?

also im being told these cichlids are veggies. is that true?

theyre eating the flake the shop said they were eating before i bought them but i cant help but feel they need something else?

its a four foot by 1 by 2 i have and its filtered by a serafil 1100. 5 malawis and 5 widows(soon to be removed)

how many more can i have/do i need?

Any pic of the blue "thingy"? Could it be a Blue ram cichlid? (Pic in caresheet if unsure).

I would strongly advise against overcrowding! How are they supposed to grow if they're cramped up together?! If they're that aggressive that they need to be "overcrowded" to spread out the aggression, surely they should be in a species tank?

EDIT: Here's the caresheet

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... esheet.php?caresheetID=81

thats what i thought. will get a picture of blue guy once hes not hiding and the camera reappears (baby disappeared it)

was suggested he could be a blue zebra something or other, but he doesnt have stripes. looks a bit mean though.

thats not him in the care shet, hes all one colour and very lovely.

Overcrowding as such is the way forward though perhaps not the correct word. A high stocking level would perhaps be a better way to put it and then back it up with high levels of filtration and regular water changes.
Your tank is 4 x 1 x 2 so the smallest size really for a malawi mbuna community. Reckon its about 200-220l tank which will reduce with decor.
I reckon your best bet would be to stick with 2-3 of the more peaceful species like your yellow labs. I would personally stock between 15-20 fish and try to have more females than males so as to reduce agression though this is easier said than done id'ing them.
Regarding your caves really you need to build up a great deal of rock work up the back wall which will recreate their natural habitat and by using ocean and tufa rock this will help to buffer the ph which needs to be a min of 7.8 realy.
As to being vegetarian they will pick at algae but feeding with a spirulina based food is more than good enough.
hth

great thanks! i have tuffa rock in there just now, they have a couple of caves each, but im hoping to build it up with resin rocks because of the weight issue.

i got them tetra pro green , which they eat and nutrafin spirulina stick thingys which they dont, but theyre only small yet so i think thats the problem with that. they demolish the pro green though. and the flake as well. and the bloodworm. very greedy aren't they?!

just one thing do not feed them much preteen if non at all as this courses something known as Malawi bloat in the wiled they are mainly plant and algae grasers ime setting a tank up at the moment as a species tank for yellow labs and yes in a cumunity mbuna tank you overstock as this stops one male getting hyper dominant and claiming the hole tank as his territory and cosing major aggression if not fatality's

yeah i stopped the bloodworm once i discovered the bloat thing. they look very healthy and happy to me!

this is the mystery blue and the alleged bumblebee cichlid. can someone put me right pls

did that work? why cant i see my pics???