Need opinions/advise on cichlids

[tom91970]

I'm about to start taking care of a 180 gallon tank and need some ideas and input. Other than having a GBR and some angels I don't know much about cichlids.

The tank already has 4 parrots and 8 or 9 Africans. What I want are some nice colorful fish (but no South Americans). List some names; pictures will be much appreciated. Any input will be appreciated.

 

[missdixie256]

Tom,

I also think we should mention the 2 plecs. We also know it has 2 yellow labs and the rest are probably mutts. I should also mention that the fish that are in the tank are on borrowed time due to nasty tank conditions over the years. while we were there there were 2 doing summer saults and twisting and all kinds of things. Seems like everytime I am by there there is either a dead fish or dying fish.

Since I will also be doing the maintenance with you, I am voting for Peacocks and Mbunas.


Remember when you make your suggestions we do not want huge fish. 6 to 8 inches and keeping it not so heavily stocked that 2xs a month cleaning won't be enough. (It is all the people that own the tank will pay for)


Filtration will be 2 Rena XP4s and there will be a large rock formation in the tank. 1 90 (or more) percent water change 2xs a month.

 

[tom91970]

I don't know how I forgot about those two huge plecs but I did. Didn't forget about those two labs, though...personally, I think we need two or three more.

And yeah, the mbunas still get my vote.

btw, I found some Python tubes larger than what we were looking at. How about one as tall as me for $24????

 

[SinisterKisses]

My first order of business if I were you, would be to remove those parrots. To put it nicely, they don't mix/belong in an African Malawi tank.

Second order of business...get it in stable condition before you worry about adding anything. Worry about getting the tank into good shape, regular water changes, and the fish in it already healthy.

And then, when you are ready to add fish, mbuna and peacocks aren't the best mix. Given the size of the tank, it will help, but mbuna are very fast-moving, typically aggressive fish, and peacocks are slower, more relaxed fish for the most part. Mbuna typically stress peacocks out and make them unhappy. Plus, mbuna are rock fish, and peacocks are more open water swimmers. I would either stick with mbuna only, or do a hap/peacock tank.

 

[brian1973]

Second order of business...get it in stable condition before you worry about adding anything. Worry about getting the tank into good shape, regular water changes, and the fish in it already healthy.

I have no recommendations on fish but I do agree here, my real opinion is if the fish are already sick or possibly sick then get rid of them and start over, then you can go with what you want, no sense in spending money to add fish to a tank that may already be harboring unhealthy bacteria or fungal issues.

 

[missdixie256]

The parrots have to stay. I suggested we re-home them and thought the office manager was gonna scalp me! She insists that she loves them and that they have to stay. So anything suggested should work with them and the Africans. The office manager was pretty firm that what is in the tank stays in the tank


The fish that are in the tank are small so most of them are probably new(er) additions. (The LPS used to take care of the tank and she sold most of the stock off as she came and went over the last few months.) The ones that are un-healthy are the larger ones that have been in there for a long time. I figure we will go in Monday and the larger ones will be floating leaving a small handful of fry and various other small Africans *all under 4"*



We pretty much want to keep in line with what is already in the tank and add to what will work with them. I should also mention we are just looking for suggestions and none of them will be pursued until we get things lined back out. When I do my quote on what needs to be added to the tank I also have to turn in a semi-quote on what we are looking at to put in the tank as far as stocking and possibly what they are going to cost.

 

[tom91970]

No fish are being bought at this time. We're just in the planning stage at this point. Cleaning the tank is the #1 priority at this time...and that's gonna be a pretty big task. Once things are in order we will begin restocking.

Thanks for the tip about the peacocks and mbuna.

I first saw this tank over a year ago (Nov. '07) and it was well stocked and very enjoyable to watch. Going back today and seeing it again was very disappointing. I'm looking forward to getting it back into shape while sitting back on one of those comfortable chairs near the tank and watching missdixie haul water. heh

 

[missdixie256]

Thomas that is so not nice (I don't forsee EITHER of us hauling water. Ive already told you about the Python and the water hose!) ! I'll see you tomorrow... HAHA...

I don't think I need a Python tube the size of you when I have you already...LOL

 

[SinisterKisses]

The parrots have to stay. I suggested we re-home them and thought the office manager was gonna scalp me! She insists that she loves them and that they have to stay. So anything suggested should work with them and the Africans.

Well that's a problem already, because the Africans don't work with the Parrots, and vise-versa. Not long term. The parrots will be miserable among the mbuna.

 

[missdixie256]

The parrots have been in the tank for several years ( even when there were tons and tons of Africans according to the women at the place and it seems that i can vaguely remember small BPs in the tank ) and have always seemed perfectly healthy and happy showing a beautiful peach coloration and always moving around the tank freely.

This is gonna be a bigger pain in the bottom than we thought Tom...We both knew the BPs were going to be a problem but I don't think either of us knew just how big of one.

 

[Orion]

Buy a Pike. Problem solved when it gets bigger. Then the Piike suddenly 'dies' leaving the tank free to totally restock. ('Dies' as in while your there doing maintance on it one day it just happens to jump out and into an igloo cooler with tank water so it can go to a better tank or LFS)

That does suck that they don't want to budge on the current stock. As this is in a public office setting, a school of Frontosa would be awesome IMHO.

If you have to work with what they have, I might try to pump up the peacock's (both male's and females) and try to convince them to part with at least most of the mbuna. And the giant plec's. Peacocks's will be active and preeeety enough to watch for joe blow in off the street, plus if/when any breed it's just going to be that much more neat, and most aren't as excitable as mbuna.

 

[big54bob]

Buy a Pike. Problem solved when it gets bigger. Then the Piike suddenly 'dies' leaving the tank free to totally restock. ('Dies' as in while your there doing maintance on it one day it just happens to jump out and into an igloo cooler with tank water so it can go to a better tank or LFS)

That does suck that they don't want to budge on the current stock. As this is in a public office setting, a school of Frontosa would be awesome IMHO.

I agree with orion as in buying a fish that will -eat the fish- and the frontosa.

That tank would make a sick florida gar/ black arrowana tank.

 

[Whiskers]

if you still want suggestions, i've found the fish in my 55 gal to work well, no real aggression. i have 3 pseudotropheus acei, 1 burundi frontosa, 2 placideochromis ((we think m/f )believe its a hap), 1 yellow lab, 2 red jacobfrebergi (m/f), 1 rudi island nyerei and they all seem to do ok together. a little chase game once and awhile but not like some of the other mbuna's i've had. the front and the hap are the biggest two in the tank and they don't bug each other.

not the greatest of pics but got almost the whole bunch. well anyway just MHO.

 

[tom91970]

Sure, suggestions are still wanted. We looked at three different places today and found some acei as you mentioned. We were both impressed with those.

 

[missdixie256]

We were also impressed with the Hap. Morii.

 

[tom91970]

We hooked up the two canister filters tonight. The first big cleaning will be this coming Saturday.

I tested the water and came up with this:

*pH- 6.6

*ammonia- 0

*nitrite- 0

*nitrate- 80

I was pretty surprised by the other readings. We'll be sure to take some pics of the progress. I might even turn this into a journal.

 

[Orion]

If it's as bad you say, I would go ahead and try to snag some tap water from where fresh water will be coming from. Test the pH when you get the sample, and test it again 24 hours later after letting it out gas. There might be a large build up of DOC's in the water causing a drop in pH in the tank. (This depends on the buffering capacity of the water ya know). "Old Tank Syndrome" where new water is more shocking to the fish than the nasty conditions they are used too.

And for goodness sakes guys, get some photos!!

BTW- I don't know if I looked over this, but whats the dimensions of the tank?

 

[tom91970]

"Old Tank Syndrome" where new water is more shocking to the fish than the nasty conditions they are used too.

And for goodness sakes guys, get some photos!!

BTW- I don't know if I looked over this, but whats the dimensions of the tank?

Yeah, we discussed OTS yesterday and decided to do small water changes at first to avoid shock.

As for pictures we plan on taking some tomorrow. I also forgot to bring my tape measurer the other day but will try to remember it next time.

 

[missdixie256]

I think I will answer for Tom until he can get in here with the pics It took us 7 hours!!!!

6 ft x 24 in wide by 25 inches tall. (Roughly 180g i believe)

We ended up doing closer to 70% water change. When we removed the UGF there was piles and piles and piles of crap everywhere. Purely Nasty! We removed all of the fish from the tank so moving the Holey Rock wouldn't squish them. And boy were we glad we did! For hours we were un-able to see through the thick black fog. I was just ill and Tom thought it was funny!

When we went back today there was a slight ammonia reading.

Today his readings were:
Temp 69.7
PH 6.6 (comes out of the tap at 7.0)
NitrATE was 80+
Ammonia was .25

(tom that fish is a Black Ruby Barb! I think we need a school of them.)

 

[Orion]

Oh wow. I can see an ammonia reading though, will all that crap in the bottom, the bacteria probably covered up some organic material that couldn't be processed by aerobic bacteria before you all disturbed it. (just a footnote for those reading and wondering)

Well Tom better hurry up, I want to see some photo's of the project.