Mbuna tank suggestions

[Hutch]

Im hoping to start my first ever Malawi lake tank. So far I have a 25 gal I was hoping to set up with crushed coral, LOTS of rockwork, and a peguin 170 and I have a 2.5 gal hospital (breeding) tank with penguin mini that I would set up with a cave.

Obviously Im starting probably too small for the normal rift lake set up... but I was thinking maybe 2 males and 4 femals of various species would work. I would like to know someone with some mbuna experience thinks this would be an okay setup? Also any suggestions as to what smaller species to look for would be awesome?

Thanks in advance - Hutch
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65 gal
1 black ghost knife 6"
1 fire eel 8"
2 pictus cats both 5 1/2"

 

[Menagerie]

That tank is too small, plus, the wood will lower the pH, while the coral raises it. May I suggest a Lake Tang tank? This site has a list of various fish:
http://www.mongabay.com/fish/species_index
The Lake Tang fish have all sorts of body types and you will be able to keep a few in a 25 gal.

 

[shawmutt]

I second menag. I tried with a 30 gallon and had a huge aggressive meltdown when my mbunas started to mature.

Do some research on shellies, or perhaps a few South American cichlids.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I'd also suggest NOT using crushed coral: many of the Africans enjoy digging and sifting through the substrate. The coral can irritate gills and even cause injuries, due to sharp edges. Sand is the way to go, IMHO.

CaribSea makes several African cichlid substrates that are much more suitable (I use the Sahara sand mix in all my tanks), or you can use the sand sold for marine tanks.

 

[TankGirl]

A pair of N. brichardi would be wonderful in that size tank, but I think you will have trouble having a fully stocked, active tank of that size when it comes to Africans. Of course there's always shelldwellers

 

[Madame_X]

Yeah, the brichardis are beautiful but you wouldn't be able to put 2 males and 4 females in it once they reach sexual maturity, or any other species for that matter. You'd need a much bigger tank.

I couldn't even get away with having a pair in my 55 gallon.