New to Malawi ant infor would be great

[mousefue]

Hi there I have 160 L tank

My filter is EFX 300

My water temperature 26-27 Celsius

My high pH level is 8.2

My ammonia is 0 ppm

My nitrate two is 0 ppm

My nitrate three is 0ppm

I have black sand



But I don't have any décor i.e. ocean rock



I am thinking of starting a Malawi tank if that is how you spell it



I have been doing some research and it's a little bit conflicting I was just wondering if anyone could give me any advice as this will be my first Malawi tank like what the water temperature should be how high the pH level should be what sort of food do I need it

do I need egg crate for the bottom to build Ocean rocks on or are they a bad idea and do they need deep sand or shallow sand

at the moment I just had a 90 L tank fresh water tropical just with some flex guppies and some platys so if anyone has got any information on Malawi is please can you share the knowledge that you know thank you

Reese

 

[SonicsDC25]

42 gallon isn't big enough for Peacocks, so Mbuna are your only options when it comes to Malawi cichlids. Your NO3 is 0ppm, did you do a 100% water change recently or is the tank not cycled yet? You don't need an egg crate and IMO it's not necessary since it's harder to remove gas build-up. If you want support, put some kind of support under the tank rather than inside, it's what I did at least and I have pretty big rocks in there.

8.2 pH is great, especially if you have that coming out of your tap. As long as the pH is stable, you're good to go. If you plan on keeping wilds, you'll need it higher. As for food, I recommend getting New Life Spectrum pellets as your main food and another brand as a substitute to give them some variety. Try to keep protein foods (blood worms for example) to a minimum since it could cause bloat, it's the last thing you want to handle.

Good luck!

 

[mousefue]

Sorry forgot to say that the tank has only been up and running for about a week now and yes that is the pH level straight out of the tap I am looking to put stones in the tank but don't know what stones and I just have black sound but I know what Blacksands it is I got it out of the pet shop and how deep do I need the sand thank you for all your information x

 

[SonicsDC25]

Alright, just make sure your tank has finished cycling before adding the fish, and that is some great tap water ! As for rocks, I prefer natural type stones like Sandstone, Yorkstone, Basalt, ect; but it's up to you and your preference. The sand color and depth is also your personal preference, I like to keep my sand at 2 - 2.5 inches, they just love digging

 

[mousefue]

I think my sand is any half an inch so can I go to 2 inches as they like to dig and does it have to be level I'll can I do all different dips throughout the tank LOL that southern England tap water for you

 

[mousefue]

Sorry forgot to say how long does a cycle take

 

[SonicsDC25]

The sand can look any way you want it to look lol, some people make the back a bit higher to add depth to the tank. Read this article on how to cycle your tank: Tips and Tricks For Your Fastest Fishless Cycle! - Aquarium Advice

 

[mousefue]

Thank you so much you are a superstar do I have to go to a fish shop for the stones or can I just go out and about and look for pebbles and slates to do DIY hiding places as my pH doesn't need to raise any more so I didn't know if I needed to get ocean rock to make my PH higher

 

[ricco34]

You should make a lot of caves with rocks and places to hide. You should also add 5 at a time instead of only one, and if you already have some and want to add more you should rearrange the rocks so they can all find new territory because they are very territorial. And kind of overstock the aquarium to reduce aggression. Also you should not add cichlids from diffident lakes or places (example- Africans and South Americans, lake Tanganyika and lake malawi) it sometimes can be done but most of the time not. And if you algae or just like plecos or other cat fish just makes sure they are bigger or the same size as the cichlids. At first tegu will get picked on but they will end up ignoring them. Also look into how big the cichlids get. Hope I could help and good luck!

 

[mousefue]

Tks guy for taking to time to reply I am great-full
If one more thing do I need ocean rock to rise ph lvl but it right out the tap at 8.2 and do I still use tap safe in water chagen or any thing esle for that matter

Wot should the tep be 26c
Ph 7.5 -8.2
Sand 2"

Reese

 

[bmarine]

You don't need ocean rock to raise pH. 8.2 is awesome for them but they are usually pretty adaptable to different levels, so probably between 7.0-8.4 is best. You can raise pH through many different ways. Texas Holey Rock is a great rock for cichlids and acts as a great buffer. People also use crushed coral, or some other rocks. As for temperature, sorry i can't convert to celsius, but its usually best between 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit. And as previously said, egg crate isn't necessary at all, but many people use it to distribute the weight of their rocks across the tank, but its really your choice.