Want to start a mbuna tank any advice?

[jrledee]

I just bought a 72 gallon bowfront and want to set up a mbuna tank? Any advice on how much fish i should stock the tank with and how to get the water right for african cichlids.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

what do you like is my first question!
you have to work with aggressions.
like mixing kenyi, johanni, zebras, auratus. they are a great mix as they are so mean but work together. i adore zebras personally so they are reccomended!
or peacocks, venustus, labs, bumblebees. they are gentler and look stunning. the peacocks + venustus arent mbuna but are stunning in colours!

for a 72, maybe about 30 fish. its a lot, but overstocking helps big time with aggression.

 

[jrledee]

I was thinking about yellow labs and cobalt blue cichlids ? Any other cichlid would you recommend?
Plus any advice for how to set the water for african cichlids

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

i cant give exact parameters - i dont know exact figures i roll with whatever my AA buddies say

setting the water would mean getting an api master test kit, following to the t basically. i let my tank cycle for 2 weeks, the 2nd week with a couple of bettas. that lived. and my water was fine for the mbuna when i put them in.

yes CBZ would be fine! i see them mixed all the time. only cases where they are not fine is when males are being arrogant or just plain evil. but thats an individual personality.
surely with yellow and blue, a lovely deep orange is in order? hehe. there is the cherry red zebra that an AA member was showing off - unbelievably cool lol!

 

[jrledee]

Thanks for the advice. I was wondering african buffer is the best?

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

no clue

please anyone chime in for this one x

 

[Malawi Freak]

I use h2o aquatics cichlid salt.

Keep in mind if you start using it when you do water changes salt does not evaporate.

PS. Save your money and buy the 5lb

 

[jrledee]

thanks, does anybody use

Seachem Malawi/Victoria Buffer are they any good plus if you use this do you also put cichlid salt in the aquarium

 

[joel618]

What is your base ph? No need to use cichlid buffers imo. Just add some crushed coral or limestone to naturally buffer the water.

 

[jrledee]

from tap is 7.2

 

[cichlid.greenhorn]

My water has a ph of 6.5, never used a buffer before. I have been told a steady ph and hardness is more important than the appropriate levels. Never lost a mbuna to bad water or aggression. IMO check to see if your lfs water levels. If they are close to yours I wouldn't chang

 

[cichlid.greenhorn]

No need for buffers, they may make your levels fluxuate. A steady ph and hardness is better than a constantly changing one imo. Also see if your lfs will give you a read out of their water. It maybe close to yours, I would leave it be. My ph is only 6.5, and I have never lost a mbuna.

 

[Slade]

My ph is a steady 7.8, I add two tblspn of a combo epsom salt/kosher salt/baking soda mixture to my weekly 50% PWC. I have 8 yellow labs & 6 Albino Pseudotropheus Socolofi in a 55 gallon at 79F. At 3-4" I haven't had any major aggression or lost any fish.

 

[Malawi Freak]

6.5 is too low of a Ph for mbuna. If you get your Ph higher you will notice much better coloration.

I have hard water where I live and I still use a buffer.

Don't worry about what your lfs has there levels at, if you only knew how many times I have come across pure neglect from some stores and their water. Do the research and see what levels your species require.

 

[toddnbecka]

Good old baking soda is the only pH buffer you need, epsom salt is helpful if you have soft water (low gh.) Best thing about baking soda, no matter how much you use it won't raise the pH higher than 8.0. Using more will raise the kh (carbonate hardness) which is what makes the pH stable. My tap water is 7.4, quite hard from the limestone in this area, and I use 1 Tbsp/5 gallons of baking soda for my 220 Tang tank. The mbuna and peacocks in the 75's have large chunks of coral in the tanks to buffer the water, and I don't use anything but dechlor to treat the water.

 

[Jmedic25]

What kind of filtration do you have? That will help answer lots