# Can I add tanganyika lake fish with Malawi???



## whocares1980 (Sep 14, 2014)

Dear Guys,

I have only 27 fishes now mostly peacocks, Jacobs, Yellow labs and few others ( 1 red jewel, 1 Demasoni, 2 blue moorii dolphin, 2 blood parrots, 2 yellow blaze 2 small livingstoni.

Can I add only 1 cherry stop Moorii ( tropheus ) and 1 yellow band kaiser ( tropheus )

thanks 

Tank Details

75 Gallon W 120, H 75 , D 45
1 Externat 4 tray 304b sunsun 
1 built-in overhead filter 
1 wave maker to remove (Move) the dirt from the sand
PH 7.5
Nitrate low
Nitrite 10 n below as I do water change daily 4 to 5 % 
I have alot of hiding places


----------



## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

No. I believe you already have too many fish for a 75 gallon.


----------



## PiccoloJr (Oct 14, 2013)

You do already have too many fish. Also your stocklist already has issues such as the Demasoni, Livingstoni, Blood Parrots, and the Jewel. The Demasoni are going to end up bullying your Peacocks, and the Livingstoni will probably end up bullying everybody.

The Jewel and Blood Parrot have a greater difference in parameters with Malawi than the Tangs.

But to answer your question, no I wouldn't put Tangs with Malawi. Nor would I have the previously mentioned fish in there either.


----------



## Chester B (Dec 28, 2012)

Too many fish already. Please stop asking if you can add more fish in numerous posts, the answer remains the same. If you want more fish get another tank.

Tropheus do not mix well with many of your fish and are more sensitive with their vegetarian diets. If you were to add them they'd probably end up with bloat and die. They do best in large groups (20 or more) as the dominant species in a tank being fed a diet high in plant matter. If you want to learn more about keeping tropheus visit the Tropheus corner in the Library on this website.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/t ... corner.php


----------



## Maximus74 (Mar 31, 2014)

Your fish tank already look overstocked. Those fish will grow and will get worst.

Beside your fish mix is already not optimal.


----------



## johnnymarko (May 30, 2014)

Am I the only one getting tired of this?


----------



## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

johnnymarko said:


> Am I the only one getting tired of this?


No, but person who won't listen is looking for anyone to provide justification to do the wrong thing.


----------



## PiccoloJr (Oct 14, 2013)

I didn't want to be rude, but I was going to say why ask if (based on your current stock) you're probably just going to do it anyways?


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Can you add a Tropheus to you tank? Yes. The fish will might live as long as it doesn't get bloat disease.

Will the Tropheus thrive? Probably not.
Will the Tropheus look good? Probably not.
Will the Tropheus be interesting? Probably not.
Is this a good way to keep Tropheus? No.

It's your money and time to waste. but you will be wasting the Tropheus if they are good quality fish, if you care.


----------



## whocares1980 (Sep 14, 2014)

think when you guys were new to cichlids and tell me you did not make any mistakes in your excitement, every one learn from their mistakes and plus these fishes are farm raised not coming to my tank straight from the wild. if you do not like to answer my question you don't have to...


----------



## johnnymarko (May 30, 2014)

I'll admit, I made mistakes...but I didn't do any research up front and have since learned and taken the advice given on the forums.

You have started countless threads asking for advice on stocking and what not...and countless times, people who have been doing this for YEARS have told you what they think and the best course of action for your tank.

Take that advice and restart a happy, healthy tank....or, just keep stocking whatever you want to and have a tank where none of the fish are happy and healthy.


----------



## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

i think adding 20 to 40 Piranha would mellow the tank out.


----------



## johnnymarko (May 30, 2014)

Actually, adding one or two _Carcharodon carcharias_ might be appropriate...have you given them a try?


----------



## TTUhouston (Jul 22, 2013)

Wow, a lot of negativity in this thread.

I will say that anyone in the hobby can do whatever they want. I breed and sell fish locally and have found it is very hard to give people tank advice. Everyone has different ideas of what a successful tank is to them.

I have no experience mixing Tangs and malawis. I do have experience in overcrowded tanks though due to breeding while selling. I have found that 50% water changes once a week, a lot of siphoning and way over filtrated tanks can last in an overstocked state for a short period of time. I have a Eheim 2217, a fluval 406 and an air pump with two large aerators in a 55g with sometimes upwards of 60+ fish. This is my for sale tank. The fish are rarely much above 2" and I have had very few issues with fish health. I do try and sell fish before the tank gets there but sometimes it happens.

I think what everyone is saying is that when these fish get bigger you will notice that a few of those fish will get very aggressive. When this happens you will have to sell them or you will see a lot of fatalities and not happy fish. To keep them all colored like they look they are now you will need to remove a few.


----------



## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

You know when I started about a year ago, I asked lots of questions and the advise given to me by more experienced people here sometimes did not make sense...
Now after a year I have had to purchase a 30 gallon long tank to house some fish that have become problem fish, or fish that are potentially meals for other fish as they grow, which is what was being told to me by the more experienced members here

I do have some Tangs in with my Malawi HAPS/PEACOCKS, but I just lost one of my small Tangs, a Julidichromis as it became a meal for one of my faster growing haps, so now I have been moving fish around to prevent more fish being eaten, and to the point where I will be setting up a Tang only tank to house these fish

What I am trying to say is that most of the people here know of what they speak through experience and first hand knowledge, and although nobody is a 100% expert, most of these guys are spot on when it comes to stocking questions


----------



## johnnymarko (May 30, 2014)

Okay, I'll agree this thread got negative, and I added to that...now for some real advice...

I tried a tropheus moorii in my Malawi tank a while back...it was basically thrive vs. survive...after a while, I made the better judgement call and rehomed it to someone with a Tang tank. Malawi and tangs should not be mixed.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

whocares1980 said:


> think when you guys were new to cichlids and tell me you did not make any mistakes in your excitement, every one learn from their mistakes and plus these fishes are farm raised not coming to my tank straight from the wild. if you do not like to answer my question you don't have to...


Making a mistake is one thing, asking the same question repeatedly when many experienced members have responded with helpful answers and patient explanations is another. It makes the people who gave you answers feel like you don't value their information or effort.


----------



## workharddieproud (Nov 7, 2013)

I've seen tons of people on here, so called experts, that I feel have their tanks over stocked, they OP just asked a simple question. Personally I wouldn't, I do have a couple victorians mixed in with my malawi's and their doing great.


----------



## POWER77 (Mar 26, 2014)

I have been keeping and breeding Malawi's and Tangs for the last 6 years with limited experience in mixing the two (limited because I try to not make the same mistake twice). I read awhile ago that the fish from Malawi and Tanganika have evolved with different aggression signals - makes sense as they are from two isolated lakes. When you put these two in a tank together and one trys to dominate or chase off the other these signals are not recognised and usually ends in one being killed by the more dominant fish. I have seen this when mixing the following Tangs with fish from Malawi. Frontosa, Tropheus duboisi, Calvus and julidochromis dickfeldi - in all cases they seem to interact differently with the Malawi's and my observations all point towards the above theory being true.

I would not recommend it!


----------



## whocares1980 (Sep 14, 2014)

Thanks TTUhouston and plug  I sold 9 of my aggressive fish only hongi is still with me the rest are all peaceful 27 fishes if hongi get better fine if not I'll sell it off as well  I care about the fish I won't let them die


----------



## miDnIghtEr20C (Aug 13, 2013)

whocares1980 said:


> Dear Guys,
> 
> I have only 27 fishes now mostly peacocks, Jacobs, Yellow labs and few others ( 1 red jewel, 1 Demasoni, 2 blue moorii dolphin, 2 blood parrots, 2 yellow blaze 2 small livingstoni.
> 
> ...


17 seconds in you'll see all 3 of my Tangs at the same time mixed with my others... I have a 180 though...... Like the others said though.. get a bigger tank!


----------



## whocares1980 (Sep 14, 2014)

cool  beautiful in fact, thanks  ill start saving for the bigger one.

I added 1 bemba orange flame and 1 Duboisi and they seem to be getting along very well the hongi was making trouble i kept her in a breading net for few hours in the tank and released at night put the lights off and covered the tank to make it dark and since 2 days now they are peaceful and going up and down with my other fishes also hongi is ok, I see no aggression in the tank at all.


----------



## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

whocares1980 said:


> cool  beautiful in fact, thanks  ill start saving for the bigger one.
> 
> I added 1 bemba orange flame and 1 Duboisi and they seem to be getting along very well the hongi was making trouble i kept her in a breading net for few hours in the tank and released at night put the lights off and covered the tank to make it dark and since 2 days now they are peaceful and going up and down with my other fishes also hongi is ok, I see no aggression in the tank at all.


Really, the point is not aggression, they will tend to ignore each other if there is no reason to fight. Cichlids are aggressive for a reason, they may not fight with fish they do not have a competition with, and a crowded tank stops a lot of territorial behavior.

Tropheus do tend to get sick easily thou, especially in a crowded tank, and your tank is crowded. Tropheus are rarer fish, maybe there is somebody who would want the Tropheus for a proper Tropheus tank.

The point is that adding these fish is rather pointless, other than to just say you have them for the heck of it. The fish may survive for a few years but may not look their best, nor will you get to see their normal behavior that they show in a group of themselves. Tropheus are not really considered show fish by themselves. If few of the fish in your tank end up looking their best and few have their normal behavior... this is not a good goal. Nobody would recommend this, this is a very low goal for a hobbyist. Sure, most people have done unwise or foolish things with their aquariums, people want more than they can keep. But nobody is going to recommend such a low goal of a hobbyist... just throw as many different fish in a tank and see if they live just for the heck of it. After starting the hobby, you should be more ambitious than just seeing if they will survive for awhile.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You would judge whether a fish combination is compatible after about a year (or more) in the tank together without changes. One way to satisfy the desire for variety is to keep one group of fish for several years, and then switch. Maybe you'll do a tropheus species tank in 2017. You don't have to try everything all at once, gives you something to look forward to and keeps you interested in the hobby long-term.


----------



## gverde (Mar 3, 2010)

I have 1 full grown male Tropheus Duboisi Maswa in a all male hap/peacock tank and he is doing fine. But they are all in a 220 gal tank. There are about 25 fish ranging from 4-15 inches. I also have 1 large burundi frontosa in there with no problems. The only reason my fish are all fine with little aggression is because they are in a large tank. A 75 gallon is too small for the number of fish you have especially once they get full grown. I also do 50-75% water changes once a week and now have a bare bottom instead of sand for easier syphon cleanup. I also feed every other day with NLS. I haven't had any diseases in my tank for over 3 years.


----------



## whocares1980 (Sep 14, 2014)

NLS is what i am looking for and cant find but will soon, my fishes are way too small from 1.5 inch to max 4 inch and only one blue moori dolphin is 5 inch.


----------

