# New tank help.



## zlenhert42 (Nov 12, 2009)

I just got a 46g bowfront. I plan on having about for yellow labs (1M:3F). Can i get some suggestions for some tank mates besides plecos. I would love a fish that was red, but am just looking for some color. Thanks for helping newb.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

welcome

what is the footprint(dimensions) of the tank?
possibly demasoni or maybe cynotilapia afra...
definitely a dwarf species
need specs first...i think i already know them but just to make sure


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

I'll chime in since I have an empty 46 bow too and was curious whether it would be adequate for a species of dwarf mbuna. Dimensions are 36" long, 12-16" wide, 20" tall. Definitely not as wide as I would like for a tank; but okay for small fish.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

the problem with mbuna that i will see is not enough space for the agression


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

That is definitely what I figured. I've never kept Malawi cichlids, but I'm familiar enough to know the mbuna are aggressive and need lots of space. But I was browsing through all the dwarf species and it sounded like a few might work, like the demasoni, afra, and rusties, others? One article recommended stocking with at least a dozen demasoni rather than just one or two males with females, to avoid any one fish becoming a target (and this was regarding a smaller tank 30-45 gal). But I'm not sure I would want to pack that many cichlids into a 46-gallon tank and watch them tirelessly chase each other! Rather, I was wondering if any of the dwarf mbunas do okay as pairs or small harems. I'll search the forums and see what I find, but it sounds like only a marginally acceptable situation.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

someone said in another post that bascially this tank would only suite one species (this op posted this same thing in two forums)


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## Guams (Aug 21, 2009)

I have a 46g bowfront with:

4 Lab. caeruleus
9 Ps. demasoni
3 Ps. acei
2 Cyn. sp. "White Top Hara"
1 Syn. petricola

They're all living happily and aggression is very minimal. Then again, there is no red in my tank.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

*Guams*

Are your fish all adults? Acei get quite large and should really not be in anything less than a 4ft tank, though many will say nothing less than a 5 footer


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

> I have a 46g bowfront with:
> 
> 4 Lab. caeruleus
> 9 Ps. demasoni
> ...


wow thats gonna be a packed tank...when these fish grow up. be sure to watch the ammonia if you should ever lose power in the future...with that kinda bio load ammonia spikes will skyrocket in an instant.


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

Guams said:


> I have a 46g bowfront with:
> 
> 4 Lab. caeruleus
> 9 Ps. demasoni
> ...


pictures pictures!
I would need to take tranquillizers to watch a tank like that. 
Just looking at my 46-bow this morning I was like "nah, maybe a few comps and caudopunks max."

--Angela


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

scrubjay said:


> Just looking at my 46-bow this morning I was like "nah, maybe a few comps and caudopunks max."
> 
> --Angela


Thats actually a pretty good idea for your tank. you would get good breeding from both species. You might want to add a small group of upper water fish to balance out the bottom fish and bring the comps out more.


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

upper water fish are so tough in smaller Tanganyikan tanks--as a fish biologist, I don't like to mix fish from different regions, but if there was a species that could look fairly natural in there--suggestions? Are there any African barb species that one could get? I'm only familiar with New World tetras in terms of small open water fish.


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

uh oh, this is where fishbase.org comes in handy, but I gotta work too!
There are some nice tetras and barbs in the Congo basin
Now to find them ;p
_Barbus hulstaerti_ Butterfly Barb--nice!


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

If red was the target, then I might suggest going with a pair of kribensis, Pelvicachromis pulchers. You could add in a group of Congo tetras to keep it African Authentic as well.


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## Darkside (Feb 6, 2008)

scrubjay said:


> upper water fish are so tough in smaller Tanganyikan tanks--as a fish biologist, I don't like to mix fish from different regions, but if there was a species that could look fairly natural in there--suggestions? Are there any African barb species that one could get? I'm only familiar with New World tetras in terms of small open water fish.


As a fish biologist what do you work with?
There are good upper stratum dithers from Lake Tanganyika that are available. I really like Lacustricola pumilus, but they are difficult to find. As for other African killies, I'm currently keeping Aplocheilichthys normani and I find them to be subtly beautiful. Norman's lampeye would also work well with Fogelhund's suggestion. Or, if you go the west African route, killies from the Procatopus genus are a fabulous addition as well. Some of them are just stunning! Too bad your aquarium isn't just a little longer or you'd be able to house Lamprichthys tanganicanus, which is probably the most attractive fish in lake Tanganyika.


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## scrubjay (Oct 25, 2009)

I work with Pacific salmon and riverine ecology. A bit different from cichlids, and not too good in aquaria. :wink: 
I'll look into those species, thanks so much! I'm sure at some point I'll get a larger aquarium again at some point. I used to have a 100-gallon Tang tank and a 100-gallon "pond" (aquaculture tub) in my apartment that had a slate waterfall (the canister return) and South American fish, including a pair of wonderful Uarus. Fish loved it. 
Don't want to hijack op's thread...


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