# Sharks with Malawi??



## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I have seen quite a few posts and read articles of people keeping red tail sharks and even some keeping bala sharks in their tanks with Malawi cichlids..... is that okay? or just an accident waiting to happen? 
I do not know the water parameter needs of the sharks, but I thought they needed different water?


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## mgrantham21 (Jan 10, 2009)

I've heard of this working for some people. But for my experience I had a red tail shark in my tank of Africans and he was bigger than they were. I had to eventually remove him because he was getting pretty beat up. They picked on him pretty bad. As for the water, they can manage just fine with the higher PH levels just aclimate him slowly. You can always try it but if they start picking on him you may need to take him out.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I am not going to add any other fish at all until Spring... I want all mine to relax and just hang out for a while..... 
I was just curious about the shark....

My next plans for fish include some sort of bottom feeder... and some more female Fryeri....


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## mgrantham21 (Jan 10, 2009)

Thats cool. Do you have any bottom feeders now? I have synodontis catfish and they keep the bottom super clean and can hang with the aggressivness in the tank.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

No, I had clown loaches but lost them due to Ich 

Can a Syno do okay with Sand? And is one enough for a 75 gallon tank?


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

I general, I've only found a few "scavengers" that work most of the time in any cichlid tank....and they are listed in order of preference.

1) Botia Loaches
2)Synodontus Catfish
3)Plecostomus--especially bristlenose
4)Doradid catfish---you rarely will ever see them though.


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## D.T.M (Sep 10, 2009)

Syno's are fine with sand and get on great with cichlids, plenty feisty enough.

I have a RTB shark in my tank and he is ignored by the Mbuna but that doesn't mean it will work for you. I used to have a Bala shark too, the Mbuna left it alone but it died anyway and never seemed happy. Perhaps it was lonely or didn't like the high PH....


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I am really leaning toward the catfish.... my luck with Loaches was not good and I may try them again someday but I would like to go with something else first.

I really like the Synodontis Njassae.....


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## D.T.M (Sep 10, 2009)

thats the only malawi syno i believe, but a little plain IMO. Any syno will work just fine. Angelicus are my favourite if a little expensive.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

http://www.safhl.net/davesfish/images/S ... jassae.jpg

I don't think it is plain at all.... The Angelicus are really pretty too but I would think they would get lost in the background once I have all my caves and caverns built in! lol


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

i have a 5 inch rainbow shark in my 55 mbuna tank and all the cichlids leave him alone...i had 3 but they didnt play nice with each other and soon became 1 hes about 1.5 years old and has been in the tank since he was 1.5 inches with 4 inch mbuna. hes cool hes all over my arm when i do water changes


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## padlock 08 (Jul 31, 2008)

just get a trio of njassae, that way you keep the bio-tope theme and the cichlids natural beauty isn't detracted from by your bottom feeders, clown loaches really aren't recommended for a tank less than 6' because thay grow 12" long and need to be kep in groups of at least 6. if i could fin any njassae then i'd jump at the chance but just had to settle for the closest looking syno i could find, occelifer


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## SoDakJeep (Mar 21, 2009)

I have to Bala Sharks and they are fine in my overstocked tank.


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## esparzar1 (Jun 14, 2009)

I have a redtail shark in my 55 gal with yellow labs, acei, and red zebra. I've had absolutely no problems in my tank.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

With the aggression level of the ciclids in there you could also go with a Chinese Algae Eater. I know lots of people post about how htey are very aggressive as adults, but as long as you have aggressive cichlids they seem to do fine. Top notch algae and bottom detritus hoover. Mine (I have one in each of tanks) eat NLS, algae waifers, diatoms, you name it they seem to eat it and the higher ph and hardness doesn;t seem to ba an issue.


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## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

I had a Algae eater with my guppies, he was only about 2 inches but he was cool, we called him Skeeter the Algae Eater....hehe

I liked him but it is his overall size that I am not certain of.... I have heard they can get pretty big.


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## aFinFan (Jul 29, 2009)

Now how do Syno's and Chinese algae eaters get along,and do the mbuna really leave the Chinese algae eaters alone?Used to have a chinese algae eater,grew to 6 inches in 2 months and was a very active fish.Would occasionaly battle with a YoYO loach and seemed to graze on the sides of my discus :? Freaked me out so I traded those two in for a Dracula Pleco.If I had known they go with malawians probably would have tried.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

I haven't had synos so I don't know about that compatability issue. The CAE can be quite aggressive and with timid fish do go after their slime coats. I have found that the haps and peacocks continue to cruise at night somewhat so the CAE can't ambush them and the mbuna are just too territorial, even at night. I have a large male CAE (a good 6") in my mbuna tank and he pretty much avoids them. I did start out with him as a tiny little guy. as he grew the male mbuna would harass him a lot if he ventured into their caves. Now there is a level of respect that keeps everybody cool. I have some smaller ones in my 55g and grow out tanks. They seem to be better as a single fish, rather than a group of them. I do feed them specifically (algae waifers after the cichlids go to sleep) so they haven't ever tried to steal slime coats, that I am aware of. No sucker marks on anybody.


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