# tetras with malawai cichlids



## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

are there any tetras that can go with malawi cichlids
stocking
5 electric yellow labs
10 demasoni
3 marble peacocks
3 rusty cichlids
3 orange blotch
2 afras
2 brittle nose plec
3 Cobalt blue zebras
3 red zebras


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What are the dimensions of the tank?


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

40in long 24in high 18in wide 260l


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I think it is overfull already with the mbuna you have in there. I would not add tetras. I'd actually remove everything but the demasoni (up the numbers to 12) and the labs and keep one pleco.

I tried Buenos Aires tetras and they did not last a year with mbuna. So many of the others seemed to need soft water, I did not try tetras again.

In another tank that was stocked differently, I've heard of people having success with non-tetras. Tiger barbs maybe. Hopefully someone who has done it will chime in. Or you might search "barbs" in the Malawi forum to locate older threads.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

i might go for some barbs and drop out the cobalt blue zebra for them, and dropping prob afras and red zebra. the only prob i like the other fish to get rid of them


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Well, in my 72" tank with mbuna I had 5 species. Just to give you an idea.

Oh and you may not want to save fry...the labs, estherae (red zebra and orange blotch), cobalts will crossbreed.

I've never done the barbs...and I don't think they all work equally well. You might want to verify.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

is my current stock ok as it is or should i remove some


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

heres the equipment that i will be getting but want to make sure i got everything and i have had to get the light unit as my tank does not come with any
Tank 40in x 24in x 18in 260l 
Backing Blue
Contestation covers
Cabinet 40in x 24in x 18in
Aps ef 2000 L/H
Aps 300w aquarium heater
Aps 768 L/h Aquarium Air pump
Aps 90cm T5 Fish tank lights two tubes black
Aps Aquarium fish tank bubble Air curtain 75cm 
Carisbsea Super naturals moonlight 9Kg
Mini landscape rock
Dragon stone rock
Pagoda rock
Aged wood rock


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Thefisher said:


> is my current stock ok as it is or should i remove some


As DJ has said previously, you are massively overstocked once these fish mature. You'd have room for just the labs and demasoni, no room for tetras or barbs.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

so the other fish are out the question, as i am not allowed a bigger tank.( I already pushed my luck with a 260L tank)


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

ok this person is on another forum and has more fish than i do

250 litre malawi cichlid tank
3 firebird peacocks
3 rusty cichlids
2 kenyi
3 red fin borlyi
2 rostratus
8 damasoni
2 auratus
3white tail acei
2 orange blotch
3 electric yellow yellow labs
3 melanachromis johanni
2 brittle nose plecs


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Thefisher said:


> so the other fish are out the question, as i am not allowed a bigger tank.( I already pushed my luck with a 260L tank)


Yes, you really would be at your limit.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Thefisher said:


> ok this person is on another forum and has more fish than i do
> 
> 250 litre malawi cichlid tank
> 3 firebird peacocks
> ...


If you are looking for evidence to go ahead and do something that has low probability to work, then go ahead. It shouldn't really take anything besides common sense, to understand that when someone has rostratus in a 250 liter tank (they grow to 27-30 cm), you shouldn't be using this as an example of good cichlid husbandry.

You've received good advice, it's up to you to take it, or not.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

was not going to get the rostratus any way but he might be getting a bigger tank. but Don't see i can only get two species of cichlids and 2 bn plecs


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Thefisher said:


> was not going to get the rostratus any way but he might be getting a bigger tank. but Don't see i can only get two species of cichlids and 2 bn plecs


His point was that you should not be using that tank as an example of why it would be ok for you to overstock your tank. We had a member on here a year or so ago, not going to mention any names, who basically was making the same arguments. Within a year he had sold his set up because he couldn't figure why it wouldn't work.

You are receiving good advice from people who have been in this hobby for decades.

In reality you have a tank that is not much bigger than a 40g breeder. With these fish it is length and depth(front to back) that is most important. All that extra height or gallons means nothing when it comes to temperament of these fish. The fish may get along for now but as they start to mature you are quickly going to run out of room as they start attacking each other for territories.

I wish you the best. :thumb:


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

its so confusing, people saying differntt things.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Thefisher said:


> its so confusing, people saying differntt things.


It does...for sure. The best way to learn though is through trial and error. Hearing people speak of their own experiences gives you a good starting point but many people will always remain skeptical until they try for themselves. Just human nature.

I will give you another example. I have a brother who knows for a fact that I know my stuff when it comes to this hobby. So he set up a old 55g tank in his home. He saw my fish and wanted to have may of the same fish but go even further. So he went out and bought some of the most aggressive peacocks and haps and stuck them in his tank. As juvelines all was well. I told him that the larger haps especially the Livingstonii would likely kill off the other fish in a tank that size especially if it was a male. He just continued to ignore my advice and pointed to the fact that as of right now they got along great. Less than a year later the Livingstonii turned out to be a male and started killing off the other more docile peacocks and haps. He had a beautiful show quality red shoulder peacock. The livingstonii ripped its lips off. Completely. So now he was down to only one fish in his tank after he spent a lot of money on 15 peacocks and haps.

He went on to sell the Livingstonii, bought a bunch of community fish instead and has swore NEVER to buy another african cichlid as long as he lives. He blames all this on the fish instead of himself. In his mind it was the fishes fault it didn't work.

I see this all the time. Most people get out of the african cichlid hobby because they don't or won't do their research or they get bad advice and it ends up costing a small fortune to continue to replace fish as well as a major headache trying to figure out why they keep fighting.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

so how many demasoni and Electric Yellow lab can i stock and i will be getting two brittle nose plecs


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

Don't underestimate how good a well done Demasoni and Electric Yellow tank can look. They are both striking fish in their own right and contrast well with each other. I think there are a few members that are stocked similarly.

To make Demasoni work, you need lots. I've never kept them so I will let others advise the specifics. Will you be getting juveniles or adults?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Thefisher said:


> so how many demasoni and Electric Yellow lab can i stock and i will be getting two brittle nose plecs


6 Labs, 20 demasoni, remove extra males. Two bristle nose plecos are fine.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

Do I have to stock all in straight away or can I let them breed and get my numbers that way :-?


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Thefisher said:


> Do I have to stock all in straight away or can I let them breed and get my numbers that way :-?


If you want demasoni, you'll want to stock them all straight away.

If you want other species options instead of demasoni, let us know.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Thefisher said:


> are there any tetras that can go with malawi cichlids
> stocking
> 5 electric yellow labs
> 10 demasoni
> ...


Refering back to the original question...stocking aside (the input there is great and hopefully will help you with your continued tank endeavor) ... there are some "African" tetras. Of course, that does not mean that they will be able to live successfully in an african cichlid tank. That will be dependent on tank size, stocking, water parameters, etc. etc.

Here is a list of the various genus of African tetras
Alestes
Alestopetersius
Arnoldichthys
Bathyaethiops
Brachypetersius
Brycinus
Bryconaethiops
Clupeocharax
Duboisialestes
Hemigrammopetersius
HydrocynusHydrocynus
Ladigesia
Lepidarchus
Micralestes
Nannopetersius
Petersius
Phenacogrammus
Rhabdalestes
Tricuspidalestes

Here is a very good article on African tetras and tankmates
http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/species-info/tetra/african-characins.aspx

I have not researched all of them and do not claim to know specifics about all of them. I do currently have a group of Arnoldichthys spilopterus (8 of them, also known as African Red-eyed Tetra) housed with a pair of Limbochromis robertsi in a West African themed tank. So far I have had success with this tank setup as the A. spilopterus swim almost exclusively in the upper regions of the tank and the L. robertsi swim almost exclusively in the lower portions of the tank. Both groups of fish seem to do well with my water parameters. In the near future (waiting on another tank stand build) I will be moving this group to a 125G tank and I will possibly be adding additional fish at that time.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

cichlid-gal said:


> Thefisher said:
> 
> 
> > are there any tetras that can go with malawi cichlids
> ...


Great fish for a West African tank, particularly one as large as a 125G tank, but not very good for being kept with mbuna in a 40 gallon tank.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Fogelhund said:


> Great fish for a West African tank, particularly one as large as a 125G tank, but not very good for being kept with mbuna in a 40 gallon tank.


 :thumb:


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## alexhamson (Apr 15, 2013)

I actually have one feisty serpae tetra with 6 Malawai and he's doing fine, no one seems to bother him.


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## Dizzy Dawg (Apr 20, 2013)

I would take the advice and be glad you asked the right questions before losing a lot of fish.
a lot of people spend the money before asking!


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

So my local LFS is saying bn plec will not survive, that I should get Chinese algae eater.
I have read that the older they get the less algae they consume and get more aggressive is this correct, will they be to aggressive for the mbuna


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## Baggly (Feb 2, 2012)

BN plecos are commonly kept with mbuna. Will some get killed? sure. I don't think anyone will guarantee 100% survival. The only one I lost was either due to me smushing him under a rock while moving things around, a rock just shifted on him, or he got himself stuck. I don't know, all I found were bones lol.
I have two in each of my mbuna tanks and besides a little bit of nipping, they are all doing fine. I would suggest getting the biggest ones you can find if the mbuna are adults.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd go with the BN as well. CAE can get nasty when older and can attack your fish.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

Problem sorted to get bn plecos what size do you recommend to get them


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Best to introduce all fish in the tank as juveniles together.

But I have added 2" BN to established tanks when adding a bunch of other fish at the same time.


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## Thefisher (Apr 6, 2013)

I been told by another forum about a cuckoo catfish will they be fine in my tank as they grow to 22cm and my tank size 40inch x 20inch x 18inch l w h 236l and will they get along with mbuna cichlids


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

With a 40" tank I might go with a group of 5 Synodontis lucipinnis instead of Synodontis multipunctata (cuckoo). A group of 5 8" fish might work better in a 48" tank.

Lucipinnis have a similar look but they stay smaller. I do not find Synodontis clean algae much though, just another cool species to add to the tank.


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