# New 120 gallon setup - planning on Lake Malawi Cichlids



## nick0604 (Oct 30, 2009)

I just set up a new 120 gallon tank and have a lot of questions. I have a aquaclear 500, a marineland penguin 300 filters, 500watts of heating, 1/2"" of very fine black gravel. Is this ideal?

How many pounds of rock can I put in my tank?

What kind of Malawi cichlids go together? I was thinking of getting them shipped to me, any suggestions on where to get them and what kinds? I was thinking of the different zebras, and a few other species.
Thanks.


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

*nick0604 wrote*


> I was thinking of getting them shipped to me, any suggestions on where to get them


 check the retailer review section...many of the ones that pop up in the ads seem to be good when I checked the reviews.

I think you need two inches of substrate not only a half inch. Cichlids are diggers, long ago before the internet, I tried undergravel filters with cichlids...did not work...even with 2 inches probably will see glass at some point.

Peope will want to know what the foot print of your 120 gallon is (I don't have dimensions memorized)
but shapes can vary so best to clarify.

As for how many pounds of rock, look into eggcrate in the library section, cichlid forum television

What I've learned about what cichlids go together:

1. generally, don't mix peacocks with most aggressive mbunas, though some have tried yellow labs with peacocks

2. WHen getting mbunas, try to get a ratio of 1 male to several females, getting six juveniles will likely result in one pair by probability

3. With demasoni, dwarf mbuna, you need more than few to spread out the aggression (don't know the numbers for a 120 gallon tank, probably at least 20)

4. A popular setup is demasoni and yellow labs (nice contrast)

5. A 120 gallon would be nice for an all male malawi tank

6. Aggresive species like auratas, johanni, maingano, etc can go in a 120 gallon, it is probaby big enough

More specific advice will no doubt follow when you tell us what you like, the experts will chime in eventually. So tell us what color scheme you are looking for, do you want to breed, do you want to be able to tell sex apart without venting (picking up the fish and looking for features) dimorphic means the sexes are visually different like p. saulosi...etc I'll shut up now


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## nick0604 (Oct 30, 2009)

I like blues, oranges and yellows. The all male setup sounds pretty cool. Not really into breeding anything yet.

The tank is 48 x 24 x 24 and pretty sure it is all glass as the stand is only holds the perimeter up.
My main concern is how many pounds of rock can it hold?


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

check out:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=201179&highlight=pounds+weight


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

*nick0604 wrote*


> I have a aquaclear 500, a marineland penguin 300 filters


I believe the total gph (gallons per hour) should equal 120 gallon X 4 or 5 = 480 to 600 gph. I personaly would go with a canister filter with an HOB

Plus also, You didn't say if you want malawi or tanganyikans. For the more refined conniouseur of fish, you may want to do a lake Tanganyika community tank. The thing about these fish is that they are on the whole less colorful but many think Tangs (tanganyikans) are more interesting shape wise and behaviour wise. Check out the library along with asking the experts. Do you like Frontosa's? I believe 120 gallons might be just enough for them for example not sure though.


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## nick0604 (Oct 30, 2009)

Not really interested in the Frontosa. After doing some research on all male tanks, I think I might try that out. Would it be alright to buy fish that have already been sexed and some what mature or go with unsexed fish until they show color and pull the females and sub dominants?
Wondering what types to go with, I was thinking of a mixed all male malawi?


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## nick0604 (Oct 30, 2009)

I will be getting a canister filter soon, just want to get some fish and rocks first. Right now there is 800 gallons per hour cycling with the HOBs.


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

When you say all male tank, that's got to be malawi, from what I know two males of the same species from tanganyika can be a disaster. mature peacocks can be $40.00 each. I think most species of malawi fish can be sexed if they are dimorphic like peacocks when they are an inch to an inch and a half (experts pleas chime in) The thing about buying cichlids when they are juveniles too young to be sexed is that where are you going to get rid of them. Make sure you have someone to give them or sell to if only maintaining your 120 gallon. Do the math, juveniles are cheaper but you are playing a probability game with them and older sexed cichlids will cost more. Iguess it depends on what your goal state is. Another thing to think about is that if you get peacocks, the females will be hard to identify as being one species versus another...so (I guess hardcore experts can do this differentiation in the same tank) if all your peacocks are in the same tank, you can tell which are male of a specific species but you will likely not be able to tell which females belong to which species...So if you want alot of aulonacara, I would buy them sexed unless you are breeding them (not what you want). The more species you want the less of each juveniles you can buy on top of the sorting out thing, so unless you have ALOT of tanks, you would probably have to buy them big enough to be sexed, which is easy for dimorphic species..and you would need to learn how to vent for monomorphic species to be sure and safe.

If it were up to me and I could afford it, I would have 5 tanks each with a species of aulonacara and raise them up and keep them separated until the best ones color up and I would place these in the show all male tank, I would also raise the excess males and sell them when they are bigger and you could breed them if you had fry/grow out tanks. So, well, either get more tanks or get them sexed I would say


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

*TKC747 wrote*


> Plus also, You didn't say if you want malawi or tanganyikans.


     sorry, you did mention malawi     a thousand pardons

Will someone help out with the suggestions for an all male malawi tank, species wise...I unfortunately know about nothing but yellow labs and brichardi...

I would say look through the profiles and see which you like and then ask the experts

 sorry could be not more help :fish: :dancing:


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## nick0604 (Oct 30, 2009)

So, in other words if I'm doing an all male malawi mixed tank, I can get say 1 of any male species from lake malawi? Please correct me if I am wrong.


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

know the term "conspecific aggression" It means that when two cichlids of different species look alike or are colored similarly to each other or when two cichlids are same species, they will be aggressive to one another, one will dominate the other will be less colorful in submission. I am not sure and I'm not much help anymore, but I think if the peacocks are male and colored very differently the aggression will be low but check with the experts

sorry, looks like I hijacked this thread, start another if you have to, with the remaining questions you have


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

nick0604 said:


> So, in other words if I'm doing an all male malawi mixed tank, I can get say 1 of any male species from lake malawi? Please correct me if I am wrong.


I believe peacocks as long as they differ in coloration are ok. Melanchromis x, x=auratas, johanni, maingano just to name afew, will be high in conspecific aggression because they are same genus, and are dark colored. ask the experts about specific malawi mixes, though I believe a 120 gallon tank is big enough to hold multiples (not sure)

I hope although not specific enough, I have given you some basis for further inquiry


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I would either go peacocks & haps (from malawi) or mbuna (also from malawi) but not both. Mbuna are to aggressive to get along well with peacocks. Yellow labs, acei, and some say rustys can be exceptions to this because they are more mellow mbuna.

Stay away from 2 species that look similar too. For example...2 blue barred species of mbuna. Blue with bars on one and blue with stripes on another is ok though (the fish see the difference) demasoni and maingano for example.


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