# Size of the Malawi tank. My recommendation. By fancy diver



## fancy diver (Mar 21, 2009)

*are you happy with your 55g for malawi species?*​
yes1637.21%no2762.79%


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## fancy diver (Mar 21, 2009)

In an effort to help new malawi owners save their hard earned maybe dwindling cash.

Through the years (not all malawi tanks) i have bought or inherited alot of the small size tanks, 10g to a 29g 30g long etc. My first mbunas were housed in a 30 g long(there so small and cute when you get em) that's out the window in a few months. Than i got my "massive" 55g setup. This was a start for a decent mbuna setup w/ the amount of fish i feel comfortable in this type of tank. Within 3 months or less i kicked myself for not getting that 75g due to the amount of ornaments/rocks i wanted for hiding/aquascaping, not to mention the difficulty of syphoning the gravel around the ornaments(nightmare). It's long, but it is way too skinny(12" depth). due to recent cash issues/unemployment this is what im stuck w/ for my mbunas for now. Then i decided to get a 90 gallon, (which i have my hap/peacocks now) the only reason i didnt get the 125g is because i have to fill 5g juggs full of properly heated water from upstairs(only option for now) and for the amount of water changes(which i've recently increased) this is backbraking! this is ok for now(biggest fish is 5") i did research to make sure none of my fish would grow beyond 9-10" and only put few of bigger types in(ex. No rostratus,venustus,buccochromis) I made sure to get some good filtration(eheim 2217 +2215 and an ac110 for mechanical filtration)
Maybe this will be helpful to new aquarist's shopping for tanks and thinking about a malawi setup. It doesnt pay in the long term to pinch pennies upon buying that smaller tank, it will probably be more expensive. Those few extra bucks to spring for the tank you want and should have for your fish choices are a worthy investment. If you take care of your cichlids, they can
live a long life and they will grow from lil cuties to big monsters so unless your only gonna keep em for a year or two give em something they/and you will be happy w/ for years.
If your gonna get the 55g,, just get the 75g or the 90g. But you should heavily consider that 125 or bigger! I just ended up w/ a bunch of hospital/quarantine tanks(which is good to have) but i wish i didnt spend so much money and time.
Sorry, this is the most rediculously long post *** ever posted. and if you made it to the end i hope this helped make your decision. :fish:


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## Desi&lt;3 (Feb 13, 2008)

It really depends on the fish . . . . .


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## fancy diver (Mar 21, 2009)

We're talkin Mbunas,haps,peacocks. :-? At their full size, Stocked well w/ adequate hiding places. :drooling:


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

A 55 gallon is the bare minimum for many species, and far too small for many others.


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## gaqua (Apr 11, 2008)

I had a 46G Bowfront, a 3' tank. It housed a Demasoni Colony and some yellow labs, and within two months I'd bought a 75G. I skipped the 55G because it seemed to narrow, and I didn't think the 90G was worthwhile because it was just a taller 75G and most of my fish (mbuna) wouldn't take advantage of the height at all.

Ideally I'd like to have a nice 6' tank but in my 1 bedroom apartment there isn't room for one.

I'd like to get one of those big 400-500G tanks with a huge surface area and a lot of height, a rock-wall built up around the back of the tank, etc. And make it a mix mbuna/hap tank with some fully grown peacocks. But that's going to have to wait.


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## harveyb27 (Dec 15, 2008)

currently have a 55 mbuna tank, want bigger so im getting an 80g, when i have my own house i will get the biggest one in respect to space. my advice is decide what tank size you want (size wise), then just get something just that lil' bit bigger. :thumb: that way you wont waste money in the long term and wont regret your size choice.


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## Maddog (Nov 7, 2008)

i'm happy with my 55. I dont follow the rules really though. I have lots of color and differnt types of mbuna, not in the proper 1/3 m/f ratio. 
it works most times, some times i fish gets picked on, so i remove him trade him for somthing else. for me half the fun is the expiramenting. as long as the fish are safe, fed and happy, it;s all good.


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

If you're going to give advice you should really take the common sense approach and get a python or similar diy system to fill your tank. Doing 5 gallon jugs is nonsense.

Every forum newb comes in here and writes some sermon. There are hundreds of them here.


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## fancy diver (Mar 21, 2009)

Wow.. under control :lol: This post was made to help new aquarist's. So if you dont want to add to it, thats fine. you can save some finger effort and just pass over it cause obviously you got it "under_control" :thumb: 
I didnt say that my wc routine was optimal(said the opposite)Do you know the layout of my house/water pipes? maybe you can help w/ that... And i also mentioned that i am low on money, so i cant afford a 150' python, Maybe you can help w/ that too. Calling me a forum newb, thats cool.Doesnt look like youve been on that long. Maybe if more people tried to help others there wouldnt be so many questions about what the smallest tank size to get away w/

Others are giving constructive input, anybody who has ignored it have it under control.So dont waste your time trying to shoot down peoples post's. We dont care!! Your obviously jaded. :x


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

fancy diver said:


> If your gonna get the 55g,, just get the 75g or the 90g. But you should heavily consider that 125 or bigger!


Don't forget that a 125 weighs 800 lbs more than a 55. Some floors can/should only hold a 55.


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## fancy diver (Mar 21, 2009)

addition...
I live in the basement, so floors and the weight they can hold should be taken in to account. good advise! :thumb: but try for that 75 or 90.


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

I voted no simply because the floor space in 75 is half again as much and really seems to make a big difference to the fish, I wouldn't go below the 48 x 18 footprint at this point.

As mentioned the extra 6in makes a huge difference.



> Don't forget that a 125 weighs 800 lbs more than a 55. Some floors can/should only hold a 55.


The reason I don't have a huge tank - yet...


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## calleja_aquariums (Apr 22, 2009)

I have a 40g for now i will be hopefully getting a 100g or bigger in the summer!

any stock lists for a 40g african cichlids?


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> any stock lists for a 40g african cichlids?


Cookie Cutter Setup for 40-gallons (long)


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

I think that there are plenty of species that will work well when mixed in a 55g. I have one and I am happy with it. However, I also have a 75g and it is surprising what a differnece 6" makes. I am seeing, based on the posts here, that the problem is not so much the size of a 55 as it is the species of fish that are readily available at the big box stores. Couple that with someone who is new to africans and just wants some "pretty" fish and a store clerk that dosn't know any better(or worse yet, knows that it won't work, but pushes the sale anyway) and you get 90% of the "will this work" and "help stock my tank" questions. A little bit of research goes a long way.

I am limited to a 4' tank at the moment and the 75g was the right price. Given the opportunity, I would like to find a 48x24 90g.


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## fancy diver (Mar 21, 2009)

agreed about store clerks. I saw a clerk at petsmart sell a fishbowl/betta setup to a lady who thought ps crabro's where cute and was about to buy it w/ the fish. I told her that probably wasn't a great idea. she got a goldfish instead.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Yes and no. A 55g. is the largest I've had, so far. I would like to have bigger but it's better than nothing :lol: . I'm kinda short so I would probably need to stand on something to clean a wider one. For me it was a good size to start with. With the proper stocking, I think a 55g. is fine but if you *really* get into the hobby you'll probably end up wanting *more* tanks *and* a bigger one too :wink: .


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## Norse76 (Jul 20, 2008)

I got a concrete floor full basement turned into a giant living room. One day I shall have this!!!










:lol:


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## zcfish (Jan 31, 2009)

my suggestion to someone wanting to start to keep africans is find a cheap 55g on craiglist. you can easily find a complete setup for under 100 bucks. after a few months you'll figure out what kind of setup you want then you can use the 55g for whatever you want.

what i find is once you start keeping africans you are not going to have just one tank. at least two reasonable sized for flexibility.


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## Bweb (Mar 31, 2009)

Every time I buy a bigger tank It look's two small the next day :lol:

I'm up to 125gal now

What ever size tank you want go a few sizes bigger or you'll kick your self trust me If you have the space that is :thumb:


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## beaker99 (Apr 15, 2007)

I have a 120g now, but I have in the past kept them in a 35g long. A hard tank size to find. But if you are on a budjet, or want a tank with the dimensions of a 55g but 12" shorter, then the 35g fits the bill.


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## newday (Mar 15, 2008)

I started out in this hobby with 55G, moved to 80G. I started in the hobby again a couple of years ago and decided fewer big tanks is way easier to tank care of and gives me freedom to add what ever I want to the tank.

Now have 75G grow out tank for 2 venustus. (will change to something else soon). and a 220G tank in the living room (sold a 45G bowfront)

I looked at a 180G (same foot print but 6" shorter). Guy at the store said go for the 220G you wont' regret the extra viewing space and visual appeal of a taller tank.

I didn't regret it at all, 6 foot x 30 inch tall tank looks amazing. You can see the true behaviours of the rock, mid water and open water fish in a tank with lot's of height and sand infront of the rocks.

Always go for the bigger tank, you will never regret it.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

fancy diver, this is very generalized advice you're giving.

As stated early in the thread, it all depends on the species you want to keep. :thumb:


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## Auntbeast (Mar 1, 2006)

I can't even fathom why 55's got so popular, they are a bear to aquascape. I think a 90 is probably a perfect midsize tank. Big enough to house most fish, but doesn't take up much more space than a 55. I prefer deeper (front to back) tanks overall.

Then again, I just talked my husband into letting me get 6 ten gallon tanks. I've never had one. I want to learn to think small. I wanted to convert our swimming pool at our old house to a tank but got vetoed.  I can't imagine why...


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

Good post OP. Many newbies are intimidated by the upkeep of a bigger tank but its always better to get that bigger tank. The problem is relative though because I got my 125G in November and 6 months later I wish I wouldve gotten a 180G :-?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd have nothing wrong with a 55G for a newbie (or myself if I didn't want to limit my tanks). For me the perfect size is 75G. But as a newbie I would have been scared off by someone telling me I'd be wasting my time if I didn't buy a 75G.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

DJRansome said:


> But as a newbie I would have been scared off by someone telling me I'd be wasting my time if I didn't buy a 75G.


Exactly...

And a 55G has great potential, if you do your homework before you stock it!


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

under_control said:


> If you're going to give advice you should really take the common sense approach and get a python or similar diy system to fill your tank. Doing 5 gallon jugs is nonsense.
> 
> Every forum newb comes in here and writes some sermon. There are hundreds of them here.


I tried the python back in the late 80's and didnt like it. Maybe the design improved on it. I only had a 20h, 30 & a 55 back then. I use a 5 gallon bucket.

But getting back to the point of the thread.........

I think the 55 is ok for starting out but once the bug bites you I'd settle for nothing less then a 90 gallon. Especially if you want to try to do a diy background or btn background. I keep peacocks & Haps so its less of a hassle then if I were to keep mbuna again.


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