# Ps salousi tank setup



## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Hi i am new to mbuna and have posted many threads lol. I was advised to get ps salousi. I have a ton of marco rock to raise the ph of the tank and would like to use that. I also have a gravel substrate but every tank setup *** looked at has sand. Do they need sand? Also would the marco rock work and do they need lots of caves? I am looking to breed them by the way thank you any help is appreciated.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Marco rock seems to be a brand of rock used in saltwater setups and if this is what you are referring to, I don't see a problem with it. If you are getting previously used in saltwater tank rocks and it is no longer live rock, just clean it well to remove any previous inhabitants.

The fish like to rearrange the substrate and sand is preferred over gravel due its size.

Caves are popular with cichlids and you should be able to make them with the rocks you are getting. Just be sure you place the rocks in the tank first so they are setting on the glass, this reduces the chance the fish will remove the substrate from under the rocks and cause them to fall over.


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## Burner460 (Jul 24, 2014)

What size tank? I wouldn't keep Saulosi in anything less than a 29G (by themselves) or 40G with a second species (maybe, depending on the second species).


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## cantrell (May 13, 2014)

My experience with them is that they are not nearly as docile as described. The can get rowdy also.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

cantrell said:


> My experience with them is that they are not nearly as docile as described. The can get rowdy also.


I agree. My dominant male is a down right Red Top Zebra in sheepskin clothing.

How's it going Cantrell?


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

The tank is a 40 gallon and with the marco rock i am figuring the water displacement will levae me with about 32 gallons of water and i really only want one species so how many male to females should i keep of the salousi. And also do they need sand or is gravel ok for the salousi


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Just start with 12-15 juveniles. Remove any males that become problematic.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Also i just got some rocjs from my local lake and they tested negative for calcium carbonate so to clean them i soaked them in bleach and then put them on a fire. They now have black ash on them which i actually like the look and cleaned most of it off so none comes off when i run my finger on it. Is the rock safe for my tank or not?


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## sweety (Jan 10, 2010)

All i've got is Saulosi & I love them & my head male is rather chilled out & only now & again will chase the others mainly the young males. I've got coral sand on the bottom of the tank & they do like to move it about from time to time & my rock work is sandstone which came from my old koi pond. I made a few caves but they don't really use them that much even when they spawn it's hit & miss if they use a cave or not. My tank is on the small side tho being 30g & having 14 fish in there but they are only 2" but in 6 months i'm getting a new 4x2x2ft tank for them


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Before i put the fish in the tank are there any care tips i should know later today i will post a pic of my tank and let you guys see it. Any pro advice would be greatly appreciated. Also what is a good online breeder to order from none of lfs carry saulosi


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Also do you think another species could go in there or would that be pushing the limit and if another species was in there what would it be?


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

If you did want to try a 2nd species, I would recommend a small group of Rusties with them. I would shoot for maybe 12 total fish..7 or 8 Salousi and 5 or 6 Rusty. I have this combo currently in a 29g (30" w)..and so far so good, no problems at all and a great color mix for 2 species.

I know that Dave's Rare Aquarium (DRAF) currently has both in stock. That's where mine came from..and Dave's is always top-notch quality and service..from my experience. Good luck! Here's the site 
http://www.davesfish.com/


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

8KDR22 said:


> Before i put the fish in the tank are there any care tips i should know later today i will post a pic of my tank and let you guys see it. Any pro advice would be greatly appreciated. Also what is a good online breeder to order from none of lfs carry saulosi


I forgot to ask..but I assume the tank they are going in is cycled and your water tests are all good? That's THE one thing I would make sure of before ordering,..especially adding juveniles that just came off the plane (though I've never had one arrive dead or sick so far).


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Yes it is cycled i put goldfish and also prime to get the cycle going. Also what is a good fish to keep the sand from getting to dirty and can go in with the mbunas?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Prime is not used to cycle an aquarium, only as a water conditioner.

Do you have a water test kit and if so, what are the results? Just adding a goldfish does not cycle your tank.

There aren't any fish that keep the sand from getting dirty. If you are looking for fish that will eat fish waste products, you are out of luck. If you are looking for fish that will eat any food that your fish miss, don't worry about it. As long as you don't overfeed your fish, there shouldn't be any food left on the substrate.


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

Honestly, I don't think you will need any extra fish (plecos etc) to keep your sand clean,..other than a once a week vacuuming. The Mbuna do a good job of keeping the sand pretty clean. You could try a bristlenose pleco with them but some people advise against it. I have a few in my tanks and they do fine..not sure if they are neccessary though.

On your tank water cycling,..you need to definitely get a water testing kit and make sure your parameters are good to go for Cichlids. There are tons of articles on here about it and lots of folks that can tell you more about it than me..but it is majorly important. It was the first hard lesson I learned when I added my first Cichlids. Did you start your tank cycling from an old/existing filter and media?..or a you starting fresh with a new tank setup? There was ALOT more to cycling a tank than I realized at first,..so I just want to save you a mistake..and money. Prime is good of course and a cycle of "Stability" is always good,..but don't rely on the goldfish..they could live in a toilet ;-)


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Ok so i shouldnt need any other types of fish say a loach or some other sort of fish. Will the mbuna attack the loach if i put one in the tank cause i really like them.

Not prime im sorry i used stability and i was told the fulth from the goldfish will cycle the tank. Should i try to cycle it another way? If so please explain how.

And i have a high range ph, kh/gh, ammonia, and nitrate test kits and they all came out to the levels needed.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

I am starting off with brand new filter media also


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

Well,..it is possible it is cycled..and if your water tests come out good then you should be fine. I think I would take a water sample in to a good petstore (if possible) and let them check it also just to be sure. Especially if you are ordering a stock of fish, with the price of the shipping you want to be 100% sure.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Please post the number values for your water test results.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Ph 7.8 nitrate 0 ammonia 0 and kh/gh is at 5.4


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

I have a testing kit and plan on doing a fishless cycle but i dont have a nitrite test kit is that necessary for a fishless cycle?


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## hose91 (Mar 5, 2014)

Yes, it is necessary imo. The way you know your tank is cycled and ready is if you introduce ammonia, and within 24 hours you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and some measurable level of nitrates, which is what the bacteria eventually convert ammonia to. Since you have 0 nitrates, you probably don't have the bacteria required to convert nitrite to nitrate.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

This is a reply to rameseydog14 i dont know how to do that box thing lol

If i put the rusties and the saulosi together do you think the species will breed seperately and spawn or will having two species in a small tank cause them not to spawn at all?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Do you have established media from another cycled tank? That is very important.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Not yet but I am looking to get some


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Ramseydog14 said:


> If you did want to try a 2nd species, I would recommend a small group of Rusties with them. I would shoot for maybe 12 total fish..7 or 8 Salousi and 5 or 6 Rusty. I have this combo currently in a 29g (30" w)..and so far so good, no problems at all and a great color mix for 2 species.
> 
> I know that Dave's Rare Aquarium (DRAF) currently has both in stock. That's where mine came from..and Dave's is always top-notch quality and service..from my experience. Good luck! Here's the site
> http://www.davesfish.com/


I just called billy at cichlid express and he said that the rusties and the saulosi will breed together and create hybrids but i really do want an interesting tank. I like the saulosi a lot and am pretty sure i am going to have only one species in the tank so if anyone has advice on what species i should pick to make my tank interesting please leave your comments and advice also if you think there is a better species than saulosi please specify. Thank you


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Something i just saw that i like was a polit/ saulosi combo in a tank but i would like to sell these fish to fish stores so is the only way to guarentee pure bred fry is one species in the tank or are their certain mbunas that will definitely not make hybrids?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?nomobile=1&f=9&t=323946


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Sorry to be asking so many questions but *** narrowed it down to two species demasoni and saulosi. I have three things i want to base the decision on. First which one is easier to breed and sex this way when i order juveniles i can pick out unecessary males? Second which one is better suited to breed and live in my size tank? Lastly which one will give me a more active and fun tank to look at? Thanks guys souch for answering my questions and putting up with my multiple threads it has helped me so much!


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## Ramseydog14 (Dec 31, 2013)

8KDR22 said:


> Sorry to be asking so many questions but I've narrowed it down to two species demasoni and saulosi. I have three things i want to base the decision on. First which one is easier to breed and sex this way when i order juveniles i can pick out unecessary males? Second which one is better suited to breed and live in my size tank? Lastly which one will give me a more active and fun tank to look at? Thanks guys souch for answering my questions and putting up with my multiple threads it has helped me so much!


I love Demasoni but the answer to each of your questions is the Saulosi. One great thing abut them is you get a great 2 for 1 color combo,..as the males color up beautifully in blue, purple , black, yellow,..with stripes and egg spots (my avatar shows mine about half way through the color change process),..while the females (and some subdominant males, depending..) remain bright yellow, some are lighter yellow/peach. Just all around great fish to keep.

The Dems could work well also,..but they are big time trial-and-error.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

I know I said that was my final question but I really am trying to maximize the stock in this tank. Is there any way I could put like a west african red jewel Herichromis Lafililli which is a substrate spawner in with the saulosi. I know they most likely won't cross breed but I want to know if its possible to keep them and have them breed in the tank with the saulosi. Thank you


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Bad idea. Your tank is simply too small for another species. A pair of spawning Jewels would decimate Saulosi tankmates.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

What about ps flavus and red jewels would it be the same thing

Or i know that flavus are more peaceful so would there be any fish they could be put in with that they wont cross breed with and coexist and breed seperately peacefully?

Also i am going to sell the fry to lfs so if i do say put flavus and another mbuna together if they cross breed wont it be easy to tell that they did so just based on the look of the fry?


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Or would say saulosi and textiles be put together and then I could sell the hybrid fry as mixed Africans. But when mbunas cross breed are the dry noticing different to the point where I could tell which ones are hybrid and which one are pure?


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Spelling corrections

Textilis

Fry


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Do not sell hybrids. Your tank is simply too small for 2 species.


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## 8KDR22 (Sep 5, 2012)

Will the fry be noticably different where i can discard them if they are hybrids


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

It is always possible for many Malawi cichlids to cross breed and this problem can increase in smaller tanks. Why take the chance of producing hybrids or cross breeds and then figuring out what to do with the fish or disposing of them.

If you can't get a larger tank at this time, just go with the advice you've been given for the suggested species.


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