For all of you cichlid owners..?

Question

How many malawi cichlids can I fit in a 40 gallon. Can anyone give me a species list with amounts of fish to buy please, thanks.

Answer 1

Tis is all going to depend on the size of the fish, the type of food you feed, and how much filtration you have. Tho old adage of one gallon per inch of fish is not accurate if you have 100 gallons of filter.

40 gallons isn't much for a territorial fish like a cichlid. If you have enough caves and enough free swim room, I would not put more than 3 or 4 in there. If you have a whoop butt filter, you can maybe squeeze 6.

Answer 2

Ask this question in the Forums of www.cichlid-forum.com, there are more knowledgeable people there. They also have species profiles and 'cookie cutter' tank setups (pre-set ideas for many sizes of aquarium)

That said, how many you can fit depends on what types you want. Malawi cichlids range from just 2" long to almost 2 feet long, and everything in between.

If you are thinking about mbuna, the most popular of the malawis, and we assume you will go with the average size of 4-6", then I'd say about 10-12 is the number. You do want it overstocked to help spread the aggression, and you do want to make sure you have enough filtration to handle it.

My suggestion is to do a fairly mild tank of Labidochromis Caeruleus (aka electric yellow or yellow lab) and Pseudotropheus Acei. 6 of each will work out well, and you can always remove a couple later if they all reach adulthood. These fish combined make a stunning display of activity and color without the fatal aggression of so many other mbuna.

Answer 3

40gal is on the small side when considering malawi mbuna and downright inadequate if you're considering malawi haps (which can get up to 10"-12"+, depending on species).

Assuming you're considering mbuna, stick with the less aggressive species like yellow labs, rusties and acei. Even then, long term success isn't guranteed. All things considered a 40gal is a risk (but not totally impossilble, but typically you'll want 55gal as a minimum tank size).

As far as stocking, go with one male and 4 to 5 females. Multiple males may increase aggression (more so with the yellow labs than the other two species).

Adding more aggressive species may result in disaster once the males reach and exceed 3". You wouldn't, for example, want to include a melanochromis auratus or metriaclima lombardoi ('kenyi') in that particular tank.

Answer 4

Well you might have better luck with a 40 long(4'x1'), but a 40 breeder has a bit more floor space(3'x1.5'). You should stick to a species only tank.Lab Caeruleous(electric yellow) 5 maybe 6. Ps. Saulosi 1M/5,6F. Ps Demasoni 12. or Cyno Afras 1M/5F. With plenty of rock and good filtration, you can easily pull it off(lots of water changes). All the species I suggested are dwarf Mbuna,except the labs(which dont get huge).Check out cichlid-forum.com under the profiles section under malawi mbuna for pics etc. PS, if it were me I would go with the Saulosi, as they are easy to sex as males are blue and fems are orange. =)

Answer 5

you could fit 10 at the most, but you need alot of hiding places, like rock, driftwood, etc i don't recommend ten but i'm just saying you could. When you go to a pet store and you see all those fish cramped in one tank, and the are not fighting right? so you can apply the principle to your 40 gallon, but i not sure if this is the most humane thing to do.
Malawi cichlids are mbuna or peacocks or haplochromines are all pretty much the same size(6 inches) and are compatible
However don't mix two of Melanochromis auratus b/c they will kill each other, unless of coourse its a male and female.

Answer 6

they should be eating cichlid pellets! they are found ideal next to the flakes on the save. I own a pink bellied %. and an oscar. both are about 7 inches lengthy at present. I were given them on the starting up of the summer interior of which they grew about 2 inches. A fourteen gallon tank for all those fish is too small now! in case you're commited to holding the fish you want to improve. My 2 fish are in a 55g at present because i visit't arise with the money for larger yet. I advise you study %. length:

Answer 7

These are pics of my 40 gallon cichlid tank , I have 6 cichlids , and others in there that are not bothered by them.

http://www.bridgewatertaekwondo.com/Aquarium.html