MCH answers your Questions
MCH answers your Questions
Written by Friday, 30 November 2001 00:00
Foreword: We would normally have archived this page, however we kept it "live" as some of the discussions could still be helpful.
I’ve been curious for a long stretch of time, and wanted to browse the guest book of MCH to get an idea of what’s going on on the “opposite part of the wall”, aka what’s in our visitors minds. It has been amazing: there were reports from all around (almost!) the world and “hidden” among them were some questions which I decided to bring to light and answer as best I could. Before going on, I’d suggest anyone interested in cichlids and exchanging information on them to subscribe the discussion group This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it also run by MCH. Let’s go further, now …” This is how Francesco started this article. A very good idea, since whose are questions coming from people who have one thing in common: They like African Rift Lake cichlids and they want to learn more. Then it came to us that we could also include Questions and Answers addressed to MCH in general.
Please note: We apologize for having missed answering messages not in english, can’t go this far, sorry …
Meilan (from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).
Q.: Superb Pics and valuable info. But can we have more description on breeding of different species of cichlids?
A.: Interesting question, we’ll keep an eye on it. But also please keep in mind that the number of cichlids of Lake Malawi is almost (not in actuality, but almost!) countless, with species yet to be described and likely, according to many, not even discovered. Reviewing the breeding habits of all of them (especially if you include all the colour/local species and/or morph) is, to me, impossible. We try our best to describe, within “general lines”, at least, the different genera.
Laura (From New Jersey, USA).
Q.: This site is great!!!!!!! Pictures Pictures! I want more pictures!
A.: We struggle with this matter at every update, trying as hard as we can to go further. Please consider that the more pictures there are, the harder to load MCH will be.
Margaret Christian (From Kemp, Texas, USA).
Q: I did not have enough time to browse the entire site but what I did view was terrific. I am looking for some info on cichlids in a community tank Please Help me!
A.: This is an endless issue. Starting from the point that Malawi cichlids do better in dedicated tanks, you can refer to MCH to find an answer (there is an interesting article by George on fish compatibility).
JoAnn Olson:
Q.: I have a 30 gal tank and was looking for fish that were compatible with my Oscar that seems to kill most of the others. I think I must give up and put him in a tank alone, any other suggestions?
A.: FORGIVE ME – but this is wrong. A 30 gal tank is too small for an Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus, btw an Amazonian cichlid) alone, much less with tankmates. You’re facing two options: either (and better) get a much larger tank or keep it alone (performing weekly HEAVY water changes and being VERY FUSSY on filter functionality). Just in case, try an Ancistrus (a catfish).
Mike Kelly (From Ayrshire, Scotland)
Q.: HEY! from Scotland, i've just set up a mbuna tank and have thrown together a load of milawi's (still having trouble identifying some!!) any tips and ideas are most welcome...what plants can i use if any?? the "reef" is made from green granite and the tank capacity is about 350l (bow faced rectangular) when i get round to taking photos they will be on my homepage seeyawl later!
A.: Making a positive Indentification of cichlids can be a really tricky matter. Avoid buying fishes coming from tanks tagged as “Mixed African Cichlds”, since they’re 98% hybrids. For all other cases (fishes of certain origin either wild caught or bought) get a good lexicon on cichlids. Tip: choose a book pointing to the area/genus/species you’re interested in (i.e.: a book displaying EXCLUSIVELY the genus Aulonocara could be the choice, if you were actually interested in that species).
Cathy Nuzzo (From Tucson, AZ, USA):
Q.: Beautiful pictures. They give me an idea of what my pair will look like. I believe the man in the pet store correctly chose a male and female. I also bought something called a "Red Blotch" Has anyone ever heard of this? It is supposed to be an African Cichlid. Will the Venustus eat the Red Blotch ? Thanks.
A.: “Red Blotch” is, also, referring to common names. Please get rid of them!. It is much too little to identify a cichlid, especially if, to quote you: “… It is supposed to be an African Cichlid.”. On the other hand, Venustus is more than enough to get details: Nimbochromis venustus is a big malawian cichlid (of the haplochromine group) reknown for being a piscivore. I’ve never personally kept him, but is reported to eat everything that will fit in his mouth.
Tony (Perth, Western Australia).
Q.: Finally I found an excellent site with all the helpful info I ever needed. Thank you so very, very much! :) PS..Does anybody have a contact for exporters/importers of Malawi Cichlids to Australia. Thanks heaps!
A.: Sorry, I can’t help. My suggestion: contacting bigger wholesalers around the world may be helpful. You’ll find someone interested in sending fishes to OZ, just don’t expect it to be cheap!
Joel (From Brisbane, The great land of OZ - Australia).
Q.: This is a mad web site dude, wish there was more like em. cool!! oh and by the way you had some awesome information on venustus, lombardoi and johanni. But i did'nt see anything on tangerine zebras or exasperatus?
A.: We haven’t yet reviewed both species, even though general info on both Pseudotropheus and melanochromis are, all the same, available. Do refer to the fish section.
Rob (From Detroit, MI , USA).
Q.: I picked up a trio of Ps. Elongatus "Luhuchi Rock" at an auction last week. After a water change I have one of the females holding. The reason I am writing this is that your site has this species listed as one that you have kept. How rare is this sp?
A.: Awfully hard to find (well, at least here in Italy, and part of Europe). I caught my trio (in 1997) during my first trip to Lake Malawi. Once I returned, having lost to circumstances beyond my control both females of the trio, there was, for over three years, nothing done to re-create the “team”. The male then passed away as well. Take care as best you can of those beauties!
Eric
Under the lombardoi page, you classify it as a very aggressive fish. You also classify the M. Auratus as a highly aggressive fish, which I've heard. Which one is more aggressive? Are they about the same or is the Auratus (I think) would be a little more aggressive.
Lombardois are NOT more aggressive than your zebras and this is also true for the M. auratus, especially since the zebras are already in your tank !!!! If you do not overstock it, I think you can safely add either species !!
(Unknown)
Hi , I have a 50 gallon tank with six 2 inch african chiclids. There's this blue one that doesnt eat. I just stays there, its gills and mouth are in motion, so i thnik that it may be eating. There is A LOT of algae in the tank too, could it be eating that'? That fish didnt eat for over 2 weeks already, there is no sign of disease, and my water is really clean. What to do? Please help, thanks !!!! :)
I am sorry but this kind of information doesn't help me very much. I need to know what was its behavior prior to this, if it has changed (in any way and in what way) - this kind of information. If you just introduced it in your tank (two weeks is regarded as "just") then I can be of very little help. Surely, although perfectly normal for newly introduced fish to abstain from eating for some days (even 15 days) this is not typical for african cichlids which are usually eager to feed. More often than not, this is an indication of poor water chemistry and/or fish disease. It could also be the result of too much harassment – but I guess this is something you would have noticed already.
Clean water is not all your fish need. They need water with the correct parameters (pH, General and Carbonate hardness, absence of Chlorine and Chloramine as well as heavy metals,correct temperature etc.). And, finally, yes, it could be feeding on algae – but this doesn’t explain why it is lethargic.
Maggie DeLauder
Could you please help me with sexing my chipokae? i had two in my tank. One was definitely male and the other was colored like a female and now are a year old. About two months agoe the "female" started to turn a gray color. I went to the lfs where i bought them and asked what was happening. I was shown a chipokse that was similar to mine in color and told that it was a female getting her adult colors. I bought the one that i was shown since the male I had was showing signs of wanting to spawn. I was then told by a third person that the females never lose their original coloring and i had three males, two of which are just starting to get their adult colors. The original male is really wanting to spawn and tries to do so with the other two that are gray. I am now confused and was wondering if you culd help me out with this. I do not know anyone that is knowledgeable on chipokae that i would trust their judgement.
Things are very simple. Since the fish are 1 year old, what you have is definitely 3 males. Two of them are subdominant and are afraid of the dominant one. If you remove the dominant you will soon see one of the gray ones taking the adult coloration. All mbuna fish when born have the female coloration. Males gradually turn to their adult coloration or "try" to stay in an intermediate coloration if a dominant male is already in their tank.
Introducing a female in your tank at this point will create a mess and you may not avoid casualties, especially if your tank is smaller than 100 gallons. The dominant male may kill the other males in a minute. Returning them to the lfs and taking some real females will probably be the best thing to do. Please note: If you decide to add females, add three or more for your male. I assume you will stay with one male (you will, irrespectively of what you do.. you can trust your dominant fish for that !!).
Chris Collins
Thanks for those websites. They have helped me a lot. But i still have a few questions that I didnt see on any of those websites. But how do you sex Malawis. I heard of by looking at their tail. And if it's curved then it's a female. But I don't know if it's true. Is it? And I also heard that you can sex them by the yellow dots on their anal fin
The tail is a good point but it doesn't always help. Firstly, some females have a pointed anal fin, too. Secondly, sometimes the "pointed" anal fin doesn't become evident before the fish reaches an age of 1 year or even
more (especially male Malawi haps) which is too late for you !! The only way to check the sexes of cichlids is by examining the vents at their bottom. However this needs some experience and I don't have it. Of course if two fishes have different size / shape of openings then they are different sexes. If all you want is a pair there is your answer.Anthony McGee
Hi George, I have been on your web site But I don't know what any of that stuff is to tell you the truth. I know what epsom salt is, although I have no idea how much to add per U.S gallon. But as far as the rest I have no idea. I already add baking soda, 1 table spoon per 10 gallons. I never took chemistry. I only know what common names are.
Epsom salt is MgSO4 (Magnesium sulphate). Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. If you add those two you are almost OK. Please let me know if you need help in using our tables. All you need to know is the initial value of your water (of KH or GH) and where you want to go (the final value). Then you know how much you need to add in order to achieve this increase !!
Christina Lim
Q: Anyway, here's the deal. Though the smallest in the tank, Nila is the most aggressive. Her territory is strongly guarded, and she spends her day chasing others around for amusement. Everyone is terrified of her. What surprises me is that even the Red Zebra is afraid of her. Well, I am under the impression that Red Zebras are rather aggressive cichlids. Moreover, this one is bigger than Nila. I don't get it! Is my Red Zebra more docile because it is a female? If so, well Nila is female too. My concern is that she is so out of control now, what happens when she gets bigger? If you guys know anything about the temperament of Kennyi's, I would love to get your input.
A: Well, Christina, two things : First, most probably your kennyi (correct name : Maylandia lombardoi or Maylandia lombardoi) is a MALE, which has still the female color. What is the size of it ? Second, Maylandia lombardoi, along with the zebras and some Melanochromis species (M.auratus, M.chipokae etc.) are amongst the MOST aggressive mbuna. You can read more at www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquarium/fish_list.html > just click on Maylandia lombardoi.
The size of Nila, my Maylandia lombardoi is almost an inch but not quite.
I asked the size of your M. lombardoi because if it was a big one (3" or bigger) then it would have to be a female (fish at that size, especially when kept single have their final colouration and this is definitely so if they are expressing aggression). The size you report makes me confident it is a male - too young to display its adult colors. Take my word for it - this is a really aggressive (and beautiful) fish.
Q: I think this is the best Malawi site on the web! I have E. Yellow Labidocromis, Labeo. Trewavase, Pseudo. Elongatus, Melano. Johanni, and Aulonocara Sp. Rubescens for sale! Can ship in the USA! E-mail me for info and pics!
A: Thanx a lot for considering MCH “ … the best Malawi site on the web!”, all the same, please, DO avoid “advertising” on our Guest-book. Thank You!
Dean Rasche, From Richmond, Indiana, USA
Q: A good site, well done, does any one have any info on a malawi: ? stonii. I dont know it's full name but it's best description is Girraffe colouration.any info please
A: I think You’re referring to the, so called, “Giraffe Cichlid” best known as: Nimbochromis venustus. Info (and pics) on him are available at: http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/haps/malawi_venustus.html However, since you mention the name "?stonii" (this is the reason we strongly suggest most hobbyists to use the scientific names and not the so called common ones) you might be referring to Nimbochromis livingstoni which can be found at http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/haps/nombochromis_livingstoni15.html
Mark From Essex ,, England
Q: Great site!! I can't wait to see Frank Panis's 900 gallon tank!! It will be interesting to see what he will keep!! I hope to read alot of details about his new tank and his cichlids. When will that be on the website??
A: I’m curious too! It depends on Frank’s “laziness”! C’mon Frank … do no keep us waiting for too long!
Ritchie From Chicago, IL, USA
NB. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is no longer running.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|