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Hi,
I have a 20g tank lying around. The LFS has got some young Pseudotropheus socolofi(one inch). Can I keep 3,4 in that?
After doing some rock work and adding gravel, the effective volume of water available is going to be 12~14 gallons only!
Thanks in advance.
-Haroon

I wouldn't try it, to really have a good malawi tank, you need at the very least a 55, preferably bigger.

that being said, socolofi are a smaller Malawian, so as long as you only had the one species, you might be able to make it work. just make sure there's plenty of caves, at least one per fish, preferably more. and keep the stocking level down, cichlids in general are messy fish, so if you only did 3, 1 male and 2 female, it should work as long as you use a good filter.

however, in a 20, you'd be better off trying something like the tanganyikan shell-dwellers, in particular multies or brevis. for more info on those check out http://www.shelldwellers.com

proud father of a bunch of baby haps. http://picasaweb.google.com/Sktchy/BABIES

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I gave up the shellies idea after failing to find a single LFS in my area that keeps them.
Yeah, I'm planning to stick to just one species and keep the number down to 3 to 4. I've got plenty of rocks and some talent to arrange them too . Filteraion is not going to be a problem as well.
I've read in the profile of these fish that they stay small (3~3.5 inches) and are a lot mild in temperaent.

I looked at Cichlid-Forum's cookie-cutter setups Shellies, Tangs, and a few West Africans are mentioned for a 20g. It may work but you might want to research further to see if anyone has tried it successfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

My personal view is that a setup of this kind, even with a supposedly 'mild mannered' (a term that's always relative with Mbuna) species such as Pseudotropheus socolofi, is going to be highly experimental, and is probably best attempted only if you have recourse to a larger aquarium to rehouse the fishes if the experimental setup fails.

Even Iodotropheus sprengerae, the mildest mannered of all the Mbuna, is likely to feel a tad cramped in a 20G.

Remember that in the wild, Mbuna carve out territories among the rocks that can, in some instances, cover quite an area of real estate. The fact that these fishes can be persuaded to live harmoniously in an aquarium, where they don't have the luxury of being able to move to a different part of the shore if their current home is unsuitable, is a testament to the adaptability of these fishes. However, there are limits to that adaptability, and consequently, the 55 gallon setup has beomne something of a 'baseline' standard for keeping Mbuna in order to provide them with suffiicient space to live harmoniously and with a minimum of internecine warfare, which breaks out whenever the fishes decide that [1] they have insufficient space, and [2] eliminating the opposition is a low risk option.

Of course, the temperament of Mbuna varies considerably across species. Iodotropheus sprengerae, as already mentioned, will find a 55 perfectly suitable (and will even share it with some Labidochromis species if these are chosen with some care and stocking is given similar diligent consideration), and indeed some people have had some success with Iodotropheus sprengerae in a 40G. At the other extreme, you have Melanochromis chipokae, a fish with a positively pyroclastic temperament which will readily engage in the vicious extermination of opponents in anything smaller than a 6ft aquarium, and which should be given an 8ft aquarium or larger if it is to be kept with other psychotic headbangers such as the Petrotilapia species and the similarly evil Pseudotropheus elongatus. Those are examples of fishes that NEED a very large setup if their integration into a community is to be accomplished minus outbreaks of savage civil war.

Additionally, bear in mind that experienced Mbuna keepers prefer, where possible, to keep one male with around 5 or 6 females in order to spread the male's attentions around so that one or two females are not unduly subject to either violence or being 'bred to death'. In the case of Melanochromis chipokae, a male will quite happily keep 8 females attended to and regularly occupied with buccal pouches full of fry, and of course the aquarist then has to decide what to do with this burgeoning collection of baby fishes! Even something such as Pseudotropheus socolofi would probably benefit from a 1 male to 4 females or better ratio, which is seriously pushing it in a 20G.

Rememeber that we are talking about Cichlids here - intelligent, highly evolved, advanced fishes with complex social behaviour patterns and a very well defined internal mental image of what is required for the business of life. Failure to provide an aquarium that satisfies that internal mental image the fishes possess, which means primarily plenty of space, results in even the supposedly 'milder' species turning nasty. Each fish will have, in its mind, a very well defined idea of how much space is required in order to conduct the business of gathering food, attracting a mate and raising a family, in some cases they have a better idea of what's required than many humans, and if they find themselves in an inadequate aquarium, they set about remedying the situation - which in the case of the feistier species involves eliminating the competition. Back around the rock rubble of Lake Malawi's various shorelines, a fish that finds itself low down the local pecking order always has the option of taking itself off somewhere else to avoid the fighting, and possibly setting itself up as "King of the Hill" in that new location should it find itself among weaker opposition. That luxury isn't on offer in an aquarium, which can only ever be a minute simulacrum of the vastness of Lake Malawi at best - remember that Lake Malawi is large enough for humans to sail large steamships upon it, and is better thought of as an inland sea in size because it is, quite frankly, enormous - and the fishes living there have accustomed themselves to living in many billions of gallons of water. Depending upon how cut-throat the competition for prime "real estate" is, the fishes may be moderately feisty (our friend socolofi again) and demand relatively small patches of territory, or they could be pyroclastic berserkers (dear old Melanochromis chipokae, everyone's favourite example of "Hitler With Fins" and demand an acreage of rockwork that makes anything under a 6ft aquarium woefully inadequate.

The trick with these things (which applies to all fishes of course, but especially with highly evolved and intelligent Cichlids) is to adopt the old Innes book maxim and think like a fish. Put yourself in its fins and ask yourself what you would want in that situation, then set about providing it. Do that and you won't go far wrong.

Of course, if you happen to have a lot of prior fishkeeping skill, and particularly skill with challenging but rewarding fishes such as Cichlids, then this experiment is something you could launch into, but I would advise against it unless you do so with your eyes well and truly open as to the possible disaster scenarios looming over the horizon, enter the enterprise prepared to engage in a fair amount of hands-on maintenance, and preferably have a decent backup aquarium should the experiment end in tears.

Oh, and one more point before I wrap up yet another of my epic dissertations (). If you are able to, spend your money at a specialist dealer's that devotes time and attention to the proper labelling of Rift Lake Cichlids with the correct scientific names, and sells them under those names instead of trying silly marketing tricks to shift the fish - not least because there are 'lookalike' pairs of species which bear considerable visual resemblance to each other, yet behave in radically different ways in the aquarium. Pseudotropheus socolofi is one such fish - it bears considerable resemblance to Pseudotropheus lucerna, but if you are contemplating an experimental 'small' Malawi setup, you had better be sure that you DO have the genuine socolofi, which is relatively well behaved by Mbuna standard, because Pseudotropheus lucerna, its lookalike, is a hardcore aquarium criminal that belongs in a large aquarium alongside other ruffians and reprobates, and which will launch into search and destroy missions against other fishes if it isn't given a LOT of space! A specialist dealer will label the fishes correctly, warn newcomers to the world of Mbuna in advance about the ones to avoid (though anyone who has done even a small amount of preliminary research should know that our old friend chipokae is to be avoided like the plague except for very large aquaria containing other evil assassins) and spend time making sure that if you ARE a newcomer to Rift Lake Cichlids, you'll make wise choices, become a successful Rift Lake keeper, and in doing so, provide said dealer with a regular income.

Have fun reading this little dissertation by the way.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thank you every one, especially Calilasseia. The very detailed article has certainly scared the "cichlid fever" off me till I get a bigger tank . But a malawi tank certainly remains on my wish list!
I have made a deal with a friend who was looking for a smaller tank. I'll exchanging this 20g with his 29g
and that would be another planted tank...

You could really do with someone out there in your country doing an Ad Konings and collecting Rift Lake fishes for your national market. Of course, wishing for this and it coming to pass is entirely another matter ...

However, if you could find enough Cichlid enthusiasts in Pakistan with the will and the financial capital to support a collecting expedition, it would be a fun venture, especially if you could join in the adventure! Be advised that such an expedition would be replete with prior planning issues, even planning such an expedition from an allegedly 'rich' Western nation involves finding someone with a lot of money to sponsor it, and MANY months spent dealing with such issues as medical insurance, malaria prevention issues (made all the more complex in the light of the Lariam medication issues that arose a few years back here) and even such mundane things as deciding whether or not to camp in tents or stay at a local lodge. Incidentally, one BIG problem with travel to the Rift Lakes, which might affect individuals from Pakistan as well as those from the West, is the fact that the strain of malaria protozoan (Plasmodium falciparum) found around the Rift Lakes is resistant to several older generation antimalarials, and the only one in recent years that has been effective is Lariam (Mefloquinone), which is associated with severe side effects in some people who take it. Needless to say, you would have to factor this into any expedition if you were in the fortunate position of being able to plan one, and probably explains why there are relatively few expeditions other than those by established and seasomed campaigners even from the West - quite a few people consider the malaria risk to be too great to face even in pursuit of drop dead gorgrous Rift Lake Cichlids, and when you see how virulent the Rift Lake strain of Plasmodium falciparum is, it's hardly surprising. It's particularly dangerous in that it's associated with a higher than normal instance of cerebral malaria, which is fatal in something like 10% of cases even with access to advanced standards of medical care. Your chances of finding a hospital in Africa that matches the likes of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (which is a short train ride from my home incidentally!) are practically nil, so if members of an expedition were infected with the Rift Lake strain of malaria, the consequences would be pretty dire. You also have to factor in such goodies as Tsetse flies (and the Trypanosomes they pass on that cause sleeping sickness), the possiblility of Schistosomiasis (which is extremely nasty), plus possible encounters with Onchocerciasis (river blindness) and Dengue. Then there's the hippos ... you do NOT approach the hippos no matter how cute they look, because a male hippo is a two ton animal with a strong territorial instinct and a willingness to go after humans if it decides that action is needed - it may look ungainly but it can run at 30 mph for short bursts, and will hit you like a locomotive if it catches you! You can also expect to encounter at least two species of cobra, black mambas, packs of hyaenas that are known rabies vectors, assorted primates that could pass on some VERY nasty diseases if they bite (Marburg virus is lethal in 30% of cases) and that's BEFORE we start to consider the less than delightful aspects of African politics. Not that I want to put you off if you're REALLY passionately devoted to the idea of visiting the Rift Lakes, but you had better engage in a LOT of prior planning to take all of this into account before you go, because once in Africa, an ounce of prevention is worth several tons of cure!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

An expedition to the Rift Lakes is another item on my wish list along with a Malawi tank , not for collecting/business purposes though. I just want to see and feel this special piece of nature with my eyes and if my body can handle the high pH and all the salts desolved, take a dive and see all the marvellous cichlids in their natural habitat
Of course it requires a lot of "free" time and finances and I'm sure both will come with time. So i leave this project for the days I'll live after retirement (if any)