# 450L Malawi Tank



## Mbuna Keeper (Dec 24, 2010)

Hi all,

I posted this on another forum but I havenot had much response. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have used pics but let me know if they are messing with your screen as they are pretty large!

Last time I posted here I was just buying a 50g tank intended for malawi's. It ended up looking like the below. I have just used the link as the pics are pretty large!










I soon reallised that the tank wasn'tgoing to satisfy my appetite and luckily came across a 450L bow front for a good price and snapped it up! I have had it about 5 months now. Pic of what it looks like is below. Parden the cloudy water, Pic was takken a couple of hours after a water change and hadn't settled totally;










PH is a bit low for Malawis at about 7.6. I guess crushed coral is required. It runs 2 external cannisters, a Rena XP3 and an Aqua one 1050. It provides just enough turn over for the 22 fish in my tank, but I am looking at a 2nd hand Tetratrac 2400 at the moment to replace the Aqua one.

Now that problem that I have as far gettingg fish is that I live on a small island with a limited amount of pet stores (2) and they both get their fish from the same overseas suppliers. Fish usually arrive hormoned up and marked in the store as "Assorted"so its a guess at what your getting. For me to courier fish to my location costs £60 so its unnafordable. Anyway, I would really like some help with some of the fish I have. 

First up, I think the below is a Sunshine Peacock (Stuartgranti Maleri). I think there is another similar looking fish so just want to make sure.










This next one I have no idea about. This one was actually marked as a Eureka red. Was cernatinly all red in the shop but colour has changed over time. Could be a hybrid?










Next one, is it an Aulonocara Jacobfreigi? Not entirely sure.










This next one is a catfish. I went to the store and saw some Synodontis Multi's and asked them for 3. I got 2 Multis and what is below in the pic. I didnt realise the mistake until I was home. Initially I thought it was a decorus but it doesn't have the black and white tail. Its not slim or silver enough to be a pictus. Anyone have any ideas? Sorry about the photo, he wouldnt come out!










The lasst one isan Aulonocara fire fish I presume. Bought it a local website, the fella I bought it off didnt' know.










Thanks all


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## Mbuna Keeper (Dec 24, 2010)

No body can help?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

What is the question? 

All the "red" peacocks are considered hybrids by most cichlid keepers. They have been line breed for the red color. Many wild peacocks have some red, but none have are red only with no blue or other color. They all have made up names like German red, Dragon blood, fire soemthing, ruby red, rubescens. Some would say that all the A. stuartgrani or A. stevensi are the same fish all the way around the lake because each collection location has males only a little different from the next one in continuous spectrum around the coast. The females all school together. If a peacock breeder used only one species even from many different locations, you couldn't technically call it a hybrid. IMO, though, calling them hybrids is safe guess as someone breeding only for color will though in related species if they think they can get more red. 

The yellow peacock in your pic is likely the one called "sunshine", baenschi, or "Maleri". Unless you have a collection location, you might as well call it aulonocare sp. or Peacock and not bother.

Looks like you also have psudotropheus acei, "cobalt" zebras (Metriaclima callainos) of both the blue and white color forms, Yellow labs (labidochromis caeruleus)


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## Mbuna Keeper (Dec 24, 2010)

Cheers emc


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I also see Copadichromis borleyi


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Deleted, double post.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

The yellow one could be a lemon jake, a line-bred variant of jacobfreibergi. I'm not sure on that one.
The "eureka red" is a mutt, looks like a cross with some other peacock. The colors and patterns are simply wrong.
The jacobfreibergi does look correct for the species. Eureka reds are a line-bred color morph of the same fish, mainly more red color but the same edges on the fins. 
The catfish is a multi x ? hybrid, various species crosses have been turning up in recent years.


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