How many malawi cichlids in a 30g tank?

Question

I'm planning to buy a 30g tank

Answer 1

Yeah 15 WAY to much...depends on filtration. If you have a over filtered tank then you can obviously have more fish then an underfiltered one. As to how many fish i cant give you an exact number because i don't know exactly what fish you've chosen (malawi is a big lake) but id say only one species and maybe about three? I have a 40 gal and I'm overstocked at 6 fish!  So research what you gonna get and go from there. Good luck!!! And remember to cycle first and don't add to many fish to quick!! Best of luck Angel

ps. Also i have a few bristlnose catfish with mine, without them id be lost. So maybe get one for your tank, once its set up and has algae of coarse!!

EDIT: It really does depend on the fish you choose. 6 large cichlids in your tank would be overstocked, and the only time you need to overstock is if you have agressive fish. Overstocking will minimise fighting but not banish it....wheras if you choose generaly peaceful fish like yellow labs then you dont really want more then 3-4 fish. Just thought id add that in...

Answer 2

15 fishes  

Answer 3

Well it depends on which species really.

I would skip most melanochromis and zebra's as they are way too agressive for that sized tank.A small colony of malawi's like 5 or 6 would be ideal , if you are looking to breed a select species (5 females to 1 male) but if its a display it doesn't really matter.