I have a 350 liter fish tank with malawi fish in it, what other types of fish can I add with them?

Question

I really want other types but I don't know what else I can have

Answer 1

One thing that is important to know before advising what else to put in, is what you have in there now.  It would be very easy for someone to say put in this species or that, only to find out what you currently have isn't very compatible with what you are putting in.  This is only going to result in increased stress levels or deaths, which is good for neither you nor your fish.

Not all Malawi are Mbuna either.  There are a good number of Malawi Haps and the advantage to a Hap/Mbuna set up is that Haps tend to dwell higher in the tank then Mbuna (rock fish) do.  Haps are a good possibility here but it's still advisable to know what is in there already.

Answer 2

In case yours are Mbuna, this is what I have in my 72-gallon tank:

- 12 mbuna

- 5 clown loaches

- 3 yoyo clown  loaches

- 1 red tail shark

- 1 albino shark

It's a bit too much, but they are still small, I'll think of what to do in a year or 2.

My African Cichlids NEVER bothered my loaches. In fact, my sole Demasoni stick with them, and sort of protect them. It would attack anyone getting close to the group of loaches that are close to him. And a funny thing is, i've seen a YOYO sucking my demasoni's back, and the latter just shook it away and still didn't pay attention to it.

My red-tail might occasionally chase my albino shark once they get really close. My red-tail would see that they are almost touching, and wonder for 5 seconds, and start the chase. But in this size of tank, with so many hideouts, they normally can't find each other. In general, it's not recommended that they are put together.

And lastly, Plecos can live with them, unless you're really unlucky.

However, there's a Water Paramater issue.

Normally, we would put all the other types of fishes first. And then slowly and gradually adjust to the African Water. Then put the cichilds in. I didn't bother doing that, and it worked out. They are all living in my PH of 7.8 without problem.

I feed them all with spirulina. And I often add Spectrum Sinking pellet that contains a bit of spirulina as well. Occasionally, i give them zucchini.

They are all very active in the tank. Except my red-tail shark, it's more silent... until it touches the albino.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 3

Malawi Cichlids should really be in a species only tank, so nothing else but other malawi chichlids.

Answer 4

what species of malawi cichlids (there are hundreds) and how many?

many mbuna malawi cichlids are too aggressive for other fish and mbuna set ups are for mbuna cichlids only.

there are other malawi cichlids that are a little more easy going and some catfish are compatible such as some pictus catfish and plecos, but it will depend on the species you have (very nippy ones will nip a pictus to pieces) and your water parameters.