What fish should I get... Mbuna Cichlids, or Angelfish?

Question

I just got a tank, have done a fishless cycle, and I'm almost ready to add fish. I love mbuna cichlids, and I like angelfish. Which fish are the coolest?

It's a 260 litre tank with a large filter. =)

Answer 1

It's a matter of opinion.  I do not know exactly what 260 liters is in terms of gallons, but just outwardly looking at that, I'd suspect somewhere in the 40 gallon range?  

Assuming it's in that range, you can effectively keep either or.  I wouldn't try to keep both however.  Angelfish being a South American type and Mbuna, which means *rock* fish, are Africans.  The waters these fish originate from are completely different.  While many tank raised fish can adapt to different waters, it's still in your best interest to keep them in the waters they have evolved from.

I keep and breed Africans myself.  My opinion is clearly going to be biased towards Mbuna, but that is not to say that they are any "cooler" then Angelfish.  I just happen to find Mbuna to be more colorful, active, and thrive better for me then Angelfish have in the past.  I like with Mbuna that you have so many numerous species of fish, and watch how they interact with each other.  I also have a 180 and 100 gallon main tanks, and keep my prized bred fish in the 75.  My fish keeping experiences are a little different then yours and Angelfish may well be your taste.

Look over in cichild-forum.com and take a look at some of the different species to see if that helps you narrow things down.