these pics might look better, of me new 125

>>
>>
>> I have 4 small Frontosa and 3 very small Calvus in there now. The plan is
>> to add a few more from Lake Tanganyika, maybe some...hummm.....I'm not
>> quite sure. I was thinking of some of the Tropheus, but they may be a bit
>> too agressive for what I want. Maybe some Rainbows or Buenos Aires as
>> dithers, I'm open for suggestions. NetMax had some thoughts a few weeks
>> ago, but I don't remember what they were (partly cause I wasn't familiar
>> with the fish), maybe he will enlighten me again. Maybe you have some
>> thoughts too, but you do the "other" lake :) :)

> Well, as you say, my only experience is the "other" lake....they breed
> like rabbits with quite a reasonable survival rate...I have no dither fish
> in there - the Mbunas are quite outgoing so these have not been needed.
> Personally if you are trying to create a lake cichlid tank I would leave
> out non-lake fish unless your fish are permanently in hiding (the only
> non-lake fish that I have is a plec). Then I would be very careful who I
> chose to add....I tried to be a purist with the tank - something I usually
> fail to achieve on most of the others. Another thing that I have heard is
> that it is a bad idea to mix lakes (and South American cichlids that need
> quite different water conditions). I don't know about Tanganyika but guess
> it might be hard water as well...that would suit the rainbows but probably
> not the tetras.
>
> Then of course, if you did use rainbows (my new passion) you would need to
> think long and hard as to which type....IMO if you spend the money
> required to get the rainbows that can hold their own with the cichlids you
> would be better off forgetting it and making your next project a rainbow
> tank...you could end up spending just as much or more on your rainbow
> dithers as on the cichlids...No way, would I put my ever increasing
> rainbow collection anywhere near my Malawis however close the water pH and
> hardness requirements are.
>
> The general advice I read was to overstock the tank (and over filter to
> compensate for this) to dissapate the violence along with lots of rock
> work/caves - I found little difference in the violence level (they
> where/are as mean as can be) until they settled on who was in and who was
> out (if a fish was out it was generally murdered overnight)...as for the
> overstock they do it themselves...
>
> Don't know if this helps
>
> Gill