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Questions 2.
Q. When can I put fish in the tank ?
A. A tank is ready to be stocked when the water is 5 days old. At this time an initial
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cloudyness will have disappeared, and the water is clear. The one thing which is
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important is the `sewage works` previously mentioned. The problem is a`catch 22`as
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the microbiology cannot be formed naturally in the tank without fish,and yet it is best
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to have it in there when you first introduce fish to stop the ammonia levels soaring.
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It MUST be suitable bacteria, capable of surviving in `hard /alkaline` water and
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ideally to be introduced from an existing running Malawi setup. This is a far better
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start than the shop bought ` starter kits`. Whenever I sell fish to customers setting up a
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tank from scratch, I give them a bag of `dirty water` or filter sponge squeezings from
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my own filters.This then is introduced to their tank when they return home by tipping
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the bacteria into a bucket, filling it up with tank water, putting the filter into the
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bucket , if it is an internal, and let the filter clean the water, when this has been done
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satisfactorily the microbiology is in the filter, and ready, when returned to the tank
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to start purification. Exactly the same method is used for an external filter putting the
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`inlet and outlet` pipes into the bucket, and removing when the water in the bucket
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is clean. At this point the tank NEEDS fish to keep the microbiology alive.You will now
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see that the two are closely linked and very dependant on each other.
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Q. How many FISH should I put in my tank
A. Stocking levels.
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The first, and probably obvious point, is the `SIZE` of the tank. It is not however just
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the volume of the tank, (in gallons or litres), but the shape of the tank, meaning its
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relative length to width to height . Given two tanks of the same `water holding
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capacity` then whatever shape they are ,as far as I am concerned, one is bound to
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be better, for Malawis, than the other.
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Points with reasoning :------
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A tank of size 24" by 24" by 24", has a volume excluding rockwork of 50gall.
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A tank of size 48" by 18" by 15", has a volume excluding rockwork of 46 gall.
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As far as I am concerned, the best tank by far for Malawis is the latter, even though it
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has a slightly reduced water holding capacity. It allows fish to `get away` from there
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tankmates, for however short a time, and if the tank is set-up correctly , (see previous
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points) they can be out of the line of sight of a chasing fish. This is impossible in a 24"
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cube!!. The 24" cube would be absolutely ideal for a breeding group of Neolam.
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Brichardi. As you will appreciate it is definitely `horses for courses`.
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A tank 48" by 18" by 15" should be stocked with 30 to 35 Mbuna, which will become
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on average 4.5" to 5.5" long at maturity. The tank should be set-up with that number of
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fish initially, and put in as young fish of 1.5" to 2.00". They should also ALL be put in
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at the same time.This is of course an ideal situation,from the fish point of view as they
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grow to know one another, a form a natural `pecking order` evolves without to much
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aggrevation generally. If the tank is stocked `ad hoc` then the fish in first get the
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terratories, and then the next group are the`new kids`, and can get picked on for that
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very reason. If you`re setting a tank up from new, don`t waste the opportunity, give all
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the fish the best start possible, they should all grow at the same rate just to prove the
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point.
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Q. What is the best food for my Fish.
A. Food for best all round Growth and Condition.
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My feeding regime and philosophy is simple. If you feed `good grub` you will be
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rewarded with healthy, good coloured fish, more resistant to diseases and more
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prolific breeders. Basically I don`t feed flake. It is a very wasteful food. I feed
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expanded pond sticks, 30% protein, which float until eaten and even `bob` back up to
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the surface if taken under by fish and let-go. Flake falls from all everywhere at once
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the second just one fish breaks the water surface.If all is not eaten, as with larger fish,
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then the filter must not only treat the ammonias, but also raw food. This creates
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inefficiencies and could cause tank microbiological breakdown. The filter is a small
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`sewage treatment `works and is finely balanced for the treatment of fish waste only.
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I feed also prawns, and `soft-boiled brussel sprouts`. The prawns are rich in oils, and
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are cheaper to feed than bloodworm, tubifex and daphnia, which only come from
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stagnant waters. Our fish are too valuable in all senses of the word to be fed these.
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Crush or blend the prawns depending on the size of the fish to be fed, mix with a
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little water, and spread in an ice cube tray. At feeding time either thaw the amount
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for one feed, or simply throw the cube in the tank, and as it melts and falls it is eaten
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immediately, again saving the filter from overwork. The sprouts when very soft ,
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should be squashed between finger and thumb and dropped in at the front to be
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observed. The Mbuna go `crackers` for these and in no time, all that is left are lace
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veined leaves. Green foods are essential to Malawi, (especially Mbuna) metabolism.
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Their intestinal length relative to their body length in some species, is about 5 to1,
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and has evoloved to digest greenfoods. A 4ins. mbuna can have as much as 20ins.of
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intestine. It is the same principle as a cow having many stomachs, needed to digest
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grass, and it bears this out, but I don`t want to be too technical. Another point to know
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is that Malawis should NEVER be fed minced chicken or beefheart. It is fed to discus ,
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with good resultant growth rate, but can cause `bloat` in Malawi`s , as when it is
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travelling through the long intestines previously mentioned, it can start to `ferment`,
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causing the formation of gasses and the resultant bloating.
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Well, I hope these few `helplines` may have dispelled some myths for the prospective
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MALAWI keepers. I have tried to keep things as simple and easy to understand as
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possible with these `frequently asked questions` and that the experienced among you
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might have found it interesting also.
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We propose to add more Q & A to benefit all, as more questions are asked, however
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if you would prefer answers on a more personal basis, then please write to us.
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We will be pleased to be able to help.
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and hope you will visit our site on a regular basis,
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Best Regards
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Ian.
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