New to Maryland and Back to Fishkeeping

[hurtmypony]

Hello!


I just got back into the hobby after a 5 year hiatus. I have kept fish on-and-off for years, generally keeping one or two tanks for 5 years or so, and then taking a few years off. My last one, from about 4 years ago, was an assortment of Africans and I had it up for about 3-4 years. All of my tanks through the years were more community tanks than honest single-species environments.


I was blindly lucky with a lot of my earliest tanks, just throwing in whatever was visually appealing to me, and had remarkably few problems. I picked up a fondness for the Africans and sometimes savage / always quirky habits, and so my last two decades of on-and-off fish keeping have been African Cichlid tanks with an occassional Pleco or Sydontis.

For Christmas, my sweetheart got me a smart little 55 Gallon and stand for our new home in Olney, MD.

It is awaiting the last shipments from BigAl’s and AquaTraders in order to be ready for setup, and I am very excited about delving back into the hobby! Each time, I totally forget about the enormous money-sink this hobby is, but it is worth every penny!

I have a few questions about setting up for an all-male Mbuna Fest (yikes! Did I just say that?), and I can ask them here, or in a different forum category if it is more appropriate…

Oh, and my name is Tim! Please forgive my oddball handle – I have used it since my BBS days and refuse to surrender it for something more mature.

 

[Pat Kelly]

Welcome to the forum.

Your registration has been changed so that you can post now without a moderator.

Your in the right area of the country for Cichlid Lovers. thats for sure.

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

WELCOME TO CCA!!!

 

[hurtmypony]

So, I guess that my migration from the sunny shores of Miami to the frigid hills of Maryland was DESTINY AT WORK?

Heheh, I actually like Maryland more than my hometown, Olney is a pleasant, quiet little town, and up here, I don't feel the need to wear bullet-proof clothing (Introducing The Miami Kevlar Collection by Calvin Klein - Now you can look sharp and stop up to a 9MM!).

I also speak the native language up here!

I do heartily miss the delicious Cuban food, though.

Once my equipment has arrived, is there a reputable source in the Silver Spring / Olney area to get some seeded (or is it "seeding"?) material to kick-start the cycling process?

I don't want to dip into any old LFS gravel that might introduce nasties into my pristine, new tank, but I want to shorten the cycling process as much as possible...

Also, I am more interested in raising a tank of young fish than beginning with matured ones. What would be some compatible Mbuna species that I could research that stay on the small side after maturity? I am thinking 3-4 inches max grown?

And would the sponsors and members here be a good place to buy such fish when my tank cycle ends (3 - 6 weeks, maybe)?

 

[mscichlid]

Hello and welcome to your new forum and hopefully to the club. Check out our next meeting on February 19th. Come see how we roll!

 

[Spine]

Welcome to CCA.There are a couple good shops near you that should have everything you need. Tropical Fish World in Gaithersburg (301) 921-0000 and Tropical Lagoon in Silver Spring (301) 585-6562

 

[hurtmypony]

Thanks for the welcome and the information, folks!

Would it be a bad idea to get seeding material for my tank cycle from either of those stores' tanks, and will they even sell me some?

(I'd call and ask, but I don't want to ask the store if they have healthy tanks - that seems rude.)

I'll just be patient and bear through the regular cycle if it seems risky.

 

[mscichlid]

There probably someone near you who will be online during the day or later this evening who will assist you in seeding your tank.

 

[minifoot77]

i'd offer a sponge filter up but i'm a long way there has got to be someone closer and welcome to the best cichlid forum in the universe

 

[verbal]

Also, I am more interested in raising a tank of young fish than beginning with matured ones. What would be some compatible Mbuna species that I could research that stay on the small side after maturity? I am thinking 3-4 inches max grown?

There actually are a number of mbuna options in that size range. You have to look past the most typically offered zebras, Labeotropheus, auratus, kenyii and yellow labs.

Cynotilapia afra and Labidochromis chisumulae fit your size range. They are more carnivourous than your typical mbuna.

Rusties(Iodotropheus sprengerae) also are in that size range. They are more herbivorous, but relatively peaceful.

Pseudotropheus saulosi is an option that is pretty aggressive(according to cichlid-forum).

 

[dogofwar]

There's a Cuban Place on 355 in Rockville (called, I think The Cuban Place)...and another in Laurel.

Matt

 

[mdlnewman]

o/ welcome

 

[hurtmypony]

Cynotilapia afra and Labidochromis chisumulae fit your size range. They are more carnivourous than your typical mbuna.

I checked out pictures of the Cynotilapia afra on Google - they look wonderful! Do most of them have that wonderful contrast of lower blue stripes and striking yellow top dusting? I do not believe I have ever seen one in person, and they are beautiful.

Also, thanks to everyone for all of the information...it's "one stop shopping" here for me - I am getting:

A warm welcome
A hearty dose of Mbuna info
and restaurant recommendations to cure my stomach's home sickness.

It is incredibly poor timing that I only discovered this place one day after your last meeting. I could have come to the meeting, paid the membership dues and rubbed elbows with many cichlid experts.

 

[minifoot77]

the next meeting is still an option its on the third saturday in silverspring

Posted via mobile.capitalcichlids.org

 

[Tony]

Welcome aboard, Tim. I was about to bust your balls about your name until I read your first post.

Definitely some good folks here with some good knowledge. I keep some mbuna, but am certainly no expert. More into the large Malawi haps.

If you're looking to do all males, it may be tough. Are you set on that or would you entertain doing 2-3 different groups that wouldn't interbreed?

I live in Gaithersburg and could hook you up with a dirty sponge or Aquaclear sponge if you wanted to stop by some time.

 

[Cartel]

Welcome!

For cuban I go to Cuba De Ayer in Burtonsville good eats!

 

[hurtmypony]

If you're looking to do all males, it may be tough. Are you set on that or would you entertain doing 2-3 different groups that wouldn't interbreed?

Not set at all...in fact, I think I have two conflicting desires - on the one hand, I want juveniles, and on the other I want all males, but if I recall, it is often difficult to identify sex at a young age.

I am no expert, so correct me here if I am wrong. If I am right, my plan might have me swapping out a lot of fish in the beginning as I discover they are not male, and parting is such sweet sorrow, heheh...

The only reason I was leaning toward an all-male tank was to:

1. Not have to deal with fry. I'll have no initial back up tank for support, and a small environment forever (I doubt I'll get a second large tank anytime soon), so additional fish will tax my lodging capacities in two ways. Leaving the fry in the big tank to die, if indeed Mbuna fry need separation from the adults, might make me sad.

2. Cut down on overall aggression. I know there are conflicting experiences between fish keepers, but I read in a few places that several male Mbuna, of largely different coloring and all different species, will not be as aggressive in a tank with no females to fight over as they would with competing males of the same species (or similar coloring).

3. No crossbreeding, which I glean from my research, is bad overall for the fish and the hobby.

If any of this is dead wrong, enlighten me!

If I could get juveniles of three compatible groups and keep the peace in the tank, not fret over the fate of fry AND have a colorful tank of not-so-enormous fish, I would be happy.

ALSO: Thank you very much for the seeding material offer. When the last pieces of my tank arrives, I think I might take you up on the offer, if it still stands...

And I am writing these restaurants down! Thanks to all! Maybe I'll do a food tour after payday this weekend! I went to the Cuban place in Silver Spring...it was very close to authentic, though significantly more expensive than back home. Well worth it, though!

 

[marge618]

Welcome to the CCA forum. As you can already see there are lots of helpful folks in this club. Hope to see you at the Feb 19 CCA meeting.

 

[Tony]

Not set at all...in fact, I think I have two conflicting desires - on the one hand, I want juveniles, and on the other I want all males, but if I recall, it is often difficult to identify sex at a young age.

I am no expert, so correct me here if I am wrong. If I am right, my plan might have me swapping out a lot of fish in the beginning as I discover they are not male, and parting is such sweet sorrow, heheh...

The only reason I was leaning toward an all-male tank was to:

1. Not have to deal with fry. I'll have no initial back up tank for support, and a small environment forever (I doubt I'll get a second large tank anytime soon), so additional fish will tax my lodging capacities in two ways. Leaving the fry in the big tank to die, if indeed Mbuna fry need separation from the adults, might make me sad.

2. Cut down on overall aggression. I know there are conflicting experiences between fish keepers, but I read in a few places that several male Mbuna, of largely different coloring and all different species, will not be as aggressive in a tank with no females to fight over as they would with competing males of the same species (or similar coloring).

3. No crossbreeding, which I glean from my research, is bad overall for the fish and the hobby.

If any of this is dead wrong, enlighten me!

If I could get juveniles of three compatible groups and keep the peace in the tank, not fret over the fate of fry AND have a colorful tank of not-so-enormous fish, I would be happy.

ALSO: Thank you very much for the seeding material offer. When the last pieces of my tank arrives, I think I might take you up on the offer, if it still stands...

And I am writing these restaurants down! Thanks to all! Maybe I'll do a food tour after payday this weekend! I went to the Cuban place in Silver Spring...it was very close to authentic, though significantly more expensive than back home. Well worth it, though!

Yeah, no problem on the sponge.

I think you have all quite valid points. I think most old-world folks here have tried doing all male peacocks and haps at one point or another. It's a bit easier as you have more variety in their color/body form and you're right, it's easier to determine sex with those guys.

As I said, I'm certainly no expert with mbuna... shoot, I have a bunch of single specimens mixed in with my community tanks and have no idea what sex they are. The only way I can ever tell is when one comes up holding.

You could do all just single specimens of different species. After all, what difference does it make if you have a male or a female rusty or yellow lab?... they look pretty much the same. The issue will be crossbreeding and then you will have hybrid fry. The problem here is that without any haps, many will inevitably survive and you will end up with extra fish that you can do nothing with in the end (other than cull, which you don't want to do).

So that is a convincing reason to go with all males or 2-3 very different groups that will not interbreed. With the potential of a lot of time involved growing out fish, (having them crossbreed in the meantime) and getting rid of all but the alpha male, the effort involved in the all-male mbuna setup can be daunting. (Maybe that's why not a lot of folks try it).

Meh... I'm just starting to talk in circles now.

In summary, I'm lazy. I like the idea of groups. If you choose species carefully, the worst thing that will happen is that you will end up with non-hybridized fry. This is not a bad thing... growout fish are always easy to sell.

Of course, I'd like to see someone try the all-male mbuna setup. It'd be fun to watch.