Canidate for Malawi Tank?

thecichlidpleco · Post by **thecichlidpleco** » 27 Sep 2006, 01:12

I am bored with the common and the bristlenose being in my Peacock show tank. Is there any colorful L-number that can stand the high pH of 8.2? I have tried this before with a red finned cactus, but died after six months due to medication used for a mbuna.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 27 Sep 2006, 10:36

Most plecos are tolerant enough to adapt to high pH - that doesn't mean that it's ideal conditions, but if you're OK with that, then that's your choice...

The fact that the fish dies after medicating isn't really a sign of the conditions being unsuitable without the medication - but I would make sure that you have a spare tank, in case you need to medicate with "catfish unfriendly medication" again...

I would stay clear of the "blackwater species", such as (L182).

But something like is a good candidate, relatively outgoing and tolerates high pH nicely in my experience [I keep my fish in standard southern english tapwater, which happens to be around pH 8.5].

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Mats

Jackster · Post by **Jackster** » 27 Sep 2006, 20:46

I keep a 4" L190 Royal in one of my Mbuna tanks and it is doing very well. My pH is 8.3 and
the pleco has been in the tank for well over a year now. I had a large L18 Gold Nugget
in the tank also and for some reason (probably the bright coloration) the Mbuna would
not stop picking on it so I sold it to a friend. In two other tanks of the same pH I have
L260s mixed with both Mbuna and some small Tanganyikans which are also doing very
well. A bad experience that I had was with a L200 who's fins were chewed on pretty badly.

I guess putting plecos in with Mbuna is always risky but I have been able to keep cool
looking (not so boring) plecos in my hard water and with mainly good results. I would
keep away from L183 (whoops Mat) and several others including L46, L47, L34, LDA08,
and any Chaetostoma species as I learned the hard way through my own personal
experience that at least the species I mentioned don't do well in hard water full of Mbuna.
I'm sure there are many other species that would not do well in an African Rift Lake
aquariums also. Others I have kept successfully include L14, L66, and L001. Good Luck!

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 28 Sep 2006, 10:25

Jackster wrote:I would keep away from L183 (whoops Mat) ...

Yes, I meant L183, but L182 is also a blackwater species, so it would also be one to avoid...

any Chaetostoma species ...

Yes, they would probably not like it in an mbuna tank for several reasons, if nothing else because they like cooler water...

Others I have kept successfully include L14, L66, and L001. Good Luck!

Yes, I agree that all of those are good candidates [although I have no personal experience with keeping any of them - I did keep a pair of Malawi "Red Zebra" many years ago, even had a spawn from them, actually...]

--
Mats