Is a malawi stocking suitable for a 3ft tank?

[knight4d]

Just set up my new fluval 3ft tank - it's 39" wide, 15.5" deep and 18" high, which works out to 178 litres or 40 gallons. Got all the gear - 1 x 300w heater, air pump, powerhead and a 1000LPH external APS filter. Considering the following stock, would it work?

2 Psuedotropheus Kingsizei itungi
2 Cynotilapia afra (Jalo Reef)
2 Cynotilapia afra (Cobue)
3 Labidochromis Caeruleus 'Lion Cove'
2 F1 Metriaclima Aurora 'Pombo rocks'
2 Psuedotropheus Minutus 'manda'

Thanks

[stormyok]

I gotta say, that 300w heater is way too much for a 40 gallon tank. I mean, I've got a 55 gallon and my heater's not even that strong. If it malfunctions, you're gonna end up with a tank full of cooked fish. The stocking list looks alright to me, but I'm not familiar with some of those species. One thing I do know is that Malawi cichlids can be pretty aggressive, but with proper filtration like you've got, you can keep 'em in a pretty crowded environment and it'll help keep the aggression down.

[slyzen]

lol the heater is fine wont come on as much as smaller ones, get 7 of 8 of each group and stick with that, your stocking wont work. so ive put an either or for you - only keep one type, the males will fish imo, as look similar 2 Psuedotropheus Kingsizei itungi OR 2 Psuedotropheus Minutus 'manda'. these will cross so only keep one type of afra per tank 2 Cynotilapia afra (Jalo Reef) OR 2 Cynotilapia afra (Cobue). 3 Labidochromis Caeruleus 'Lion Cove'. 2 F1 Metriaclima Aurora 'Pombo rocks'.

[dakora]

on the heater issue it's not as simple as that. the larger heater comes on less often, which theoretically means it'll last longer and use less electricity. if it does fail, it's likely to just stop working altogether, causing the tank temp to drop, rather than staying on full blast and cooking the fish. i used to run a 100litre tank with a 250 watt heater and never had any issues. ideally, you'd use two 100-150 watt heaters with a digital alarm thermometer, but that's not always practical.

[daxton]

I agree with the general consensus on avoiding conspecifics. Having multiple species of Mbuna can help distribute aggression. Consider stocking 6-8 of a few species like Cobue, Kingsizei, and Labidochromis. Overstocking with plenty of filtration is key for Mbuna. This approach can also help you achieve a better male to female ratio, and you can always cull out excess males and add females. However, I'd like to caution that most Mbuna species require larger tanks, ideally over 4 feet. Research your fish and consider their mature size - if they reach 5-6 inches, a bigger tank is likely necessary.

[bolt9x]

I'm not convinced the filter will cut it, to be honest. You're looking at around 400 LPH once it's fully loaded with media, which doesn't seem like enough for me. And let's be real, a fully grown Yellow Lab is a big fish - I just don't think this tank is the right size for the fish you're considering. I'd be looking at Saulosi's, personally - they might be a better fit for this setup.