Newbie who needs some advice

[Jim d]

Hello everyone, first post. Maybe you could point me in the right direction. First foray into Cichlids versus community tanks.

1. No more 55s, just purchased a used 180 along with the fish. It is now in my house with about 5 larger fish like an Oscar, Red Devil, Jack Dempsey that came with the tank. So I have good bacteria already.
2. My 11 year old son and I would like to switch it over to Mbuna.
3. How do I find a new home for the current fish? (Tried Tropical Lagoon, but they don't have the tank space.)
4. Where is a good place to get a good selection of Mbuna (live in Bethesda) Want to be picky from the start when we buy our 10-15 base fish

Thanks

Jim

cell is 301-325-2519 if that is easier

 

[Andrewtfw]

Congrats on your new tank. Dave of Daves Rare Fish is an honest vendor with by far the best selection of mbuna you will find.
As for rehoming your fish, don't expect much for what you have to part with. You could try to sell/rehome them on this site, craigslist, or other fish forums. Congressional aquarium also might take them off of your hands. They don't offer anything in exchange.

 

[Jefft]

Hey Jim Welcome to the Forum Daves is a great spot to get fish however I am sure you can find plenty of mbuna from the membership of CCA for much cheaper prices. Hmmm lets see, who might have some.... ohh that's right you can bring your money to my house where I have a 40g breeder and a 30g FULL of mbuna fry and juvies growing out.

 

[verbal]

Some of the chains(Petsmart or Petco) will take "donations", but it might depend on the size of the fish.

For a 180 mbuna tank, I would do 10(or more) per species to start out with. With the more aggressive species you will need to adjust your ratios. The less aggressive ones like yellow labs and rusties don't seem to really care.

I agree with Andrew, Dave's Rare Fish is a great source. I would probably do an initial stocking now and add a couple more groups with the group buy in October(for CCA members).

You should probably post a potential stocking list. The big danger with mbuna communities is cross breeding, so starting out with a good stocking is key.