[bolty]

im not blue :lol:

but yes syno's do go with malawi's, iv done it many times with load's of S.P mixe's


but i like the look of these cats with malawi's more

 

[bolty]

when i had a prob in my tank and all of my fish started dying i lost

my oscars
chocolate cic
texas
salvinis
a silver d
but not 1 pictus

when my big jag got ich (diff set-up)

my pictus stayed clean

as 4 stress living with a 10inch midas with issues did them no harm

and in all the malawi tanks iv had the pictus have done well, also dont take no sh!t from the mbuna

ppl say pictus are this and that but 4 me they are a hard little fish






as 4 the rock work all i did was place the rock bit by bit making sure it was stable

this is a diff tank of mine from the past

 

[bolty]

Watch your stocking levels!! These fish are going to get quite large, and especially with having them mixed, more aggressive as they mature. The more decoration you can get into that tank the better. A healthy African cichlid tank has more decoration than fish.
One idea for a catfish that is cool and won't get overly large is the upsidedown cat: http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Synodontis_nigriventris.php

stocking levels :?
just thin out when needed
at this size it would look pritty poor to have 4 - 6 fish :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[bolty]

bolty, thinning out the stock in a tank is only an option if you have somewhere to go with these fish later, after they've grown and most LFS's won't take them due to lack of space and at that size being harder to resell.
This is not something anyone should count on being able to do unless they check with the LFS FIRST, or intend to move up into a bigger tank to hold them all later.
With africans, most of them will average 5 - 9 inches each... (unless they are shell dwellers)

good job i no the ppl in the fish shop then
and there "we will take any fish you buy from us back" bit to

also keeping fish 4 only almost 16years i have a bit of an idea of the size of the fish i keep and how they should be housed

that being said there is also the river in the park over the road (if i wait untill the summer) :roll:

9inch mbuna?

 

[bolty]

bolty, where are you located? Releasing a fish into the wild, especially not a native habitat is highly illegal, and depending on the environment and the weather/seasons, can also be quite cruel to the animal. Here on the board we cannot suggest to anyone that letting a "pet fish" go in a natural waterway is ok, because we could then be held liable by the laws as much as the person who does it.
I don't know what specific laws are where you are located, but here, the DNR can take nearly everything you own if you get caught doing something like that, plus they fine you and there is mandatory jail time.
Plus, laws aside, it screws up a natural habitat with a possible "invasive" species should it breed. Something like african cichlids could quickly become invasive if the environment is suitable.

im in england, isn't that where these fish originate from english LFS? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[bolty]

if it is a "true" up-side down cat all the 1's i had hid all day :lol:
thats why i like the pictus, they never stop you see them out all day and night, you could try more USD cats but it never made a diffrence to mine, also are they small enough to be eaten?

how big is/was the cat
how big and what do you have in your set-up at the mo?