Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'd trust frapadiddle, he knows his cichlids. Just remember, don't overcrowd your tank, but a bit of overstocking is okay, gives them some room to swim.

It's likely one of those two, paratropheus or pseudotropheus. Hopefully Willis will catch this and chime in

I've heard of something similar happening in the wild. Apparently, certain catfish will lay their eggs in the clutch of a cichlid, and the cichlid will end up taking care of them. Not exactly what's going on here, but it shows that fish can sometimes adopt others' young. In your case, it seems like ...

Angels in 8.2, are you kidding me?
This is a disaster waiting to happen, trust me I've been there. Four years ago I made the same mistake, and let me tell you, it was a nightmare for both the angels and the cichlids. They just aren't meant to be together.

I'll stick with the mixed Malawi cichlids, just them, no other tankmates.

Definitely a bad idea.
Mixing angels with cichlids is a recipe for disaster. While angels are cichlids themselves, their temperament is generally more peaceful compared to their African counterparts.
My advice would be to skip the cichlids, unless you're looking at South American species like rams ...

I had a chance to discuss with a breeder and I think I've got a better understanding now. It seems length is more crucial than width for Mbuna tanks, and since they're mainly bottom dwellers, height isn't as important. My wife actually pointed that out to me earlier.

There's no one-size-fits-all ...

I'd still like to know the tank's dimensions, as the one inch per gallon rule definitely doesn't cut it for African cichlids. 14 full-grown fish, in my opinion, would be way too many for a 40-gallon tank. A better rule of thumb is to consider the minimum tank size plus waste production when deciding ...