Who Gives A Fish Forums

HOB filters can work well if you maintain them properly. I've used one on my 30 gallon for years with no issues. Just make sure you're cleaning the media monthly and not replacing it all at once. What's your current maintenance routine like?

Sent you a link to a Malawi forum I'm part of, check your PM.

I'm not too sure myself, to be honest. Just keep a close eye on him and see how he goes. You might want to consider joining a Malawi cichlid forum, they might have some more specialist knowledge to help you out.

He could be dealing with bloat, not eating for a couple days and just hovering at the top of the tank is pretty suspicious, sounds like a classic case of bloat to me.

I'm gonna take a guess here, the blue one's probably the male, not fully mature yet. When there's no clear dominant fish, the female tends to change color, turning more brownish. I've seen this with my own females, the bigger one turns brown and gets all worked up, pretty much advertising herself ...

Not familiar with any suppliers in your area, but I've had good experiences with a few online sites. They've got a solid reputation, and I know several people who've made purchases from them. Here are the links:
http/www.midlandsmalawis.co.uk/
http/www.northantsmalawis.co.uk/
http/www ...

I always seem to have something holding on, they've bred a few times since I got them, so I'm used to it. Anyway, I've made up my mind now, I'm going to get the eheim Ecco pro 300 as my second filter. I'll pack it with alphagrog, matrix and Purigen - should help with the poo problem and nitrates.

Need to upgrade camera, will post pics once I get a decent one

Appreciate the advice, I'm thinking of giving the JBL e901 a shot, seems like a good option with the low power consumption and all the positive reviews.

The issue is the constant poo floating about, it's a real problem. I've already got a 2500lph wave maker in the tank, which I thought would help with circulation. The nitrate battle is another thing, it's a constant struggle. I was thinking of adding another filter, packing it with alphagrog and ...