Green houseplants for lake malawi aquariums

[Tigger]

I've come across recommendations for Malawi cichlids to be kept in water with a general hardness of 10 to 20 dGH. However, the total hardness as CaCO3 in Lake Malawi itself is reportedly around 60 - 85 mg/L. If my conversion is correct, this would roughly translate to a range of 3.4 - 5 dGH.

Seachem's Lake Salt, for instance, suggests 4 - 8 dGH for Lake Malawi's environment. I personally maintain my water at 8 dGH and was curious - what are the general hardness levels that other members keep for their Malawi cichlids?

[willie32]

I've always been under the impression that Malawi cichlids thrive in really hard water - my setup's running at around 17dGH and I've received plenty of positive feedback from others, with many saying that's spot on.

[coltin]

The water parameters of the three Great Lakes in Africa are quite distinct. For instance, Lake Malawi's water has a general hardness of approximately 300 parts per million, with a pH level ranging from 7.6 to 8.0. This is due to the presence of minerals such as calcium and magnesium, as well as sodium and various other minerals.

On the other hand, Lake Tanganyika's water has a significantly higher general hardness, around 400-450 parts per million, with a pH level between 8.5 and 9.0. The mineral composition is similar to that of Lake Malawi, but in higher concentrations.

In contrast, Lake Victoria's water is softer, with a general hardness of around 200-250 parts per million and a pH level between 7.2 and 7.8.

[Tigger]

Here's the link to the data I mentioned earlier, it's from malawicichlids.com and it seems that the fish do just as well in lower GH.

https://malawicichlids.com/mw01011.htm#tangph

Seachem's guidelines are interesting, they recommend low GH ranges for these lakes - Lake Victoria being the lowest, then Malawi and Tanganyika, which makes sense.

I'll stick with my 8 dGH for now and see how it goes.