Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi Everyone,

I've recently taken in 4 Malawi Cichlids from a friend who couldn't keep them anymore. They've been with me for a month now, and when I got them they were about 1.5 inches. I've seen a bit of growth - the biggest one's almost at 2 inches, but not quite. My concern is that my current 56 litre tank is way too small for them. How long do you think I can get away with keeping them in there before I really need to upgrade to something bigger?

I'm looking at the Fluval Flex 123l as a possible upgrade - it's an all-in-one setup which seems convenient. Has anyone got any other recommendations for similar tanks? And what's a good number of Malawi cichlids (Mbuna, I think?) that I could safely keep in a 123 litre tank?

The yellow one appears to be a sunnygold cichlid, Labidochromis caeruleus, known for being quite peaceful. In contrast, the blue fish seems to be a blue zebra cichlid, Maylandia callainos, which tends to become aggressive as it matures. The marble/mottled fish resembles an OB zebra cichlid, Pseudotropheus zebra, and is also expected to become aggressive when mature - the 'OB' stands for orange blotch. The white fish, an albino zebra cichlid, will likely follow a similar pattern, becoming aggressive as it matures.

Given their current size, they should be manageable in the smaller tank for a couple of months. However, once they reach maturity, around 3 inches in length, they'll require more space to thrive.

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate the help. I'm still concerned about the long-term space for them, so I was wondering if a 123 litre tank would be suitable once they reach full maturity?

I'm not familiar with the exact dimensions of a 123 litre tank. Typically, most Mbuna and zebra cichlids require a tank that's at least 4 foot long to thrive.