Wow, thanks very much for that reply! It was very helpful.

As for my water hardness, it seems to be around 150 ppm. Also, copper isn't a problem. I keep cherry, Amano, and ghost shrimp with my tap water. Also, will the limestone work? I can get a bunch of that easy.

Also, anyone know any other sorts of potentially compatible fish that can tolerate a high PH?

One other question I forget to ask, how do you introduce mbunas to the tank once its cycled? Do you still introduce them gradually like with normal fish? I sorta got the impression that you might need to add them in larger numbers.