Chris' African/mbuna Journal

[chr15_8]

was surprised to hear they keep them in tap water. (when i got home it was at around 7.2) they also feed them bloodworms which i thought was a nono. they also feed them cichlids pellets/flakes.

You can keep them in tap water as long as it has a decently high PH. Very few LFS will adjust the water params for individual tanks as they are generally run on a store wide filtration system. While mbuna can survive in a lower PH, they'll thrive in your tank.

And yes, blood worms are a major no-no with mbuna, though a lot of LFS don't know enough about the fish they keep to realize that.

Looking forward to pic of the c.afra's, they're great fish.

got some pics last night just need to upload them (theyt are really hard to capture!)

when you say about most lfs dont know enoguh about fish they keep i agree most dont however this lfs is in the top 3 lfs in England (think it came 1st or 2nd) according to pfk magazine.

will get pics up asap.

chris

 

[chr15_8]

my fave picture of these so far

chris

 

[dthoffsett]

Great looking afra's!

 

[beeky]

Just been reading this and you've got lovely fish.

I don't know much about mbuna though, so what's wrong with bloodworm?

 

[Ferris]

Just been reading this and you've got lovely fish.

I don't know much about mbuna though, so what's wrong with bloodworm?

Most Mbuna are Herbivores and their digestive systems simply cannot process meaty protein. Feeding them the likes of bloodworm can cause a condition called "bloat", which often proves fatal.

 

[BettaUK]

Hi Chris,

Nice looking setup.. The Labidochromis look like good quality fish too, nice and colourful compaired too some of the pale ones I have seen available recently.

I'm also in Middlesex and keep Mbuna's, so if you fancy a chat send me a PM


All the best,

Lawrence

 

[chr15_8]

the tanks doing well at the moment

i didnt hoover the sand last week and it is full of rubbish. the ugj dont seem to work as well as i thought.
so tommorow im going to hoover the sand.
i have a fair amount of algea now so im going to give them a quick scrub aswell.

within the last few hours i have noticed a slightly bigger afra (i mean belly size) i think i have 4 females and 2 males (you probably know there this might be going) the afra which is slightly bigger i believe is a female. when i was watchng her she seems to be doing a fair bit of chasing to the yellow lab in particular and a few of the afra's. she also has got quite dark vertical lines which is leading me to believe she is pregnant. this is the first bit of aggrestion i have seen in this tank. all the stats are correct. (have been testing every other day)

when i clean the tank i will take photos of her and here gang aswell as the tank before and after.

Hi Chris,

Nice looking setup.. The Labidochromis look like good quality fish too, nice and colourful compaired too some of the pale ones I have seen available recently.

I'm also in Middlesex and keep Mbuna's, so if you fancy a chat send me a PM


All the best,

Lawrence

hi lawrence.
where about are you from in middlesex?
what lfs do you use?

chris

edit
your tank look nice from the video aswell

 

[BettaUK]

hi lawrence.
where about are you from in middlesex?
what lfs do you use?

chris

edit
your tank look nice from the video aswell

Cheers, Sent you a PM so I don't take over your Journal with conversation

 

[chr15_8]

well its been about 1 1/2 months since i planned/set the tank up (times gone fast)

the tank is good so far and no promblems yet. Theres a fair amount of algea but adds to the look to be honest.

the afra's have also grown alot since i bought them and 2 have coloured up really well (i thinks these are males as they look brighter coloured and seem to be more pushy)

Labidochromis caeruleus (only picture i could get of them as they seem camera shy and are very fast )

cynotilapia afra 'white top'
im guesing these are females

and these are males

front view of tank

front right coner (the view you get from walking into the room)

thanks
chris

 

[kribensis12]

Very Nice

 

[chishnfips]

Cant believe I haven't noticed this thread before....

Quality tank there mate I cant wait to see how it looks once the fish are fully grown, those labs looking like cracking examples, 2 of mine look crossed somehow. And your afra's are sweet too, think I may have to swap some fish at the lfs lol.

What else are you planning to put in?


chish

 

[dthoffsett]

Looks great, especially with the algae.

 

[scouse_andy]

Looking really good Chris.

What are your plans to stock next?

 

[chr15_8]

Very Nice

thanks

Cant believe I haven't noticed this thread before....

Quality tank there mate I cant wait to see how it looks once the fish are fully grown, those labs looking like cracking examples, 2 of mine look crossed somehow. And your afra's are sweet too, think I may have to swap some fish at the lfs lol.

What else are you planning to put in?


chish

thanks
im not sure if im putting any other in there to be honest. it would be nice if i could squeeze a few more different species in there.

Looks great, especially with the algae.

thanks
youve been a big help though out my cichlid journey

Looking really good Chris.

What are your plans to stock next?

thanks andy.

as said im not sure about stocking.


as ive been asked about my stocking a few times in another thread aswell can anyone recomend my another cichlid to go in? i would only put about another 3 in max. as there is alreay aloud of fish in there tbh.

chris

 

[kj23502]

I'm working on setting up my first mbuna tank and you've given me some ideas. Great tank you have there!