My Set-up

[Raoul Duke]

Hi there, I've really just discovered these forums & have to say I'm really impressed. Congratulations everyone!

I thought I'd post a couple of pics of my mixed African Cichlid set-up for starters. Its a 55gal with ocean rock & very fine gravel which I'm about to change to a sand/crushed coral mix mainly to assist the pH buffering. Please excuse the fake plants, they're a minor concession to the missus ...

Tank has been up & running for approx 2 years now. Originally I had a community set-up, but I tired of it quickly & after a few months I got into africans & have never looked back.

Filtration is taken care of by a eheim 2217 external running alongside a fluval 4+ internal. The fluval is really just to add some current, but every little helps I suppose.

Water changes of 30-40% weekly.

Any questions welcome & comments appreciated...

 

[Soaup]

Tank looks great! How many fish are there currently in the tank?

 

[dnn3]

awesome looking tank.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Thanks people.

To answer the question, I've just done a quick head count & there are 15 cichlids amongst them a yellow peacock (Aulonocara baenschi I think), a blue dolphin, a Melanochromis auratus, a yellow lab, & other mbuna including various zebras.

I thought they were all males until a few months ago when 2 of the zebs paired off & bred. They've since bred again & I have 4 juveniles of varying sizes that have survived thus far.

Also in the tank are 3 clown loaches & 3 plecs. 1X BN, 1X Brown Dot & 1X Leopard Frog plec. These fish are the last remnants of my community set-up. I was going to remove them, but as they are all thriving & the cichlids never bother them I don't really see why I should.

So far I guess I've been quite lucky as I haven't encountered any real major problems. It helps that I have a great LFS who is very local (5 mins away) & the owner is an african cichlid enthusiast himself.

 

[kj23502]

Well done



AND

to the forum!! It's a great place

 

[dnn3]

i look forward to hear what you have to share with us.and welcome again.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Me & my big mouth eh!? The Auratus started to become increasingly violent over this last week so reluctantly I decided to return him to my LFS.

Catching him though, was a whole other problem. I finished up having to almost completely strip the tank down, but I used it as an opportunity to change out the gravel for the crushed coral sand. A job I've been putting off.

I also removed the breeding pair of zebs & sold them to a guy who uses the same LFS & has been after them for ages.

Thankfully the 'harmony' has been restored & Ive a couple of new additions in their stead in the shape of 2 Frontosas. One is a juvenile & the other about a year old. Someone had returned them due to a house move I'm told.

I'm fully aware that mixing malawis with Frontosa can be problematic but there is very little aggression in the tank now that the auratus is gone & TBH its a chance I'm willing to take. If there are problems I can always return them.

So far the Fronts are doing really well. They're out & about aren't being harrassed & I'm hoping to add at least a couple move juveniles over the next while.

So......Looks like I'm on the lookout for a bigger tank then.....

 

[kj23502]

Wow...glad you had somewhere to put the trouble maker


With Fronts you'll need a much larger tank Much larger They can grow to about 12".

From all of the really experienced people I've asked, they said not to mix Malawi and Tang. Biggest problems are ideal water conditions and feeding requirements. Good Luck

 

[Raoul Duke]

Hi, thanks for replying.

Yes, I'm on the lookout for a 6'+ tank, which, when I get, hopefully will home a group of Frontosa along with some more suitable tankmates if things don't work out.

Here's a few more pics if anyones interested.....

 

[kj23502]

They fronts are so cute

Love the shots

 

[Raoul Duke]

why

 

[sc0tty]

Fantastic setup there, that is what I would love to achieve.

Just a quick question from a newbie, ie me ! I have seen a few videos on youtube of Mbuna tanks, and most of the vids show large numbers of big fish. I don't really want to have too many fish when I get my setup (say 12 max?) and I hope to have a 4ft tank approx 200 litres.

Will my mbuna be ok if I don't have too many? or will terrotorial disputes occur? Also, if you could give me some tips on which fish are the easiest/least aggresive to keep?

Many thanks.

 

[kj23502]

why

The close up shot is a good angle and that style of fish appeals to me. That's why



I'm not putting them in mine b/c they are Tang. fish, though.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Fantastic setup there, that is what I would love to achieve.

Just a quick question from a newbie, ie me ! I have seen a few videos on youtube of Mbuna tanks, and most of the vids show large numbers of big fish. I don't really want to have too many fish when I get my setup (say 12 max?) and I hope to have a 4ft tank approx 200 litres.

Will my mbuna be ok if I don't have too many? or will terrotorial disputes occur? Also, if you could give me some tips on which fish are the easiest/least aggresive to keep?

Many thanks.

Hi Scotty. Thanks for the nice comments.

First off, I'm anything but an expert. I think I've had a nice slice of luck thus far, but I'm happy to accept it! lol

As I'm sure you have read the reason for overstocking these fish is to help spread out the aggression which they will display. Too few fish & it makes it easier for the bullies to concentrate on a particular individual. It doesn't have to be like picadilly circus in their either though!

Personally I added most of my fish at one go & all of them as juveniles. Anytime I get new fish I try to add them in groups of 3 or more as new additions to an established tank can get a hard time for a while. I also wanted to keep the tank all male in an attempt to avoid the aggressive behaviour of breeding fish, which I think I've achieved.

As I have said any troublemakers I can always return to my LFS, but the auratus was fortunately the 1st time I had to take that route. I'm sure it may not be the last.

As far as 'peaceful' fish go I really dont have much of a clue, they are all aggressive to some degree I suppose & it all depends from fish to fish, but as you may have guessed the auratus was easily the most problematic that I've had to date.

My Sunshine peacock is a beautiful & reasonably peaceful fish compared to the other malawis. He won't be pushed around, but he rarely harrasses others. The C.Moori (blue dolphin) is another I'd recommend as are the L.Caeruleus (electric yellow). The zebras I have can be quite boisterous but mostly their chasing/harassing is kept between their own & luckily never yet to the point of any of them becoming seriously injured.

The latest 3 new arrivals I have yet to positively ID myself. I suppose I should post some pics up & hope for the real experts on these beautiful cichlids to help me out.

I hope this has been of some small help to you & please feel free to ask my assistance anytime you feel I could be of use.

Thanks again...

 

[Raoul Duke]