75 gallon "Garden Variety" mbuna tank.

[Sicklid]

I would like to show what I have done with "garden variety" species commonly available at most pet shops locally. I am planning on adding more rocks to increase the amount of real estate for any fry that may come in the future, but for now this is what I started with.

Parameters are as follows:

75 Gallon
pH: 7.8
kH: 150ppm
gH: not tested
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm

Inhabitants are mostly 1.5" - 2.5" juveniles, hard to sex some thus far but my best guess is:
Metriaclima Lombardoi "Kenyi", 2m 5f
Metriaclima Estherae "Red Zebra", 2m 3f
Labidochromis Caeruleus "Yellow Lab", 3m 6f
Malaysian trumpet snails

Tank has been established for one month. Mature filters were swapped from a previous smaller system requiring no tank cycling and include a Marineland C-360 canister filter with bio-balls, ceramic rings, filter floss and carbon, a Marineland H.O.T. Magnum which now contains crushed coral, and a large DIY air-driven sponge filter which is hooked up to both an electric air pump as well as a battery powered pump which kicks on when the power fails to at least retain some form of filtration when the Florida storms knock out house power (which is sadly quite common). Much of the rock work was transferred from the older tank as well, and will most likely go into the 125 gallon I have planned. Weekly water changes of 30%. Food is mostly spirulina flake and cichlid pellets, once in a while some brine shrimp. I will not retain this stocking level once I see who is who in the pecking order when these fish mature. I do plan on adding some Jungle Val or similar cichlid-suitable pants... even though I enjoy the rocky "true to the Lake" look, I think every aquarium should have some plants!

I have read that Yellow Labs may/can hybridize with the Red Zebras, but so far everybody seems to just be "friendly" (or aggressive!) towards con-specifics...

 

[Sicklid]

couple more shots...

 

[Acer]

wow... those are some healthy looking fish you got there... good shot on the tank too... keep up the good work

 

[WhiteDevil]

Thats very nice, fantasic vibrancy.

 

[Sicklid]

Thanks. This tank is a great deal of fun to watch... I hardly turn the tv on! I am always bored so I redid the hard scape, still searching for plants though.

 

[piratealx]

good variety you have going.

 

[Zagz]

That tank looks fantastic! Great job.

 

[FishNewbee]

Gorgeous tank! Where do you get the rocks? Are they just rocks you picked up in nature, or from a fish store? I would like to add more rocks to my tank as I'm getting more cichlids in the tank, but not sure whether it's safe to add any rocks I find outside to my tank. I love the diversity of color in the tank!

 

[Sicklid]

I got the rocks from my local landscape supply store. I just give them a good scrubbing w/ a brush, hit them with a little bleach, prime (dechlorinator), rinse and they are good to go, never had a problem yet... They are like a granite, or a basalt type of igneous rock... I was going to pick up some limestone boulders, they look kind of like lace rock but I didn't like the white of them, the browns look better IMO.

 

[asudavew]

Very nice!

 

[GhostKnife]

This tank looks awesome. If I were you dont get tall plants. Get some plants to fill in around the rocks. All the free swim space is awesome! Love the colors as well. 5 stars... haha

 

[GhostKnife]

I have heard that keeping a semi few too many cichlids in a tank together reduces the risk of aggression... Thats what ive heard. Not fo sho

 

[Sicklid]

Yeah, I may just transplant some of my java fern to the bases of the rock... and the overstocking thus far does seem to be working as far as agression...

 

[zacwin]

I really like your tank setup. Where did you get your rocks from? I am using lace rock but I rather have the type of stones you have.
I like the way you have the rocks arranged to allow for swimming space.

 

[Sicklid]

I got them from a local stone supplier, they sell boulders, lava rock, mulch, etc. for landscaping purposes in bulk, by the pound. I think I probably spent 30 bucks in rock... I wasn't sure if I had enough hiding spaces, but if these guys get startled you would think there are no fish in the tank! They all manage to find a spot to totally hide from view... I picked rocks that were broken off and the rough sides formed caves. Some of them I faced the viewer so we can see the action when a male is trying to woo a female, but most I put cave-side down so that when they dig out the sand they have a cave with multiple entrances... it worked out perfect. All rocks are on a sheet of styrofoam and are balanced so that diggers won't topple them.

Here is the current scape:

 

[MrMalta]

GREAT LOOKING TANK!

How do you keep the sand so clean? Snails, etc? What's in there?

 

[Sicklid]

There are a few remaining trumpet snails in there, but they get eaten by the fish... The sand, which is pool filter sand is actually pretty easy to vacuum. It is more like fine quartz gravel. I expect once the diatoms start growing and I get mulm in there, it won't look so clean... But I do alot of tank maintenance, so that stays to a minimum.

 

[Olliethemutt]

wow very beautiful!!! Stunning colors

 

[Liquid_Pyro]

That looks great