My Mbuna Fish Tank

[Jason7894561230]

Hey All,
So Ive finally finished the Fish tank and am happy with how it looks and the stocking
Have a look and tell me what you think and any constructive critiscm would be great Stock is as follows
5 Labeotropheus Treavewsea
4 Hongi
2 Electric Yellow
5 Black Barred Zebra (Juvies no colour waiting for them to colour then ill vent them and keep the male and the females and if the are multiple males ill get rid of them)
1 Pseudotrophues Flavus
1 Taiwan Reef Peacock (Waiting for it to grow out then selling him for a profit )
1 Kenyi

I unfortunatly lost 2 electric yellows but i fixed the tank up and now everythings back to normal
Also sorry for the crappy quality of the photos Im pretty bad at photos haha

 

[Labenator65000]

Nice-looking fish. What size of tank?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Tanks looks nice, but I'm curious about tank size as that is an aweful lot of fish. I'd consider rehoming that Kenyi, in a mixed tank that he is going to be a Holy Terror once he fully matures.

 

[Jason7894561230]

It's around a 50 gal it's quite deep and wide so it looks quite small but it's actually quite large
My Kenyi im actually in the process of re homing
Also just did a re scape with a lot more room for the fish so I'll post that soon
Also most of these fish are juvies so if there are problems then I'll simply rehome

 

[Wy Renegade]

What is your tank length? With Africans, the biggest issue is tank length, both for swimming purposes and for establishment of territories as they mature.

 

[Jason7894561230]

3 and a half feet

 

[sally pu]

I love the scape....can't wait to see the new scape! that driftwood in the center is perfect for this tank!

 

[Wy Renegade]

3 and a half feet

Hhhhmm, that is very close - generally 4' minimum is the tank size recommendation. You will just have to keep a close eye on things and if two territories overlap too much you may need to readjust your rock work or move some fish around. Generally I've not had good luck with mature cichlids in tanks shorter than that, but I wouldn't say it can't be done with careful maintance and proper care.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Hhhhmm, that is very close - generally 4' minimum is the tank size recommendation. You will just have to keep a close eye on things and if two territories overlap too much you may need to readjust your rock work or move some fish around. Generally I've not had good luck with mature cichlids in tanks shorter than that, but I wouldn't say it can't be done with careful maintance and proper care.

Yes i was told it would be a little challenging and so far I've had success and thanks for your concern

I'll get that photo up soon

 

[Wy Renegade]

Yes i was told it would be a little challenging and so far I've had success and thanks for your concern

I'll get that photo up soon

No problem. Africans can be a bit more challenging than your typical tropical fish, especially once they fully mature, establish territories and start breeding. It sounds like you've done your research, so I look forward to watching your progress and enjoyment of these fish.

 

[Jason7894561230]

This is a quick photo from my iPad hope you guys like
Also yeah I did sooooooo much research my brain was melted haha

 

[sally pu]

holy moly, that looks wonderful!

 

[Labenator65000]

WyRenegade is right and I see you have already agreed with him. You have a Peacock in the mix which tend to swim in the upper portions of the tank, where the Mbuna will more hang around the bottom where the hiding places are. You might consider some plants, artificial or live, to break up the line of sight to anything that may be hanging around towards the top of the tank. This is really nit-picking though; the tank looks really nice and you have a very colorful selection of fish. Watch for coloration when they start to mature, then be on high alert for aggression. This seems like an obvious statement, but do keep up on your PWCs as well. I have a 55 long myself with a little less stock than you have, and I have to do a 50%-75% PWC at least weekly to keep my parameters in check. Keep us up to date on the state of things. Nice work.

 

[HUKIT]

This is a quick photo from my iPad hope you guys like

Jason the tank looks great, you did a really good job aquascaping!

 

[Cichlid-dude]

Awesome looking tank man

 

[Bkcut10]

How'd you get the rocks to stay?

 

[gman42]

Mann your tank looks awesome!!

 

[bettaowner]

That tank is amazing. Need to aquascape my pond to be like that.

 

[Jason7894561230]

WyRenegade is right and I see you have already agreed with him. You have a Peacock in the mix which tend to swim in the upper portions of the tank, where the Mbuna will more hang around the bottom where the hiding places are. You might consider some plants, artificial or live, to break up the line of sight to anything that may be hanging around towards the top of the tank. This is really nit-picking though; the tank looks really nice and you have a very colorful selection of fish. Watch for coloration when they start to mature, then be on high alert for aggression. This seems like an obvious statement, but do keep up on your PWCs as well. I have a 55 long myself with a little less stock than you have, and I have to do a 50%-75% PWC at least weekly to keep my parameters in check. Keep us up to date on the state of things. Nice work.

Hey mate thanks for your concerns i do 30% PWC twice a week with sand vacumming on 1 of those
Also planning on adding some thing val to some spots at the back where i have left room for plants for that reason

Also thanks to everyone

 

[Jason7894561230]

How'd you get the rocks to stay?

Careful placement and pateince haha It took around an hour for that scape to come together without the rocks a little wobbaly. They are all fitted into place and are extremely secure. It was almost like a jigsaw puzzle haha