75 gal build

[Wy Renegade]

Nice job on the set-up and the stand. I would eliminate the driftwood - with mbuna, they tend to do better and breed better with a higher pH, driftwood will tend to lower that pH as is breaks down. Not that that one little piece will have a huge impact on the pH in that large of a tank, but it will have some. I always mix calcium carbonate gravel into the gravel for my substrate, it will help raise the pH, crushed coral or crushed oyster shell will do the same thing, but the oyster shell (available from any good livestock store) will have to be buried beneath the gravel as it tends to float. I also would add a lot more rock on the back wall, it will allow those that hang close to the rockwork to take more advantage of the water column. If will also provide more hiding spaces for fry once the adults start breeding. If you have plenty of rockwork, fry will occasionally survive to adulthood within the tank. Just an FYI, sand isn't any more natural for mbuna than gravel is. The substrate of Lake Malawi is a mixture of boulders, gravel, and sand, so it is really a matter of which substrate you prefer, the fish do just fine with any of the three or a combination.

 

[KingKyoga]

I can assure you that you won't find gravel at the bottom of Lake Malawi ....I agree that the choice of substrate is your preference


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[Carriwin]

Awesome tank! I'm kinda jealous. I still have a 55g left, and I'm debating, still, on what to do with it now that I have re-established my previous 3. I found I do have the filtration for all of them, just need a heater for the 38g and i'll be good to roll.

You did an awesome job. I love the fish you chose and the setup of your tank!

 

[Wy Renegade]

I can assure you that you won't find gravel at the bottom of Lake Malawi ....I agree that the choice of substrate is your preference


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And you are basing your assurance on what? I can assure you, based on scientific research, that you are incorrect.

the following excerpt is taken from the attached scientific study;
https://www.researchgate.net/public...de_to_the_Fishes_of_Lake_Malawi_National_Park

"les were taken from live fish collected in the field, with the exception of Tropheus duboisi , which were purchased through the aquarium trade. Field collections were made in Lake Malawi National Park on the Nankumba Peninsula (Fig. 1a) during July and August 2001. Chembe beach is a 4-km sandy beach that stretches from Domwe Island to Otter Point (Lewis et al . 1986). The substrate alternates between fine sand, gravel, and flocculent mud. Beds of Vallisneria and Potamogeton punctuate areas of sand. Black Rock Beach is a narrow (5 m long) beach of fine sand wedged between continuous rocky coastlines. The sand/ rock interface is very shallow throughout this area (about 1 m) and underwater the narrow "

Lake Malawi has areas that have gravel, a mix of sand/gravel, and boulders or cobble substrates.

 

[Sambo7475]

Nice job on the set-up and the stand. I would eliminate the driftwood - with mbuna, they tend to do better and breed better with a higher pH, driftwood will tend to lower that pH as is breaks down. Not that that one little piece will have a huge impact on the pH in that large of a tank, but it will have some. I always mix calcium carbonate gravel into the gravel for my substrate, it will help raise the pH, crushed coral or crushed oyster shell will do the same thing, but the oyster shell (available from any good livestock store) will have to be buried beneath the gravel as it tends to float. I also would add a lot more rock on the back wall, it will allow those that hang close to the rockwork to take more advantage of the water column. If will also provide more hiding spaces for fry once the adults start breeding. If you have plenty of rockwork, fry will occasionally survive to adulthood within the tank. Just an FYI, sand isn't any more natural for mbuna than gravel is. The substrate of Lake Malawi is a mixture of boulders, gravel, and sand, so it is really a matter of which substrate you prefer, the fish do just fine with any of the three or a combination.

Thanks for the feedback! I put the driftwood in there because I really liked the look of it. The pH has been a steady 8.4 since I set up the tank, same as my other 2 tanks, 1 with, and 1 without driftwood. I went with gravel because I like the way it looks, I've read on here and other forums, that both are acceptable, and it comes down to preference. If I were to add more rockwork, would you suggest more small pieces to make caves, or the larger slate to make coves?
I'm really happy with the way the stand turned out, especially since it was my first attempt at something like this. Again, thanks for the feedback, I do appreciate it!

 

[Sambo7475]

....I really wish I could build my own stand. Nice!

As far as your stock, not too sure this mix is going to remain compatible for too long.


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thanks, I'm pretty happy with my stand. Another poster suggested more rock work. What specifically do you think won't work with compatibility in the long term? The peacocks with mbuna?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Thanks for the feedback! I put the driftwood in there because I really liked the look of it. The pH has been a steady 8.4 since I set up the tank, same as my other 2 tanks, 1 with, and 1 without driftwood. I went with gravel because I like the way it looks, I've read on here and other forums, that both are acceptable, and it comes down to preference. If I were to add more rockwork, would you suggest more small pieces to make caves, or the larger slate to make coves?
I'm really happy with the way the stand turned out, especially since it was my first attempt at something like this. Again, thanks for the feedback, I do appreciate it!

Breakdown of the driftwood, especially if it is a typical hardwood aquarium wood, will be very slow, so you are not likely to see any changes for quite some time. In regards to the rockwork, I would add whichever you need to make a much taller, very stable wall. For the most part I personally see them hanging in coves rather than caves.

In regards to aggression, you likely won't see that for a while yet, it will take them some time to settle in, and some species won't show aggression until they mature, which may take awhile yet.

Enjoy the honeymoon period while you can. Truth is, if you have enough rockwork, the aggression will not be real noticeable.

The bumblebees will likely outgrow the other species and in the long run will likely be an issue in terms of compatibility because they get a bit bigger than the other. They are also known to prey on eggs of other species occasionally, which may or may not be issue.

 

[Sambo7475]

Ok thank you for the info. I think the bumblebee looking guys are actually hybrids of yellow labs and bumblebees. They just starting getting the stripes a couple weeks ago, and were sold to me as yellow labs.


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