my 55 gallon finally up and running**pictures**

[mr funktastic]

lol thanks for the help. i think if i have to put up woth this much of a hassel for the demasoni i will just give up and cave to a nicer species like the cobalt blue zebra or maybe a nice colourful peacock. i really like that pic the travis posted and i am pretty sure i have seen a few simiiar ones at my local fish store. ok i realise how stupid this is gonna sound but i didnt realise that cichlids need salt untill i went to the fish store today lol. i completly neglected to think about this. how much salt is need for these guys? can they go without any salt? there is a cichlid expert at big als near me so i will consult with him about the final decisions about what cichlids i can mix. and i will be purchasing the tank shortly after christmas. i cant express how much you guys have helped me on this lol 6 pages is a record post for me.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I don't use salt in my tanks with the Cichlids. I don't see any benefit from it as long as they are healthy.

 

[mr funktastic]

ya thats what i thought to but all the cichlid tanks at big als are brackish cichlids. as where my in town pet shop is pure fresh water. i mean i keep bumble bee gobies in freshwater and they are doing awsome even though they need brackish. is this the same with cichlids? can they survive in freshwater but the just wont "thrive". u know what i mean?

 

[tetrin]

AFAIK, ARLC are not brackish water. but some people do add salt to their tanks. i don't know if it has any benefits.
but like fishy, i haven't used it either.

as to species selection, the demasoni's are worth the effort. you still have a lot of time to decide. and i know someone who has a truckload of cobalt blue juvies .

 

[mr funktastic]

cool. if i went with the demasoni i would probably go with all them and no other cichlid. i would put like 10-15 in there to help mini mize agression because i think over crouding helps with these fish. i plan on getting more tanks throughout my life so i will have plenty of oppertunities to get the demasoni if i really want them i am only 17 so i figure by the time i am in my own home i will have atleast 6 tanks set up with every fish i want. and oh man if i ever have kids i am buying them a fish tank for every birthday they have lol. i already have 4 tanks in my room and it is not that big still trying to convince the parents to let me set up a tank somewhere else in the house. the 55 gallon tank would be my pride and joy untill i move then i am goin big!! if anyone has anything else they would like to comment on about my tank or if they want to put pics of there cichlid tank all that is welcome. dont stop postin because i cant think of any more questions.

 

[Zagz]

This thread has been incredibly interesting and informative. I've bookmarked tons of links to research from. I too am interested in a mbuna tank. One question I have is can angel fish be kept in a tank with these cichlids? I would think not, but am asking the advice of the experts. Also would black sand and a black painted background bring out their colors?

 

[Zagz]

Oh and that darn MTS! It's taking me over, I am starting to plan my entire house around what tanks to get what fish to get. There appears to be no end.

 

[tetrin]

Zagz,i'm in no way an expert, but i think you answered your own question. angels would be too slow and stressed out among these boisterous guys.

black is certainly helpful in preventing washout of colors. but the final choice depends on the viewer. also, some colors fare better with plain sand . the factor the defines color is the light that you use. many people use a mixture of actinics and 10000k bulbs to bring out these beauties and make them sparkle.

mr funk, just let your imagination run wild and you'll have a great tank. but discussing demasoni with travis and you guys made me fall in love with them.
here's a new pic with some different lighting -

 

[mr funktastic]

your tank is beautiful!! did u make a 3d backround for your tank? what fish do you have with your yellow labs, is that a demasoni? the tank i am gonna get has a double ballast on it so what 2 lights should i be running? i completly forgot about light

 

[tracygh]

Wow Tetrin, your tank is beautiful. I was not a fan of cichlids to begin with, but am coming around. I have a couple of empty tanks being used as plant stands right now that I am starting to consider using for cichlids....
I absolutely fell in love with them last week, we took our family to the Toronto zoo, and they have a kazillion gallon Cichlid display...I sat there for half an hour, it was AMAZING!
Hats off to your tank again

 

[tetrin]

thanks for the compliments guys .

mr. funk - i purchased this background at my lfs. its made of foam and painted with fluorescent colors (which i didn't like much, but its getting covered by a patina of algae). i have 9 juvi yellow labs in there and an aulonocara koningsi (possibly). its slightly overstocked at the moment, but i'm planning a 40g long tank.

regarding lighting, you can run a 50/50 actinic bulb and a bulb with a higher color temperature (6500K+). i currently switched to this single 20W daylight bulb mounted on those clip-on table-lamp fixtures. i really like the play of light-and-shade in the tank now.

tracygh, i definitely recommend trying out cichlids, specially africans. the key is to manage the aggression and once that's done, you have the most active tank in your house. i never thought i'd get attached to them so much when i started out a year ago.
and i think i know what you mean by the "kazillion gallon Cichlid display".

 

[mr funktastic]

omg that is rediculus. that is too many fish u cant really appreciate the beauty of them. i am dying to get that 55 gallon tank and set it all up but i still need a job lol life sucksi still cant believe this post has gone so far but i am really happy it did) everybody on this site can benifit from this discussion

 

[luvmygt]

i had tried plastic plants in my 55 gal with african cichlids ang they pullud them up and chewed on them good luck though

 

[mr funktastic]

i found a really good way to counter the effects of the digging problem. its a big secret but i will reveal it to you it you anchor the plants with a small clay pot they fish cant move them. i have never tried it with cichlids but it has worked in my tanks so far. just use the small hole in the bottom of the pot to run the roots or base of the plastic plants thround and burry the pot in the sand/gravel they may dig and reveal the pot but they cant budge the plant itself. try it it just might work for you hope this will work for cichlids

 

[tracygh]

what a great idea funky, wherever did you hear it?

 

[mr funktastic]

lol all the credit goes to you tracy but it is really hard to have to explain that u are my neighbor and i heard it from u so i said t was me to make it harder to explain hope u understand. and why are u making a post at 6:30 in the morning? try sleeping in one time lol

 

[tracygh]

try sleeping in one time lol

wish I could babe, wish I could

I have been giving some serious thought to this cichlid thing and I'm off to read the other 7 pages of this thread for further advice before making any decisions.
I think my family room needs a nice colorful cichlid tank, don't you?

 

[mr funktastic]

i would totally agree with that i dont think the plant on top of the tank is quite as nice as a cichlid tank would be lol. i hope u are ready to read 7 of the most helpful pages of your life because the aa members really know what they are talking about

 

[mr funktastic]

ok so i thought i would resurface this thread becasue i finally bought the 55 gallon tank i ended up only paying 200 bucks brand new and that got me the tank dual light hoods a penguin 350 biowheel filter and a 300 watt marineland heater. i am building the stand and it will be done on wednesday. i bought black sand and am going to make the rock structure out of marble and maybe lavarock. i plan on getting 4 demasoni and 10 labs gradually over the next few months. i was wondering peoples opinions on the fish selection and is there anything else i need to consider when setting up this tank.

 

[travis simonson]

I like the way you're planning things out man So many people overlook this aspect when they get a tank.

I keep both Ps. demasoni and L. caeruleus and they get along just fine. Ps. demasoni need lots of space so four is a great number. The dominant male will endlessly harrass any smaller males so you may run into inevitable deaths until you only have one male with a bunch of females. They are simply the most aggressive mbuna I have ever kept. Fortunately they do not get very large

The labs will be just fine. Such perfect fish. Not overly aggressive, friendly, beautiful, you can't ask for more