Hi, Im going to be setting up a mbuna bio-type in my 80Gallon, Im not trying to duplicate any other Journals on here this one is just so I can look back and see my progress with the tank and maybe get your guys help along the way.

Ok so here goes for the info:

Tank: Juwel Rio 300 with the standard juwel T5 high lite

Filtration: Internal Juwel Filter + External Filter as I progress (either the FX5 or 405 Fluval)

Substrate: Going to be picked tmorrow, Either Coral Sand or Silver sand.

Decor: Ocean Rock or Large River Boulders

List Of Wanted Stock:
Labidochromis Caeruleus
Pseudotropheus Socolofi
Cynotilapia Afra Cobue
Pseudotropheus Acei
Cobalt Blue Zebra
Daemonsi (To Be Considered)
Synodontis
Pleco

Reguarding the stock I will be getting F1 Afra and Scolofi

Pics of the tank:


Ill post more pics tmorrow when its filled and its got sand in it....

Many Thanks
Ace Of Spades

Good Luck m8

I got the Juwel High-Lite system with my tank also, what tubes did you get with yours ?? I got a day-light and a nature but the nature tube looked to yellowish for me so i had to replace with another day-light which costs me 30 quid !!!

Also, ive heard the FX5 is quite big and strong, it wont turn your tank into a whirlpool will it ??

I just checked the bulbs and one is day and one is nature

I will tag along since I like to watch these tanks progress. I will answer as many questions as I can.

The Daemonsi may be way too aggressive for the rest of the fish, everything else is close to what I am thinking of adding to my 80 gallon.

Cool. ..I will watch and try to help if I can also!!
Here's some info about demasoni's from malawicichlidhomepage.com.
Ad Konings introduced this beautiful fish to the hobby for the first time in 1994.

No matter its relatively small size (final size about 6–8 cm) this fish has a lot of temperament. Unless you intend to keep at least 12 individuals (preferably 1-2 males and at least 10 females) don’t add that little fish in your tank. It’s extremely aggressive and able to kill every other fish which has a color combination resembling his (a great variety of blue bars with different hues). Males and females show the same colours from the first months of their life. Thus, sexing them is anything but easy. A hint: Males (as with many other cichlids) will get a larger final size and theirs pelvic and dorsal fins are more pointed. But this is not the rule nor is it always easy to tell. After all, what does "pointed" mean ? Alternatively, the only fool proof way to tell them apart is venting but this requires some experience.

Males and females fight in the same way and intensity between each other but the Alpha male (or the dominant male) will soon make his supremacy known to the others. Every fish in the tank (especially the other males) will avoid fights with him. The Alpha male will soon choose one of the females in order to mate. During this procedure every other male in the tank will be chased ferociously and - if the tank is not large enough - beat them to death. Hiding places are extremely important if you want to minimize casualties. A heavy rockwork with a lot of hiding places and - if possible - green algae will be extremely appreciated since this fish belongs to the Mbuna flock and loves staying near the rocks biting algae all day long. It will also eat plants like every herbivore fish. Its diet should mainly contain vegetable matter but the fish will enjoy almost every kind of food.

Appropriate tankmates are Mbuna’s with a different coloration and no bars like Labidochromis caeruleus sp. ‘Yellow’, Maylandia estherae, Maylandia callainos etc.

Pseudotropheus demasoni is a challenge for every cichlid-lover but the difficulty in separating the males from the females and the extreme aggression between them (and other species) could easily end in a disaster. So, if you want to keep them but all you have is a tank smaller than 40 gallons or 150 litres be sure that only one male is in there.

I guess I'd be to nervous to keep them unless I had them with yellow labs and such....hummmm....maybe I need another tank.......

I don't mean to scare you away from them....I guess you could try demasoni and then take them back to your lfs if they're not working out due to the aggression. I guess, just make sure your store will take them back if they don't work out. I'm just nervous about them because I read they will battle to the death sometimes.

Ok Ty for info Ill read it in a sec
Just got the coral sand so Im filling it up now, will report back wiht pics after.

Ok thanks KJ, I read that info and it was very helpful, It has made me choose to not get the daemonsi as there are other blues that I like.

Ok heres the pics of the tank with coral sand in it, Despite what it looks like I did clean the sand alot but theres only so much you can do I guess






There you go

Going to look at rockwork thursday or whenever my money gets in then I will start looking at fish.
My current thoughts are Ocean Rock or Large River Boulders, but if something else catches my eye, ill post it

Many Thanks
Ace Of Spades

Lookin good....I think the sand should settle.

Are you going to do a fish in cycle? Or using an established filter?

Well my thoughts were a established filter, but my filter wont fit on the tank , could i just throw the filter media into the top of the juwel filter?

ill wait a day before adding any of my old fish

What I did was put 2 filters on my 29 gallon when my nyereri and afras came in the mail(before I had my 125 gallon set up) and that way the 29 gallon had extra filtration and would help establish the bacteria in the new filters. Then when I was ready I just moved the new filters and fish over to the large tank. I had some water issues for a lil bit(few weeks maybe), but it's settling nicely now and I havn't lost any fish. I just changed enough water to keep ammonia and nitrite around .25ppm. I think ammonia burns the fish somehow and I know nitrite suffocates them, so it's important to keep up on water changes during the cycling process. And make sure to aim spray bars and stuff at the surface of the water to aid aeration especially during this time. Raise your temp to about 80 degrees F as bacteria grow faster when warmer. You can throw establish media into the filter...I'm not familiar with juwel filters. If you want to add more, I've heard ppl suggest to put some media in panyhose and set in the tank also.

You could always just attach the filter out side the new filter for a while just so its getting all ammonia etc. It will start to colonize right away. On 2 of my new tanks i cycled it differently each time.. 1 i just took some rock from 1 tank and put it in my 20 gallon. With new fish. If you dont want to have the rock in there all the time you could just place it in a bag for a while. The other thing i did was put a cup up to the established tank and taped the filter a couple of times.. Knowing that it would disrupt some bacteria into the cup which i then put in the new tank. Both ways worked and have had 0 problems. the tank i took from was very well established though. Hope that helps.

Just a question i couldnt tell.. but since your tank is still settling are is your new filter off? I have always just left them off for a while and it will settle within a day. Good Luck

Yeah Ty, Ill work out away to attach the filter, be it sticky stape or we .....

Yeah I wasnt expecting the water to be really clear so Im ok waiting another day.
My friend with the fish phone and said, 4 Scolofi for £20 (F1) AND 4 Afra for £30 (F1) sound good to you?

I don't know much about prices for f1's, but it's cool that you can get some!!

Yea they seem to be typical prices for F1. And my tank went cloudy like that when i first put sand in... 2 days later it were crystal.

I was appaled in shops its like 10+£ for one afra and in some cases is 25£ for one, and I bet they aint even F1, Lucky I found this guy

As far as getting the sand settled, you can add Poly fill(I think that is what it is called) to you filter it works great at getting out the small sand particles that are always being stirred up. I have used this on 2 of my sand bottom tanks and with in a few hours the water is almost clear.

As far a cycling goes you could add some of the used media from your other tank to the new filter, within a few days you should have a decent level of bacteria growth, you will have to feed them during that time period.



Just a quick warning, as the temperature goes up the Oxygen level goes down. So by raising the temp you could be contributing to the suffocation of your fish. I think 80 should be OK though.