Hi, I am in the very beginning stages of setting up a new Mbuna Tank. This is my first time and I had some questions on getting the ball rolling. I did do some research on this site prior to starting however, I just want to make sure that I understand what I have read/learned.

So Far I have decorated the tank, added my substrate(Play Sand), Got water up to temp.(79ish), got my bubblers running, Hooked up my filters and added water.

Here is the general information of my current tank setup:
Filtration: (2) Emperor 400 Power Filters
Air Pump: Whisper 100
Heater: 300w
Lighting: (2) 40w T12
Substrate: Tan Colored Play Sand
Rocks: Assortment of Various River Rocks with lots of Nooks and Crannys for hiding...
Background: Currently Blue w/ Plants Picture
Plants: (1) Fake Plant
Feeding: No Fish Yet.
Other: Fake Driftwood with lots of Holes and hiding places; 28" Bubble Bar and Fake Coral w/ built-in Airstone

Well I got some used filter media from my brothers already established tank and added that to my filter. I also added some ammonia to start the filshless cycle since I haven't yet decided on what fish I am going to add. I also added Proper pH8.2...

I than tested the current tank water parameters with API liquid tests and the results are as follows:
pH: 8.2
kH: 232.7
gH:268.5
Ammonia: 0.50ppm
Nitrite: 0.0ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm

Also, if you want to know, I also tested my water from the tap(well water):
pH: 7.5
kH: 89.5
gH: 179
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0

I guess I am just looking for feedback or suggestions on what I am doing right or wrong and what to do next.... Thanks in advance for any replies as they are greatly appreciated!!

This post has been edited by bkopsick: May 13 2008, 09:40 AM

Sounds like you're off to a great start.

Couple of things, I'm sure since you are fishless cycling that's why your temp is 89; just don't forget to turn it down to 78-80 before you add fish.

The other thing is that unless you plan on ordering wild caught mbuna, a PH of 7.5 is perfectly fine. There is no reason to add the proper ph, and in fact it's never a good idea to add chemicals that effect ph. In most cases with chemicals the levels tend to swing or the ph crashes which is far more detrimental to the fish than acheiving the "ideal" level. Your tap gh and kh also seem adequate to keep your ph stable, so I would just use the water straight from the tap (don't forget dechlorinator though). If you really feel you need to add something, here's a great homemade buffer recipe that won't cause the problems chemicals do.

Have you found any species you are interested in? We'd be glad to help with stocking, or any other questions you might have. -Dawn

EDIT: that was a typo, I meant to put 79 degrees not 89 degrees, lol.

First, Thanks for the reply. That's kind of a sigh of relief for me about not having to be dependant on additives. I will definately try that homemade buffer recipe sounds easy enough. Do you have any experence with it yourself?

Also, I do have some species that I liked so far, however, without being able to remember all the scientific names, i'll have too look them up again later and repost. That's great! You have been soo helpful. Thank you again.

It's so wonderful to have someone who has taken the time to get the aquarium done right! You sound like you are in great shape! With the already established bacteria it should take about 2 weeks or so to finish cycling.
Now you get to do the fun part which is look at cichlids.
I have a 75 gallon tank that only house male african cichlids. I didn't want the hassle of the females mating and keeping the eggs and all the aggression with females in the tank.
Trust me with an all male tank they still have the aggression but not like they would with females in the tank.

Also instead of using proper Ph you could leave the ph alone and they should be fine, or buy some crushed coral put it in a stocking and add it to your filter media. That will naturally keep the ph up without having to keep putting in chemicals to raise the ph. Most fish live in a variety of ph as long as it is stable and not fluctuating they will be fine!
What are you looking at for fish?

This post has been edited by adpierin11: May 13 2008, 05:03 PM

Yeah I have already started using the cycle period to start looking at fish I like...

Should I continue adding ammonia daily or wait until it drops?

The crushed coral sounds like a good idea and I've read that also. Does that help keep the pH up and stable? Should that be available at the LFS?

Now the fun part.... Here is a list of some of the fish that I've seen and am interested in. Not all of them, but just a bunch that I've come across and liked. I have been reading alot about each of these and understand that some of them don't get along well with others so I am still trying to figure out more specifically what I want to keep. I plan on keeping maybe 4-5 species and maybe 4-5 of each of them.... Let me know what you think!!

Labidochromis Caeruleus
Melanochromis johannii
Pseudotropheus Saulosi
Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos
Pseudotropheus Acei
Pseudotropheus sp. "elongatus mbenji blue
Pseudotropheus sp. "elongatus mpanga"
Melanochromis Auratus
Pseudotropheus Demasoni

Should I continue adding ammonia daily or wait until it drops?
Depends on what cycling method you are using, I did the one where you keep adding every day until ammonia drops, then halve the amount and add everyday until the cycle is done.

The crushed coral sounds like a good idea and I've read that also. Does that help keep the pH up and stable? Should that be available at the LFS?
They sell it in the saltwater section, it's common as a marine substrate. And yes it keeps the ph up by raising the kh, which in turn buffers the ph. Though you probably wouldn't want to use it with the buffer recipe. To answer your earlier question, I have not used the recipe (I'm blessed with a high ph from the tap and use aragonite sand to keep the kh up), but there are a few people on here that have used it with success.

Now the fun part.... Here is a list of some of the fish that I've seen and am interested in. Not all of them, but just a bunch that I've come across and liked. I have been reading alot about each of these and understand that some of them don't get along well with others so I am still trying to figure out more specifically what I want to keep. I plan on keeping maybe 4-5 species and maybe 4-5 of each of them.... Let me know what you think!!

Labidochromis Caeruleus
Melanochromis johannii
Pseudotropheus Saulosi
Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos
Pseudotropheus Acei
Pseudotropheus sp. "elongatus mbenji blue
Pseudotropheus sp. "elongatus mpanga"
Melanochromis Auratus
Pseudotropheus Demasoni

I would probably avoid the melanochromis species they are very aggressive and are usually best in a species only tank. P.demasoni are great little fish, however they are so conspecific aggressive (aggressive to their own kind) that keepers have found they work best in groups of 12+ or as a single specimen. Other than that it looks good, though I would only go with one of the elongatus to avoid hybrids.
I can vouch for both the p.acei & l.caeruleus, I've kept them for about 3 years and they're great.

::UPDATE:: I have no idea what went wrong the last time but my tap water is definately not pH: 7.5 ... it's ALOT softer more lirk 6.0... I had to test it like times to convince myself...lol

With that being said, I think I am going to try and get some crushed coral this weekend and try that out.... I've also read some about aragonite sand.... how does that work? Do I put it in a stocking with my filter or can I mix it in with the sand I already have?? I'd like to get this tank going with having to use as little additives as possible. I understand that with my pH as low as it is, that might not be possible but thats why I'm turning to you guys for the expert advise.. What will my maintenence consist of once I get this all going?

You can mix the aragonite in with your sand, I use it as my substrate and it works great. Since your ph is so low, I'd definately give the buffer recipe a try. As for maintenance, when you do water changes, you'll need to add the buffer to the new water you're adding to the tank. You'll have to experiment with the buffer a little bit to see how much works for you, but it's cheap to make and shouldn't be too much trouble.

Ok well I did get the stuff (Baking Soda, Epsom Salt and Non-Iodized Salt) and tried out the homemade buffer recipe and it worked great!


I went and got my hands on some Crushed Coral from my LFS!! smallest bag they had was a 15lb. bag for $9.99 so I got it and I'm going to be adding it to my filter later tonight. My Emperor 400 comes with these empty grey trays that can store misc. media and such, Should I add it in there or put it in a stocking and put it in the filter?


Also, while I was at the LFS I was looking at the aragonite sand and I saw a product from CaribSea called Arag-Alive. A sand that's packaged in water that is supposed to already have bacteria in it to prevent "new tank syndrome" and keep a stable pH. I wasn't sure enough to try this out before hearing about it from you guys to see if anyone has had any experience with it? My question on that is; would it be effective if I just added a small bag of that to my existing sand or is it a waste if I'm not using it as my primary substrate? Or is that also something I can add to my filter maybe in a stocking?