Chris' African/mbuna Journal

[Ferris]

Looking good chr15_8 - one thing i would point out is that whilst the gaps inbetween the rocks will be great for Mbuna juvies - they are not big enough for adults to make caves etc. Perfect for now but you may need to rearrange slightly as they grow.

 

[chr15_8]

thanks. im happy with it to be honest aswell

Looking good chr15_8 - one thing i would point out is that whilst the gaps inbetween the rocks will be great for Mbuna juvies - they are not big enough for adults to make caves etc. Perfect for now but you may need to rearrange slightly as they grow.

yep

i will redo it all in about 6 months (or as they start getting to big) the hight of the smallest purpose built cave is around 1 3/4 inches hight buy about 3 inch at the opening. i counted about 17 plus in the middle (wher the pump is its all open so the can 'hide'/chase etc around there)


chris

 

[funkyhoney]

Woah, that's a LOT of slate!

Looking good though, can't wait to see some fish in there!

 

[Waterbox]

looks really nice so far. One of my LFS has a large tank with slate piled up 4ft high in the same way yours is, it looks pretty cool. I think they had the problem that Ferris pointed out though, as I could see no gaps in the slate large enough for the adults however the juvenile fish loved all the hiding places.

What are the dimensions of your tank?

 

[chr15_8]

thanks again for the comments.

will try and get a few more snaps tommorow now the water has cleared.

the tank is about 46 inch long x 15 widex 16 deep (internal dimentions where water is present)


chris

 

[chr15_8]

done the first tests on that tank

PH - 8
NitrAte - 5
NitrIte - 0
Ammonia - 0.25 (i also tested my tap water which is 0)

was going to add fish tommorow but due to the ammonia im going to add just bactinetts tommorow and add extra bactinetts on sunday to help out.

on sunday i will be getting some yellow lab.

how many should i get? im thinkg 5 or 6?


chris

 

[kubora666]

yep, ive got 6 in my 120gal, having 6 or so of them is alot funner,

i started with 2, and they sorta had their own lil caves, but now ive got 6 they all hang out in a group, they ocasionaly fight though because two of them are bigger then the otehrs by a little bit, but yeah its like they are their own little group within my group of fish

great fun =D i recomend it!!!

 

[chr15_8]

i got 6 Labidochromis caeruleus yesturday and took a few pictures for you lot to see

they seem really happy. i couldnt resist not feeding them last night and they all went for the pellets. only problem was they were abit to big for them to fit into there mouths so i went out and bought more today. they seemed to eat them pretty fast so i added a few cut up peas. they went mad for them

and a quick picture of the tank

chris

 

[dthoffsett]

I love how they're all under the middle rock, they look so lost in your tank. Don't worry though, it won't take long for them to settle in.

I've found that mbuna will relax enough to eat much quicker than other tropicals, even those that I've had shipped are ready for food within a couple of hours. Mbuna are very food oriented.

 

[Ferris]

Good to see fish in there - they'll soon get used to their new home and won't stay in hiding for long.

 

[kubora666]

glad to see u got the labs! i warn you though, mine have grown rapidly since i got them. one of them has grown nearly an inch already.

the way youve aquascaped that tank will be perfect for them, cant wait to see what else you put in there =P

 

[chr15_8]

thanks for the comments.

the ammonia went up a little (between 0 and 0.25) the fish seemed active and looked great. it has since dropped doen to 0 for the past few days. the other reading have remained the same so im happy.

my little 2 year old cousin came around while i was at work yesturday and since then they have been hiding as soon as anyone enters the room. after a few secs they see me and come out (they have worked out i feed them etc and see me as nice) but when my mum is with me the all stay hidden except a few who peep around the rocks.

i can see small hand prints so i imagine she has hit the tank and had here hands all over it therefore scaring them

but there eating well on peas and cichlid pellet.

chris

edit
im already planing a bigger tank around 110 uk gallon/130 us gallon tank
so i will not be getting the ecco. as when i buy the new tank (March time) i will need to get better filtration then aswell.

 

[scouse_andy]

The tank looks really good, Chris. I will try my hand at Mbuna one day and it's nice to read somebody's journal from start to finish and get good ideas. Your photos are great, really clear.

 

[chr15_8]

The tank looks really good, Chris. I will try my hand at Mbuna one day and it's nice to read somebody's journal from start to finish and get good ideas. Your photos are great, really clear.

thanks andy.

ive just been to wildwoods and bought a few more fish.
before i set off i tested me water everything seems to be perfect.

so as i said i went to wildwoods andwas surprised to hear they keep them in tap water. (when i got home it was at around 7.2) they also feed them bloodworms which i thought was a nono. they also feed them cichlids pellets/flakes.

the fish i got are cynotilapia afra 'white top'. i got 6.
they are a little bigger than my yellow lab. i have 2 which seem to be more coloured up than the females.

will post pictures when i take them and get them uploaded
chris

 

[dthoffsett]

was surprised to hear they keep them in tap water. (when i got home it was at around 7.2) they also feed them bloodworms which i thought was a nono. they also feed them cichlids pellets/flakes.

You can keep them in tap water as long as it has a decently high PH. Very few LFS will adjust the water params for individual tanks as they are generally run on a store wide filtration system. While mbuna can survive in a lower PH, they'll thrive in your tank.

And yes, blood worms are a major no-no with mbuna, though a lot of LFS don't know enough about the fish they keep to realize that.

Looking forward to pic of the c.afra's, they're great fish.