Finally I Am Happy

[Realtree]

Type of set-up - Mbuna

Pic -

Tank Size - Juwel Rio 400 60" x 24" x 18"

Filtration - 1 x Fx5
1 x Rena Xp4

Lighting - T5 twin light bar

Substrate - Eco complete African cichlid (carib) sand

Decor - River Cobbles

Water Chemistry - Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
Ph 8.2

Maintenance - Weekly water changes at about 20%, weekly substrate hoovering over open areas, clean filters 5/6 monthly and good clean of all tank when I re jig rockwork after introducing new stock or removing holding fems

Feeding - Currently; Tetra pro veg flake, spirulina flake, home-made frozen mix made with peas, spinach, shrimp and garlic. Also odd veg like cucumber, spinach ect, and one "fast" day a week.

Fish - 2x Metriaclima Fainzilberi (WC Male, WC Female)
2 x Tropheops sp Zimbabwe Rocks (WC Male, WC Female)
2 x Metraclima Membe deep (F1 male , F1 female)
2 x Tropheops "red cheeks" (F1 male , F1 female)
2 x Elongatus Flavus ( F1 male , F1 female)
3 x polit " lions cove" (F1 male 2 x F1 female)
2 x Pseudotropheus "red top" Ndumbi (F1 male , F1 female)
3 x Cynotilapia afra "Jalo reef" ( Tb female 2 x Tb male)
3 x Elongatus usisya ( Tb male , 2 x Tb female)
4 x Labidochromis caeruleus (2 x Tb males , 2 x Tb females)
3 x Melanochromis Johanni (2 x Tb male , 1 x Tb female)
6 x Acei "yellow tail" ( 2 x Tb male , 4 x Tb female)
2 x Melanochromis interuptus (1 x Tb male , 1 x Tb female)
5 x Labidochromis Hongi "red top" (2 x Tb male, 3 x Tb female)
2 x Pseudotropheus Socolofi (Tb male Tb female)
6 x ancistus Bristlenose

Additional comments - Tank is the product of just over a years journey into the world of Mbuna.After several projects over the last year and loads of research - I have finally got the image in my head in front of my eyes
Now to continue with the dream stock list

 

[fshinggrl]

Wow! Cool setup!

 

[Piltdownpaul]

Yes looks real nice-similar to my set up but larger,so i'm jealous

 

[stephen.h89]

wow, 49 fish, didnt think i would be able to keep that many in a rio 400, definatelt going to start gettin some cichlids, great setup by the way

 

[Nick16]

thats a BN's dream tank... lots of large flat surfaces to eat off and crevaces to hide in!

you could put 25 of them in there and still not see one!

excellent tank mate, should be chuffed... im currently converting my 48x24x24 over to malawi's.

 

[Squidward]

Looks very nice

 

[Biulu]

Very nice tank and an impressive stocking list!

 

[Bazza57]

Really nice tank Realtree, it really makes me pine for my old rift valley set-up.
Do you not worry about the weight of all that rock? I used to use "tuffa rock" which weighs much lighter, & also keeps the PH up being calcium rich.

My main rift tank was 48"x 18"x 15" using tuffa rock, coral gravel, filtered by an external canister filter, an Atlantis 600 I think it was. In which I kept & bred the following: Pseudotropheus Lombardoi, Pseudotropheus pindani (socofoli, Pseudotropheus elongatus/ornatus,Scianochromis Ahli, Crytocara moorii,Haplochromis fenustratus & melanochromis chipokae.

In various other tanks I kept & bred: Neolamprologus Cylindricus, Julidochromis regani, Neolamprologus brichardi. I also bred some shell dwelling cichlids & Steatocranus Cassuaris in quite large quantities.

I also used to show large adult specimens of: Haplochromis Ovatus & Dimidiochromis (formerly haplochromis)Compressiceps ( I wanted to breed this fish but the male killed its mate)

It really brings it all back to me seeing your pics - well done mate

 

[Squidward]

Looks fantastic.

 

[simonas]

fantastic Real Tree

I;ve never kept Mbuna or even looked into them in all these years but that looks fab

can you take some close up pics of the fish so I can see what fish you have, as I;ve never paid any interest to african cichlids I don;t know wha tthe scientific names refer to. I;m going to start reading up on them and do one in the future