Is My Setup Good For Cichlids

[pbase5583]

I am not going to add any cichlids yet because i am going on vacation, tank fully cycled. my ph is up right now and i have the malawi buffer and cichlid salt. I will remove all fish before i put any cichlids in definately, would love some opinions on my tank. its a 65 gallon 3' x 18" x 2'(depth)

 

[onidrase]

it looks pretty easy to tip over, and still rather lacking in rocks. Be sure that the rocks won't topple over with fish knocking around in there. It could end in disaster.

 

[pbase5583]

two of the top ones are a little wobbly but how do you make sure that the rocks won't topple over with fish knocking around in there

 

[Wills]

The best way to avoid things like topples is to place it like they would have fallen in a river - so if there was water flowing over that structure it would end up down on one side.

You would be better off having all the large round ones at the bottom and the thinner ones up top. That way if the thinner ones do fall, less damage done over all.

Wills

 

[garyspence84]

You could always take all the rocks out, let them dry and use some aquarium friendly silicone to glue them together.

I have a friend that made a cool looking slate wall doing this.

G

 

[Moby-Krib]

I'd have to agree the rockwork is a bit lacking and potentially unstable.
The caves dont need to be large. in fact they love to skinny in to a tight spot.
They WILL dig around the base of all of it and undermine your best laid plans.

Google "Mbuna tank" and look at the images you pull up.
Odd shaped rocks stacked big on bottom to small on top with tight spacing is best, stability is king as it will move it even has the chance to.

However I personally would not silicone anything together, it will be a problem later in more than one way.

 

[pbase5583]

i redid it, i am going to get alot more rocks, right now its stable but idk, should the caves be closed in the back or open?
and how high should they be. the trick im having is having the rock on the second level to be stable.

 

[Moby-Krib]

i redid it, i am going to get alot more rocks, right now its stable but idk, should the caves be closed in the back or open?
and how high should they be. the trick im having is having the rock on the second level to be stable.

open or closed is the random that not be given attention, stability is king,
I move my rocks every 2 weeks, you get to know them and the way to lay em.
if you can lie your finger on and it rocks it is not quite right..

you will get it Im sure, mix some round with your flats and get some large randomly shaped as well. the more pieces the better.Friction and wedging of is how its done,

don't build too high until you find the balance.
you'll be fine if you pay attention.
seriously google Mbuna tank. and see how many different looks will work,

 

[pbase5583]

I got it i definately need more rocks i started the cave on the back wall just i was afraid that my airstone would break but its good and still does bubbles, about to post a pic

 

[pbase5583]

how about now?

and of course i am going to buy more rock after i come back from vacation

 

[onidrase]

Still looks really unstable to me, but I guess I've just been really careful with my setup. last thing I want is a rock dislodged and a broken tank.

 

[pbase5583]

oh ok how big should the rocks be in the tank 4 inches?

btw i have a question.

the guy at the fish store said that dont get rid of any fish until the day that you are going to replace them. he said it was because the bio load is able to take 9 fish(the fish i have in) and if i get rid of any in a few days it will lower. i got rid of 4 rainbow fish so thats why i was asking. i replaced them with 18 feeders. which im on vacation now and the gar eats them but eats slow. so they should keep up with the bio load until i get back.

 

[onidrase]

I got them in all different shapes and sizes, just nothing I felt was too big for the tank, nor too small. I've got rocks in there from 3 inches to a foot long.

 

[pbase5583]

so get alot of rocks
?

 

[onidrase]

My reply to another one of your threads:

limestone, sandstone, and granite are all the best imo. slate isn't a good choice. It's too flat and doesn't create any natural caves. The only cave systems you can make with slate are rather cut and paste triangular ones which are easily toppled. I think slate is a good accent rock for some aquariums with more types of rock, but it just looks awful in mbuna tanks to me.

Pretty much any plant you put in the tank will be annihilated. I don't think there are exceptions with mbuna. Lava rock is save too, but it's sharp, ugly, and relatively expensive (around here, anyway). Lace stone is also a pretty common choice, but once again, sharp, ugly, and relatively expensive around here.

here's a photo of the progress of my 50 gallon tank, I chose to use black granite for the stone work.