Members African Cichlid Tanks

[chishnfips]

mbuna setup

Jewel rio 300

terta tec 1200 external filter, 1200 liters per hour, and a fluval 4 + internal

standard jewel lighting

sand and argonite sand substrate varies in depth throught the tank from 1 inches to 5 mm

Tuffa Rock, granite and slate found on hills around my house

PH 7.6

Clean the tank every week doing 25-20% water changes, glass cleaned on each water change
clean the filter once every other month

spiriluna enriched veggie flakes twice a day, and brine shrimp once a week, potatoe, courgette (zuchini) also feed them
pleco tablets and catfish veggie pellets also have one day of not feeding.

fish: 3 red zebras (2 females 1 male), 1 demason cichlid, 4 yellow labs, 2 ice blue zebra (1 male 1 female), 2 kenyis (1 male 1 female), 3 yellow finned aceis, 1 melanchromis exasperatus, 1 Bristle nose pleco, 1 syndontis catfish

seems to be a very happy tank not a great deal of agression either, no problems at all, the ice blue is the boss, even over the kenyi's

been setup now for 5 months

no probs as yet

 

[azzman]

Type of setup. Malawi

Tank 3ft 40g

Filtration. Fluval 2 and fluval 3 canister

Lighting. 1 30w 1000k

Substrate. Calcium carbonate, 1'-2' deep

Decor. 10 kilos lava rock and driftwood, silk plants

Water chemistry. ph 8 temp 78-80

Maintenance. 25% water change twice a week, gravel vac every 2 weeks

Feeding. Twice daily mixed cichlid pellets and flakes, algae waffers and zucchini 3 times a week, and guppie fry when im overrun

Fish
1 Cynotilapia afra
1 Protomelas stevini
1 Metriaclima greshaki
1 OB peacock
3 Labidochraomis caeruleus
1 Pseudotropheus zebra
1 Aulonocara koningsi
1 aulonocara stuartgranti
1 Cynotilapia puplican
2 Bristlenose plecs

Additional comments. My first attempt at cichlids, am getting larger tank, 55-75g once i move house in 2 months.

Brief history of the tank. Have only had tank stocked for not even a month but have already revised stocking list numerous times. Still learning so dont bite.

 

[funkyhoney]

Type of Setup
Primarily Malawi - Assorted

Tank
Volume/70L - 24x12x15

Filtration
Fluval 105 - Coarse Sponge > Shell Grit > Fine Sponge > Bio Media; 480LPH
Aquarworld IF150 - Fine Sponge; 150LPH
Total Output ~ 630LPH - 9 Turnover's p/h

Lighting
2x20 Watt T8 - 1x MarineGlo, 1x PowerGlo

Substrate
Calcium Carbonate - Approx. 2cm

Decor
Sandstone ~ 4kg
Slate ~ 1kg
White Riverstone ~ 0.5kg
2x Corkscrew Val, Vallisneria spiralis var. tortissima

Water Chemistry
pH: 8.2
Temp: 27C

Maintenance
30% Water change weekly + Gravel Vac; Additional 10% change whenever glass/decor etc. needs cleaning, Filter cleaned monthly.

Feeding
Cichlid Crumbles + Flake, twice daily. Algae wafers + Bloodworm/Brineshrimp thrice weekly.

Fish
1x Haplochromis Sp., Flameback Cichlid, Haplochromis, Lake Victoria
9x Aulonocara jacobfreibergi, Jacobfreibergi Peacock, Aulonocara, Lake Malawi
1x Ancistrus Sp., Albino Bristlenose, Plec, South America
1x Rineloricaria fallax, Whiptail Catfish, Loricaria, South America

History
This tank has been set up for quite a while now, however only recently did I convert it into a small cichlid tank. This is only a semi-permanent home for it's inhabitants as soon after the new year I will be getting a new tank, in addition to that I will be switching my large community into a cichlid tank.

 

[chr15_8]

Type of setup?
mbuna

Tank Volume?
40 UK Gallons (185 litres/48 US Gallons),
Dimensions approx. 47x15x15 (L x H x W - Inches - internal)

Filtration?
Eheim Pro 2224 (700 lph)
Eheim Ecco 2232 (400 lph)
Under Gravel Jet system approx. around 3400 lph

Lighting?
(T8) twin 36w standard fitting

Substrate?
Playsand at about 2 inches deep

Decor?
different colours of natural slate (not sure about wieght but its alot)

Water chemistry?
pH about 8.2

Maintenance?
20-30% water change per week. vacum the sand while draining the tank

Feeding?
cichlid pellet/dry food 4 times a week, peas and cuccumber 3 days a week

Fish?
6 Labidochromis caeruleus
6 Cynotilapia afra 'white top'

Additional comments?
the tank is about a month and half old when the picture was taken. there is a fair bit of algea on the slate now and is looking natural. however i will be giving it a clean soon as its getting abit much

Brief history of the tank ?
tank use to be a planted tank i then saw soon great looking cichlid tanks and decided i wanted one.

chris

 

[SingMeat]

Type of setup ? mbuna

sadly all the fish were hiding when I took this. This picture is also old, there is much more rock in the tank now.

Tank ? 125 US Gallon, 72"x18"x22"

Filtration ? 3 HOBs, turnover ~10x

Lighting ? 80 watts. 1x6500k and 1xActinic. 48" fixture, T12 bulbs.

Substrate? 1" Playsand.

Decor? Drainage Limestone

Water chemistry ? 8.6 pH, 79.9*

Maintenance ? Weekly 40% water changes, filters cleaned as needed. Prime water conditioner only.

Feeding? I use a variety of foods, mostly spirulina.

Fish ? Ps. acei, Mel. johannii, Met. lombardoi, Met. estherae, Leb. caeruleus, Ps. crabro, Met. pyrsonotos, Met. pyrsonotos x Iodotropheus sperengae.

Additional comments ? Tank was intended to be low cost. Stocking might be changed and haps added.

Brief history of the tank ? Its about 9 months old, but someone wanted me to post pics so here goes.

Discuss any problems you have had with the tank/occupants and how you dealt with it? Try to keep it brief yet informative.

The crabro have been surprisingly peaceful so far, so has the lone kenyi male w/ 2 females. These fish will likely be removed as they were rescues if they get too mean. I have lost one rusty since the establishment of this tank and 1 lab. I think the rusty got crushed when I was adding rock, sadly. The lab is unknown.

The johannii is the most aggressive male in the tank, I hope he doesn't cause problems later!

 

[darrel69]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Type of set-up ? - Mbuna.. with the exception of a peacock.

Pic to follow...

Tank Size ? - Juwel Vision 450... 99 Imperial gallons / 450 Litres.

Filtration ? - 1 x Tetratec EX1200 and 1 x Fluval 305 and 1 x Juwel Internal 1000... Nearly 7x turnover at mo.

Lighting ? -

Substrate ? - CaribSea Aragonite Special Grade sand.

Decor ? - River Cobbles, cppl fake plants, one real plant (Anubias), and 3D background.

Water Chemistry ? - Hard, pH - 8.2, temp - 24C

Maintenance ? - Weekly water changes at about 25%, weekly substrate hoovering over open areas, clean filters when needed, and complete tank clean (basically just poop under rocks) every 6-8 mnths.

Feeding ? - Currently; Malawi spirulina flakes, Veggey flakes, Hikari wheat germ & spirulina pellets, shrimp, daphnia, home-made European mix made with peas, brocolli, shrimp, spirulina and vitamins. Also odd veg like cucumber, spinach ect, and one "fast" day a week.

Fish ? - Currently...

Labidochromis caeruleus - 1m 2f (should be anyways... juvies at mo)
Labidochromis sp. "Hongi Red Top" - 1m 1f
Cynotilapia afra (White Top i believe) - 1m 1f
Cynotilapia afra (cobue) - 1f
Metriaclima estherae - 1m 2juvies
Labeotropheus Trewavasae - 1m
Metriaclima Black Dorsal Nkhungu - 1m
Pseudotropheus sp. "Elongatus Usisya" - 1m 2f
Melanochromis auratus/chipokae - 3f (so far... still young and may turn colour, also not sure wether auratus/chipokae atm)
Unknown Mbuna - x4, 1 completely unsure off, 1 either of the Metriaclima genus or the Pseudotropheus sp and two that are either female M.Black dorsal's or female M.Aurora.. (yea i know, got my work cut out..)
Aulonocara sp. (Not sure which atm) - 1m.

Additional Comments ? - My old tank can be seen here About my stock (which im working on), Im not sure wether to re-home the female cobue for obvious reasons, shame as she's a very nice fish ... The auratus/chipokae will be re-homed v.soon. I have four unknown mbuna, one i dont have a pic of at the mo (will do soon) ... and the other one is in the "more pics here" link above, were he/she is in pics 10 & 11. If you think you could give me a good guess as to what you think he/she could be and msg me, that would be great and very much appreciated!! Its either of the Metriaclima.sp or the Pseudotropheus.sp... Will keep this post up-dated as time goes on.

Brief History of Tank ? - About 18mths old. Use to be my uncles which he kept discus in.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[caboose_122]

setup type: Tanganyika neolamp

tank: standard hagen 20 gallon 24" x 16"x 12"

filtration: aquaclear 150, tetra whisper internal. approximately 250gph combined,
media is ceramic rings in the aqua clear, and filter floss in the whisper.

lighting: 24" single T8 power glow 18 watt

substrate: argonite and play sand 1-2 inches deep

decor: rocks bought from a home hardware store, about 15-25 lbs, vallisarnia

maintenance: 40% water change every week, 25% sand change every month

feeding: blood worms once a week sparulina(sp) enriched brine shrimp 2 times a week, the rest is nutrafin African cichlid flake

fish species: nelamprologus brichardi (2) bristle nose pleco (1)

comments: would like to get brichardi to spawn and eventually have a small colony in this tank

brief history: tank has been running for about 2 years non stop, just recently decided to turn it into a tang tank

 

[Geordie]

Type of setup ? Peacock/Tangs

Tank ? Rio 300, with internal filter removed

Filtration ? Eheim 2026 mechanical, Eheim 2227 Wet/Dry Bio, 25W UV Internal Filter

Lighting ? T5 2 tubes, Day/Nature

Substrate? 1.5 Inch Crushed Coral/Fine Sand

Decor? 60KG Ocean Rock

Plants ? Vallis

Water chemistry ? 8.2 pH, 26.5C temp

Maintenance ? 25% per week, Gravel clean every 2 weeks.

Feeding? Spirinula Flake/Brine Shrimp live and frozen, 2-3 times per day

Fish ?

6 x Aulonacara Stuartgranti
6 x Aulonocara Maleri Gold
2 x Julidochromis Dickfeldi
3x Neolamprologus Leleupi
5 x Copadichromis borleyi "Kadango"

Additional comments ?

Changed from Boulder to Ocean rock as i couldnt get the height i needed to stop the Borleyi infighting

Brief history of the tank ?

First owner setup for 2 months.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Tank Size
Rio 300, 300 Litres

Filtration
Tetratec Ex1200, Juwel Jumbo Internal (2200 TLPH) 8x Turnover

Lighting
Standard Juwel T5 High Light

Substrate
Coral Sand

Decor
Granite and Slate rocks

Water Chemistry
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10
PH - 8.2

Maintenance
Weekly 40% Water Changes and Changing of the white filter floss inside filters.

Feeding
Twice Daily, Skipping out 1 day a week

Fish
1x Yellow Lab
2x Demasoni
2x C.Afra (Jalo Reef)
2x P.Grekshei
3x Aulocarna Baeschi
2x Bristlenose Pleco

Additional Comments
Tank is now in the process of being shut down, But I thought Id like to share its last look with the forum.

Brief History of Tank
I am its only owner so far and the tank is brand new aswell is everything else.

 

[aaronnorth]

Type of setup ? Malawi

180l/ 40g, 92 x 55 x 40cm

Eheim 2215 classic & Fluval 205 (total 1300l/ph - 7x turnover)

2 x 24w T5

2" Coral sand

20Kg of blue/ grey slate

pH 8.2, NO3 20ppm, kH 8, gH 15, 25C

50% weekly water change, filter clean every 6 months

twice daily, tetrapro Veg & Hikari cichlid pellets

3 x copadichromis borleyi
3 x Hemichromis bimaculatus
1 x pseudotropheus crabbro
1 x astaotilapia latisifciata
1 x ancistrus bristlenose
1 x aulounocara jacobfriebiergi
1 x Protomelas Taeniolatus

just under 6 months old in the above picture.

I bought 3 x P.Crabbro, one of them decided to kill the other 2, and an A.Latisficiata so i returned it too the shop (which he also wiped the whole tank out ). After a few weeks i noticed a small baby in there which was from the P.Crabbro so i can only assume it was trying to protect the young.

 

[HappyGeorge]

Type of setup - Malawi Mbuna (plus one hap).

Tank - Rena Aqualife 450 - 454 litres - 151x51x70.5cm.

Filtration - Fluval FX5 containing ceramics and pond sponge filter and 2 polishing pads, U4 with just sponge and carbon pads. total turnover 3500lph.

Lighting - 2 x double T8 units only running one with 2 Powerglo bulbs and 4 LEDs for night light.

Substrate - Argos play sand 0-2inches throughout tank.

Decor - DIY background, Large river cobbles and Kentish ragstone (hard limestone) and assorted shells, garden snail and some from hobbycraft store.

Water chemistry - pH 8, NO3 20ppm, Kh 200, 26.5 degrees.

Maintenance - Only been running 2 weeks but planned 20% weekly and bi-weekly filter clean alternate cannister the internal.

Feeding - twice daily tropical flake, spirulina sticks, algae wafers and fresh cucumber, lettuce and peas.

Fish -
6 x Labidochromis caeruleus - yellow labs - 2 male, 4 female.
6 x Labidochromis perlmutt - mother of pearls- 2 male, 4 female.
3 x Labidochromis hongi- 1 male, 2 female.
3 x Cynotilapia afra "red top" - dogtooth cichlid - 1 male, 2 female (possibly).
1 x Pseudotropheus crabro - bumble bee- 1 male.
1 x Cyrtocara moori - blue dolphin- 1 sex unknown bump too small.
6 x Synodontis Multipunctatus - cuckoo catfish- who knows?

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Tank: 6ft by 2ft by 2ft.

Filtration: x2 Tetratec 1200 & 1 small ehiem external.

Lighting: x2 double T8 units with standard tropical lighting for daytime and blue lights for evening. Blue LED lighting set into the base of the stand.

Substrate: Combination of playsand and darker fine gravel.

Decor: Various rock types including slate, malawi rock and British stone from the south coast of England beaches...thoroughly cleaned. 2 ancient bogwood pieces, 1 castle, 1 fake moutain type thing, 1 other castle type structure.

Water chemistry: PH 7.8. 24.5 degress C.

Maintenance: As needed, no regular pattern but frequent glass cleaning needed due to catfish constantly throwing substrate around.

Feeding: 5 times a week fed Spirulina flake, JMC catfish pellets, Algae wafers with sporadic feeding of live/frozen bloodworm, river shrimp, Tetramin flake, Alternative spirulina with garlic, beefheart(frozen) and seaweed. Obviously not all at the same time!!

Fish: Many many fish. Off the top of my head there are the Protomelas, Alunacara, Synos of varying types, B.N's, A couple of L no's....I'll add this bit properly later.
P.

 

[conor655]

Shell Dweller Setup

Tank:
Juwel Rekord 70 (64 litres)
Filtration:
Fluval 204 (With 205 Pipework,taps,etc...)
Lighting:
1x 15w juwel daylite + reflector
Substrate:
Argos play sand
Decor:
Try to keep clutter in the tank to a minimum, 1 Large cobble, False Plant, 15+ Escargot Shells
Water Chemistry:
PH: 8.2 Temp:25 Degrees C
Maintenance:
20-25% water changes done at least once every week
Feeding:
Frozen Bloodworm and various Pellets
Fish:
3x Lamprologus Ocellatus 'gold' 2Males 1Female

Mbuna Setup

Tank:
Juwel Rio 300 (300+ litres)
Filtration:
2x Fluval 205's (soon to be upgraded)+ Koralia 2
Lighting:
2x 54w Marine White T5's + Reflectors and a Separate Actinic Tube for 'Moonlight Effect'
Substrate:
30kg Crushed coral
Decor:
Rocks only..
Water Chemistry:
PH: 8.2 Temp: 24 Degrees C
Maintenance:
25-30% water changes done weekly
Feeding:
spirulina granulat,spirulina flake, Boiled Lettuce...
Fish:
Labidochromis Caeruleus, Metriaclima callainos,Labidochromis Hongi,iodotropheus sprengerae,tropheops sp. chilumba hopefully get some.....Pseudotropheus elongatus "Chewere",Pseudotropheus acei,Melonachromis maingano,Cynotilapia afra "Jalo Reef",Labeotropheus trewavasse,Pseudotropheus kingsizei,pseudotropheus ndumbi 'red top' and Pseudotropheus Saulousi

 

[CrazyAirborne]

people need to add to this!