Bananalobster

I would start with the group of yellows, more because I'm assuming that will be the smaller group of the two. It will be easier on the cycle and they are less sensitive than the demasoni so I've heard. I've done a similar thing to you and I used fish food to cycle the tank. Just pop a small amount in and keep testing until you have 0 ammonia and some nitrate. To be on the safe side I did a water change every second day 30-40% for the first week they were in but maybe that's over kill. Either way it won't hurt. It's not a huge volume of water but if you stuck to a small group of yellows maybe you could pop a few rusties in there? They should stay smaller than the trewavasae.

I used plain old ceramic tiles

Is your tank 4ft long? Up to you at the end of the day, yeah they might be similar enough to spread aggression but the bumble bees will end up twice the size of the dems eventually lol! I don't think I would be brave enough but I'm sure people have done it..

I just have the one tank personally but I see a couple of problems... First off "bumble bee" cichlids (pseudotropheus crabro) get to 8 inches and have a reputation for being very aggressive. I don't think it would be a good idea to have any in a 215 liter tank. (What are the dimensions by the way?). Also 8 demasoni is a little on the low side, they recommend to start with no less than 12 but the more the better as they are hard on each other but seem to ignore other species for the most part. If your tank is 4 foot long you could go with 8 electric yellows and 12 - 18 or so demasoni quite happily I would say. Just remember with all this overstocking going on you should go big with the filter and waterchanges

Thanks! I could use a real camera, my phone one really sucks but it gives you an idea of how it's setup. I took half the tank apart and two demasoni were still holding eggs but I've got about ten more yellows and 20 dems.. That makes roughly 60 to grow out. One mistake I made with the nautilus is I put it together with no Vaseline on the seals. I have never come across a filter so hard to open!!! When my husband finally managed to open it I used a third of a tub of Vaseline on all the seals. I know it worked because it fit perfectly back on when normally it's a nightmare. I have three extra male trewavasae I would like to get rid of (if anyone want them free of charge let me know). In saying that even at their size now there is minimal chasing and fights, even with the girls which have held twice.. But I don't want to wake up to a dead fish because I got too complacent. I have no more tank room for babies so I will just have to let the fish spit in the tank for a couple months, not that I mind too much, trying to strip a 6cm demasoni for your first try isn't the easiest lol!!!

Bit of an update: Well....I had some holding fish so I decided to strip 2 little holding demasonis. I now have 13 of them just over 1cm long, and was given 15 tiny just stripped electric yellows at the same time to grow out too. I am going to take half the tank down again because I have another 5 demasoni holding aswell as 1 electric yellow. These things really do breed like rabbits lol. Anyway here are some photos.

Hi, I've just recently set up my own African tank. I would say 700lph would be far too weak to do anything in your size tank. I I were you I would probably double that. I havnt used any in my tank because it is 300l and has a 2700lph canister filter providing plenty of flow, but power heads will work too of course. The ph up you buy in pet stores is bicarb soda aka baking soda as far as I know. Personally I don't touch these because I don't want to cause any wild ph swings. I just dedicated a whole tray in my canister filter for lime chip which acts as a natural in built buffer.

Wow what a handy site! I would say in a tank that size you could get away with 10-15 electric yellows, buying them young and weeding out extra males so that when they are adults you might end up with 8 or so adult fish? I have 9 in with 6 Trewavasae (about to be 3 when I take out the extra males) and 20 juvie demasoni in a 120Lx45Wx55H to give you an idea. this number will be reduced when I take extra males out as they get older. I would say that number of yellows would be a safe bet in a tank your size, the extra length should give them enough room to get away from any bullies.

I didn't like it, too fine for the baskets and half of it can fit through the gaps. Spent ages sifting it when I should have just thrown it put and added coral rubble or something

Congrats on the new arrivals isn't it amazing just how big the nautilus is?!

Thanks! Still have the brown algae, but it's not too bad I guess. Had a trewavasae female holding for a couple of days but she must have spat them early. I have 3 holding demasoni now though. Just debating on whether I take half the tank apart to strip the female that's been holding for 2 weeks + or not =\

Some photos (these are taken off my phone sorry for quality): Holding female Demasoni

I found with my 10 yellows they were hiding a lot for the first four weeks until I added the demasoni and trewavasae, the change was pretty much immediate.. They all swim around at every level of the tank and swim to the glass any time someone moves near the tank. Safety in numbers maybe?! Lol

Hey good to see you starting the project! Looks great so far I love the rocks. Mine have gone dark brown from algae, they started off a pretty silver you sourced your fish yet? Edited to ask... What are the dimensions of that tank? I looks nice and deep.

Thank you for the kind words Just a quick update, have my first fish holding, a demasoni. No problems with aggression as yet, honestly didn't expect to have any babies so soon, she must be only about 4 cms. Anyone have much experience with the Trewavasae? What I thought was a blotchy brown female is most deffinitely the boss of all the others, including one of the larger males (blue and orange coming through). Is this normal for the females to call the shots?

I have the same fish (but only 10 yellows) the 10 yellows by themselves were skittish for the first few weeks before I added the 20 demasoni as well as 6 others, the day after they were introduced they were all swimming at the glass whenever anyone went near the tank, as well as swimming at all levels. My tanks nearly half the size and in a busy living room next to a high traffic doorway. How long have you had them? I would have thought my ones situation would have made them more skittish than yours.

Stock list is: 10x juvenile Yellow labs 6x juvenile Trewavasae 20x juvenile demasoni Seems like a lot but I wanted to get enough so I can fix male / female ratios as they get older to help with aggression if I need to.

Hi everyone! Been a bit slack with the next update, I have had a baby in amongst setting this up with more fish etc. Alot more algae growing on the rocks now, but the trewavasae are doing an amazing job at keeping the glass and filter inlets/outlets clean! It's also great to watch the fish grazing on the rocks as what I assume they naturally would be doing in the wild. I have been very happy with the lights, they dont heat up even after a full day of being turned on, and are plenty bright enough. If they were any brighter it would be too much in my opinion. The filter is doing a great job, but I think in the future I will be putting in a wave maker to get a stronger circular flow. I could probably solve this by changing the position of my spray bar to go from one side of the tank to the other but aesthetically I like it where it is. Here are some pictures of the tank in all its algae glory lol, plus the new arrivals. Thanks Likoma for the fish which all arrived happy and healthy

***Update*** I have the first lot of fish in, everything going smoothly so far... Really happy with the filter, enough current to keep everything moving and the fish happy but not the whirlwind I was dreading. Some algae forming on the rocks which I quite like (and so do the fish!). Sorry for the quality, they are taken off a phone. Lots of glare and terrible focusing lol.

Thanks nudge, was meaning to pm you and say there was no issues actually sorry and thankyou for the help, lots of room in the end!! Il see if I can get in touch thanks for the headsup, itching to get everything finished now it's all set up haha. I didn't make the cabinet myself but it was custom built by a cabinet maker in Auckland, really happy with the finish they did.

Thanks for all the lovely comments still on the lookout for breeders nearby or willing to ship...

Thanks the filter I was a little concerned about with the silica sand and the fact that it's rated for a 400-700L tank.. But I'm glad I did it. The rocks I couldn't tell you, got it from a landscape supply place in rotorua and apparently it's fromma quarry in Hamilton that's all I know.

Hi there, A while back I asked for some advice on setting up a mbuna tank... After some good advice I have pretty much finished it, now just to cycle and add fish! Now for some photos... (First time uploading photos so I hope this works). The cabinet itself: The filter (Aqua one CF2700 Nautilus): The lighting (16w 120cm long Beamswork LED unit: Quick shot of the holes drilled for canister filter intake / outlet at both sides: Planning / placing rocks: Sand and rocks all in ready for fill: Full tank shot, ready to go: Phew! And that's as far as I have got so far. Tank dimensions are 120cm long, 45cm deep and 55cm high. Stock is going to be Electric Yellows x10 and Demasoni x20... If anyone knows of any electric yellows nearby that are ready to sell Im still looking for a source.

Yikes never mind, I would have to buy about 5-6 of them which would end up being $60+ Just for plastic plates lol

How big do they make them? I'm needing somethin that covers 120cm x 45cm