Bananalobster

Hi there, I am setting up a 4ft mbuna tank that I'm planning on putting a lot of large heavy rocks in. The problem I'm having is deciding what to use to protect the bottom of the tank from pressure points and rock falls. I had some eggcrate type plastic that is used for keeping pebbles etc on pathways but it is 8cm thick and I don't want to make my sand substrate this deep. I was in bunnings the other day and saw some large tiles and was wondering if there are any down sides of using them on the bottom of the tank to help displace some of the rocks weight over a larger area... Any thoughts?

Yeah that's a good price if I had to go fluro.. Only issue is it's 128 long and I'm skeptical that it will fit on a 120 long tank with wooden hood.. Which sucks because then my only option is going for the 90 long light?! I'm surprised they don't make them slightly shorter so they will actually fit!!

Do you think this one would be any better? http://www.trademe.co.nz/713647700 Or does any of the people who got the current ones shipped know the approx cost all up they paid to get them inc delivery?

Hmmm back to the drawing board. I did have reservations about the blue. So do we have some available in New Zealand or will I need to look at getting some shipped from an overseas company?

Hi again.. I'm trying to pick out some lights for a 120cm long 45 - 55 cm high tank setup for Africans. There will be no plants in the tank so lighting will be purely for viewing. I like the idea of LEDs, but have no experience with them. Would something like this http://www.trademe.co.nz/712644709 work ok? Would the blue lights make it too dark? Any reason not to go led at all?

Awesome, thanks for the feedback it's made me feel a lot better about it all. I can't wait to get it all set up!

Oh good, yeah I really didn't want to go near mdf, I think the extra cost will be worth it if they are what they seem. Going to make a call tomorrow and make sure I can fit a nautilus 2700 inside it

Hi there.. I'm about to buy one of these and wanted to know if anyone has done the same thing and their thoughts on it... http://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/deta ... 460/m/975/ Sorry if this is not allowed, please delete or let me know and I will delete it if so. This is a big purchase for me and I'm buying sight unseen due to distance. Even if you have gone into the store and seen one set up I would like to hear what you thought. If it's as good as it seems it's actually going to match my furniture perfectly down to the handles used!

Good idea with the extra holes.... I didn't think about that. Would there be some type of plumbing fitting that could plug it tidily in the mean time? If I shot for say 30ml holes and they were too small.. How hard is that to fix? Lol sorry for all the questions, I've never done anything quite like this before.

Thanks a lot for all the help I would go 55 wide but 45 is as far out from the wall as I dare go, otherwise it starts cutting into the walkway space. Il have a remeasure and see if I can manage any wider. The 55 height was just going to be for viewing the tank really, because I don't know how much overhang these hoods have. Can anyone tell me the size of the intake and outlet pieces? I want to drill some tidy holes in the bracing in the corners. (Two on one side or one on each? What would be better to get a good circular flow?). Would it be in bad taste to link where I'm getting the cabinet and hood to ask for feedback / reviews?

Too big to fit in the cabinet I'm almost certain, and $599 is a lot more than the $349 I was going to stretch to, considering the tank is 240 liters I wanted to be ott but maybe not that ott lol if you get what I mean. I'm swinging towards the nautilus but there is hardly any info or reviews out for them.

Don't think I have the experience or cabinet space for a sump, I want to get some serious filtration but want to keep it as simple a I can really. I'm going to look at getting holes drilled in the bracing of the tank for the filter intake / outlet... What size / place should I get them drilled?

Good to know, when I said cf1200 as an option I meant I would use two of them or one nautilus. The cabinet is going to be one made up from a pet shop in Auckland. (Not sure if the rules allow me to name them?) anyway it is one that you can get custom made, built with pine and stained. Il make sure to check it fits.

Hi there, I'm trying to decide what the best option would be for filtration.. I'm planning a 4ft long Malawi set up. Tank dimensions will be 120x45x45 (or maybe 55 high, havnt decided). Approx 240+ liters. The tank will be on display in my living room and I want to keep the tank looking fairly natural and free of equipment. Stocking will be 10 x yellow labs and 20x demasoni, starting with juveniles. Which would be the better option as far as filtration? I have had a cf1200 before and was happy with the performance but never had anything as large a the nautilus.

Hi there, I havnt checked ph lvls in my town for quite a few years but last time I did the tap water was about 7.4 from what I can remember. I was thinking of adding something like limestone chips into the canister filter to buffer the water naturally and not stress the fish. How do others deal with this? I've always been told to stay away from the ph up and down chemicals.

Just looked up the specs, it is a Sunsun 303A 1400lph filter.. Rated up to a 600 litre tank (I'm sure that's being generous as they normally are). So on a 240l 4ft African I may be able to get away with the one do you think? The Dimensions give me a volume of 26 litres, take away a few litres for the motor etc I would assume it must be about 20 liters for media too, (4 baskets). Also its 35 watts if that is a deciding factor. You say you have a lot more fish than me.. Would you advise that? I have seen most people advise slightly overstocking African tanks to ease aggression.. Do you think I should bump it up to say 15 yellows and 25 dems to be safe? Or too much? Im really weighing up between going for a ready made sunsun 4ft long sunsun tank with stand or buying a normal rectangle tank and making a stand.. Hmm.. The first way is more expensive but its for my living room and I want it to look nice.. I guess that way I could also run the in built filter to be super sure though...

Alright thanks for the tips =) Going to just stick with the two species. Given Im going to have just the two, would say 10 electric yellow and 20 demasoni be a good way to go? And would a Sunsun 1400lph canister filter sound about right for that? I was thinking I could also add an internal of atleast 1000lph otherwise, or just two canister filters. Say this paired up with one of the beamwork led light sets on trademe that seem reasonable with good reviews... Maybe some pool filter sand if I can find some and try and find a good source for some nice rocks..

So your saying 3 species in this hypothetical tank would be too many? Just stick with the two?

Okay thanks for the heads up with the Zebras.. So considering they will cross breed Im assuming Maylandia callainos ( Cobalt Blue Zebra) for the third species would be a bad choice? Is there a species that will fit in that likes the middle / top of the tank? That's another reason why I wanted the Acei

Oh maybe not I was just looking through profiles and researching some names of the ones I like to see if they were semi suitable before asking on here. That's such a shame, they are beautiful fish! The red zebras are pretty similar to the electric yellows but not as bright.. I think I would prefer just one yellowish species in there and if I had to choose between those two I would probably go with the electric yellow. If the amount of fish I threw out there looks about right, I want to have the yellows, dems and a third species.. Something with that light blue color or something that will stand out? Any ideas please throw them out there! Also if you know good sources for these fish for when I am ready to go ahead with it, (after baby comes along, due end of may). Seeing as it can be hard to source 10-20 juveniles from pet shops I would assume.

The tank is still in early planning stages so getting it right would be more important than saving a few dollars short term. I have just spotted another fish for the wishlist, by the name of pseudotropheus acei. would they fit in ok with the labs and demasoni? Say 15-20 dems, 10 labs and 6 acei?

Hi there, I would like some advice on stocking a 4 ft tank ( 120 x 45 x 45 ) with Malawi's... Any tips, advice on what to do and what not to do etc is all very appreciated as I have been out of the hobby for about 5 years. I had a small colony of about 8 electric yellows in a 3 ft tank in the past which worked great, but I would like to do something a little different with maybe 2-3 species this time around. So where to start... I guess I would like something not too risky, a mix which is likely to work well and not species that will get too large for the tank eventually etc. I would like some species that are bright and contrast eachother, preferably where both sexes of the species have decent colors. My aim would be to add good amounts of the 2-3 species at a young age, to ease aggression and hopefully make the whole reintroduction to fish keeping fairly stress free! Oh, and lastly if possible with my tank dimensions etc I would like to know what others would choose to keep all levels of the tank active, maybe something that likes the upper / mid levels of the tank. The species I have seen and like the look of, but not sure if it would work or not (again advice appreciated) would be: Electric Yellows (labidochromis caeruleus) Demasoni (Pseudotropheus demasoni) Pseudotropheus socolofi Reading up a little bit on the Demasoni, they seem to need a good sized group to begin with to have a chance of getting along well, do you think this is possible in this sized tank and with other species? How many would you recommend? What other fish would you recommend with or instead? Sorry for all the questions, Im just very interested in starting off well with a setup I know has a good chance of succeeding. I would love to hear what you all would do with a 4 ft setup for Malawi, any pictures you have of your own setups would also help me out a bunch! Oh I should also add, filtration-wise would a sunsun 1400 lph canister be adequate? Or should I plan to get two of these? Thankyou for reading my novel and I look forward to your suggestions / experience and advice

Hahaha yeah it does sound a bit weird! I was trying to remember where I heard it from, its in this doco 8 mins 30 seconds in.

I think some fish open their mouths at eachother to compare the jaw size, if they are similar they will fight if one is quite a bit smaller it will swim away.

Ouch! Okay might stick with the N. pulcher or brichardi then. Deffinitely want something that will be safe in the 3ft. If I got a group of younger ones and a pair forms will the others have to be removed? Or will they tolerate eachother if raised from fry?