Likoma

I have just returned from a road trip through Africa to visit some old and some new friends. Had a killer time. Diving, kayaking, fish and drinking beer. Ill put up more pics as I get time but here are a few teasers. Large African cichlid aquarium Indoor pond with Red Zebras and Cobalts Picture from our balcony.

MagFloats are awesome. Only one I have found so far that's worth the cash which is not cheap. Your LFs can order it for you.

Hey there bud, You might find its a combination of all 3 factors. In a tank that size You could have an exemplary amount of fish resembling the lake. The reality is that mbuna are just doing what they do naturally and hunker in to the rocks. To instantly change the dynamic you could add a colony of open water haps that would act as dither fish. Never underestimate strength in numbers. If you want I can email you with some fish combinations that look really good. Cheers Greg

All good advice. Next step find a person withh a healthy aquarium in your area. Take a fish bucket along to theirs. Syphon water into the bucket and rinse their filter media in the bucket. This seeded water can be placed into your tank speeding up the process drastically. Lots of testing, water changes and minimal feeding for 3 weeks. Good luck and welcome to the stressful, rewarding and exciting world of fishkeeping

Would a large proportion of the fish he sold not still be strain specific if there were boys and girls of the same species? Sorry to hijack this thread. I always see people talking about the species only setup being the only way forward. I would have thought fish species that live in highly populated area would have a counter measure of sorts.

A picture to set the scene. Tank dimensions are 1050x480x750high. I'm working on the video today. It has some good tips on how to protect the plants from the brichardi`s constant excavating. This area has some very neat vertical caves to inspire the chameleon like potential of the calvus. They wedge themselves in there very nicely. The first batch of cohorts. Starting to investigate their area.

I have recently setup an aquarium to house Neolamprologus Brichardi (fairy cichlids) and Altolamprologus Calvus Black. The tank is broken up into 3 specific areas. One that is loaded with boulders that the brichardi can dig into and breed to their hearts content. Then there is a green belt area made up of crypts and then an area for the Calvus which consists of large vertical caves and shadows areas. This section really showcases the Calvus shape and ability to alter its body coloring. Over time the baby brichardi will forage in the green belt area and become prey for the Calvus. Here are a series of pics showing the fish hunting out whiteworms.

Great looking tank. I love the look created by having lots of small independently placed stones giving the tank a much larger feel. This is only improved by the very large boulders used. Great stuff. I look forward to seeing it brimming with Demasoni and Red Top Trewavasae.

Sorry Trelize thats a bit vague. I didnt set it that way for photography. The light that I have recently bought is the Dymax Rex PL Light - 55w Twin ^123cm When it comes to lighting I feel less is more, I feel it gives the tank a natural feel. Someone smarter than I put it into words. "Nicely balanced and a real life look to it. Pristine buffed looking water to. A good set up for viewing in display mode,, because you know a secret little trick that most people don't think of when trying to show of a presentation display. This is: Having the back half of tank dark and not illuminated, and not being able to see through back of tank. And using a small amount of quality T type fluorescent light or a mellowed governed halide usually 16000 kelvin. Just enough light to catch the fish and make them glow in front of the darkness. To often I see displays flooded out with light. "

Thanks for the feedback. For me its all down to a good camera and good filtration. Happy healthy fish do the rest.

Fantastic news John, I know how excited you must be. Speights slogan. Good luck, Greg

Its awesome to see so many fishkeepers setting up Mbuna only tanks. The vibrant colors ,gregarious behavior and social hierarchy is very enjoyable to watch. This aquarium houses 5 different species and is a current favorite of mine. I love the coloring of the Red Top Tewavasae. The orange fins really highlight the pale blue coloring. They are also excellent algae grazer. No need for waste producing plecs. This is shot through our mixed African cichlid aquarium into the mbuna tank.

MO Fewer deadspots, better water quality, fitter fish, less intank maintenanc, all good reasons not to adjust anything. With some large rocks you can create eddies in the fast flow for less dominant fish to hunker in behind. A safe zone. I think strong current is really only an issue in narrow tanks. If it's got a good footprint you're sweet.

Good point. Better contact time for the nitrification process and a higher chance for debris to snag in the mechanical filtration Stage

Sand and stone from a quarry. Sorry dont know what type of stone it is.

Nice setup FlyMike. To answer your question RedRacer, yes you would want to force the water through the Bio media. By placing it between removable baffles of your choosing. By placing a final glass baffle just before the return pump you can improve the performance of the sump by managing the water level, rather than letting the return pump dictate water level. This photo shows an aqua one aquarium that sits in my living room. Its a very efficient system. Been running 1 year with no cleaning. The bio-media is 5cm squares of poret, because it lies after the mechanical filtration area it never gets cleaned. A no maintenance bed of beneficial bacteria that improves with each month of no muddling. Very similar to the Hamburg Matten Filter. It used to house this colony of discus, where it was thoroughly tested.

Good to hear that its holding up well considering the flow rate of your particular system. When I viewed your sump video I was well impressed.

Hey there Kinnadian, Thanks for the feedback. Its good to know when we are not hitting the mark. Honestly I just loved the fish too much and was a little selfish with screen time. I have put together a few photos identifying the HMF2.0 I hope this makes more sense.

Thats a good point David, It`s important to use the right tool for the job. If you are wanting to remove minute particles something with a porosity of 30-45ppi will struggle due to it being unfit for purpose. I have a done a few sumps recently and have employed this setup (see diagram) . Cleaning intervals are large due to the grading of dirt and debris. You also ensure the water reaching the biological media is exceptionally clean. This is the most important factor to ensure that all that internal surface area of ceramic noodles, matrix or effusive remains available. This media encrusted with dirt and mulm is far less effective.

As mentioned Pet Centre Lower Hutts pretty good and Kapiti Kritters in Paraparaumu has cool staff.

Nice pictures Robert, I love the marble peacock. Very nice.

Fantastic tank. Real sleek. How do you get anything done with that in the house.

I think that there would be a mellowing of the curve in their growth trajectory. Smaller fish can handle more protein and over time that potential diminishes. There is definitely a limit as to how much protein they can take in. If I`m around feed up to 10times a day of various foods, a lot less of the protein stuff(man made food NLS, Hikari). 2 feedings works for most people. One early one late. The longer the time in between feeding the bigger the growth potential. Strong healthy fish hate Macdonalds. I have just put together a video on fish nutrition Ill send you a link when its done. Good luck

This aquarium has a water volume of around 500liters. Stocking list: 20 x C. Moorii 20 x T. Moliro 9 x A.Calvus 4 x S.Multipunctatus 5x N.Brichardi 3 x J.Malieri 2 x N. Leleupi 3 x C.Azureus 3 x A.Jacobfreibergei 3 x A. SP Dragonblood 3 x A.Maleri Yellow 5x O. Lithobates Im lovin it! Enjoy http://youtu.be/KSYskxmZq7c

Nice fish Sam, Is the coral red the same as the firefish? Im always left confused with the common names.