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65gal tall Mbuna tank idea

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meangreenstompa
Post subject: 65gal tall Mbuna tank idea
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:10 pm
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Hello, was in a couple of days back and met the guys, I was the British guy with the water to be tested, asking about the mbuna and victorians.

I have a 65gallon tall tank, T5 lights, dolomite/pea gravel substrate, extensive old, inert bogwood decoration. It's filtered by a 2217 Eheim and a Penguin 350, it's heated to 80f. It's been running for about 3 weeks and has already spiked once (with a cloudy water bloom that lasted about 24hrs) but on testing at your shop, ammonia was still at 1ppm. I'm going to leave it another week to allow it to spike as high as it needs to and then drop without a water change.

I'm intending to keep the following, using the crowding method to diffuse aggression (and maximize fish - it's a show tank):

1M 3F Labidochromis caeruleus (I'd need strong yellow ones of a good pedigree, seems like whilst I was away from fishkeeping, these took a hybrid nosedive worldwide!)
1M 3F Melanochromis 'maingano'
1M 3F Pundamilia nyererei (at a size where I can be sure of the sex differences and the male has started to color)
1M 3F ...? - considering Labeotropheus fuelleborni 'red top' or a Cynotilapia sp? I'd like something with an attractive OB female in addition to a stunning male that would stand out from the other fish types.

Also pondering scavenger fish, possibly syno petricola or a botia sp? Wondering how much room I'd have for them tbh.

Feedback appreciated.


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Admin
Post subject: Re: 65gal tall Mbuna tank idea
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:45 pm
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Hello, was in a couple of days back and met the guys, I was the British guy with the water to be tested, asking about the mbuna and victorians.
sorry a little late, missed this post somehow

I have a 65gallon tall tank, T5 lights, dolomite/pea gravel substrate, extensive old, inert bogwood decoration. It's filtered by a 2217 Eheim and a Penguin 350, it's heated to 80f. It's been running for about 3 weeks and has already spiked once (with a cloudy water bloom that lasted about 24hrs) but on testing at your shop, ammonia was still at 1ppm. I'm going to leave it another week to allow it to spike as high as it needs to and then drop without a water change.
sounds about right

I'm intending to keep the following, using the crowding method to diffuse aggression (and maximize fish - it's a show tank):

1M 3F Labidochromis caeruleus (I'd need strong yellow ones of a good pedigree, seems like whilst I was away from fishkeeping, these took a hybrid nosedive worldwide!)
I feel satisfied with the yellows I get usually
1M 3F Melanochromis 'maingano'
1M 3F Pundamilia nyererei (at a size where I can be sure of the sex differences and the male has started to color)
1M 3F ...? - considering Labeotropheus fuelleborni 'red top' or a Cynotilapia sp?
either or both
I'd like something with an attractive OB female in addition to a stunning male that would stand out from the other fish types.
no problem on choice of fish
just choice of tank
4 feet would have been better
but ... you may get by


Also pondering scavenger fish, possibly syno petricola or a botia sp? Wondering how much room I'd have for them tbh.
either or both
any species of Syno is fine

only thing on the botias is
you have to start with VERY small mbuna so that they grow together with the botias

we have almost no Cynotilapia
but we are hoping for a shipment coming in around Nov 28th


Feedback appreciated.

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meangreenstompa
Post subject: Re: 65gal tall Mbuna tank idea
Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:08 am
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Thanks for the reply Ned.
I'm thinking 16 mbuna and perhaps 5 of the scavenger fish would be my maximum (I figured petricola as they are so much smaller than cuckoos, I want to keep a small group as I know they will only come out and show off in a small shoal, keeping cuckoos before, I found 5 an ideal size as the original 3, 1 was picked on a great deal, upping the number diffused this). If you feel this is too many, perhaps just a solitary angelicus or featherfin?

I'm glad your yellow labs are good quality, I've seen too many with no black on the fins, brown bars on the body and some very obviously 1st gen hybrids with something else (broader in the nose, maybe orange zebra crosses?).

As to the fourth choice of mbuna for the tank, just something that won't be confused with any of the previous choices, color or family wise, hence pondering the labeotropheus, cynotilapia or pseudotropheus(maylandia/metriaclima/patatoe/potato... :wink: ) and thinking to myself that that choice would be a 'see them and know they are the ones to own. I've kept a large male and 2 female red top labeotropheus before and the male was an excellent 'peacekeeper' in the tank, his sheer bulk intimidating and keeping the peace among more scrappy smaller fish. I saw you had some red tops and I know they have a very attractive OB female, so that's high on my list but then again, I'm a _ for the BB (why I love zebra chilumba) so perhaps a cynotilapia is the way to go, I know they are a far smaller fish.

My principal concern is ensuring the fish are definitely sexed. I'd like to get the fish at a size where this is established, don't want to be losing fish as the males come to adulthood and wipe each other out/females come under too much pressure and no hiding spots in a small tank with a male in either corner... I'm not good at sexing small yellow labs or juvenile vics and wouldn't have a clue with maingano either, Im happy to buy larger fish if you are more confident in sexing them larger? Up to you.

I do want to introduce them either all at once or in two waves to avoid new introductions getting liquidated. Perhaps I do the yellow labs and Pundamilia first then the melanochromis and mysterious fourth choice in a second wave?


Thanks
Tristan


PS
***I know a 4ft would have been ideal, however I picked this tank up in a sale and it fit in the space in my old house well... I'll be in the market for a BIG tank in a couple of years (I'm after a huge mbuna tank featuring the aggressives, Metriaclima "Zebra Chilumba" Mphanga - the one with the solid racoon mask and black in the dorsal, unlike the maison reef or Luwino variants, Melanochromis chipoake, Tropheops etc)... But that's a couple of years off for now, we already have the 65gal and, as yet not set up 40gal breeder for the bedroom and a 30gal (wife's tank) for the other side of the living room) and the missus will kill me if I get another tank, especially the large one I want... curse this addiction! :P ***


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Admin
Post subject: Re: 65gal tall Mbuna tank idea
Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:30 pm
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ensuring the fish are definitely sexed

on young fish
I can often tell what IS a male
but
I cannot always tell what will STAY a female

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meangreenstompa
Post subject: Re: 65gal tall Mbuna tank idea
Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 3:49 pm
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Ah, I'm still unsure on the mbuna sex change issue, it seems controversial.


On the subject of the fish I want to get, could I place a request for the order you have coming in on the 28th or just show up on the day and pick from what shows up?

Can I have those fish ready for that date? What sort of prices would we be looking at?


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