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150G(567L) Malawi Tank

2084 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Jason L
Specs

Tank 150G(567L) 60x24x24
Filtration Rena Filstar XP4, Penguin 350, Magnum HOT 250
Lighting Single tube 40W powerglow 1800k I tried two tubes and I found that that much light really washes out the colours.
Heating 1 300W Hagen Tronic, 1 200w Visitherm Deluxe
Substrate White quartz silica sand
Decor 100 pounds of coral and tufa

Fauna
1 P. Crabro
5 P. Acei "Luwala"
6 P. Elongatus "Chewere" 2M 4F
3 Petrotilapia Chitimba 1M 2F
1 OB Peacock
1 Zebra X Socolofi ?
4 Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" (Taiwanee Reef) 4M

Some people may not agree with my stocking, but it is working out really well and I have the ability to remove fish to another tank. After reading and hearing all the horror stories about P. Crabro, I almost removed him. He is the most docile fish I have and really reminds me of an oscar when it comes to interaction.

The background is flagstone with a bead of silicone run along the top edge where it comes in contact with the glass. I think it will look great when the algae covers it.

Full tank shot


I made the stand myself out of a frame of 2x4's with a 3/4" sheet of plywood on the top and bottom. The "doors" are just thin sheets velcro'd to the cabinet. I have a difficult time making doors that work so this idea really worked well for someone with so little skill.



There are three compartments like this one


And my dominant male Taiwan Reef. He is a shade under 3 inches and showing great colour already!


Thanks for looking and as always, I welcome any questions, comments and critiques!
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Thanks for the compliments!

I am not too concerned with the Crabro. He is almost three years old and never once have I seen any aggressive tendencies. I plan on this tank being an all male Peacock, but paying full price for the fish to ensure they are males will take some time. Eventually, when either aggression or $ dictates, the Mbuna(except the Acei) and the OB peacock are going into a spare 75g that is collecting dust in my basement. Once the P. Elongatus "chewere" reach maturity, I will probably move them into the 75 to be safe.
agreed. My OB is the dominant fish in my tank and he will be moved into my mbuna tank when the time comes. I really like his colouration, but he is definitely more mbuna than peacock!



I know some people hate these fish, but anyone that comes to my house notices him first.
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I wasn't happy with the way the flagstone turned out, so I completely changed the scape. I kept the coral and the tufa, but I added a piece of Malaysian bog wood with java fern, anubias nana and anubias afzelli. I really like the punch of colour that the plants add and being of the tough, unappetizing variety; the cichlids have left them alone. I also added a 40W 6700K tube for the plants.

Sorry for the blurry photo, I will try and get some tomorrow when I have better lighting.

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