[KJD66]

Hi everyone, new member here.

Setting up my first Mbuna tank. It's 413 L, 140cm long. Here's my first attempt at the rock setup using mini landscape rock. I'm thinking I may need to go a bit higher on the LHS and maybe lose the rocks in the centre. Any opinions/advice gladly received. Also what do you think would be best number of fish to put in there? I want to try and keep aggression down without it being ridiculously overstocked. Thanks!

 

[DJRansome]

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!

Are you sure you want mbuna? I would double the rock and fill in the space in the middle...you can have separate rock piles but you don't want to leave much substrate other than patches between fingers of rock extending from the pile for males to defend as territory. The guideline is to completely fill the tank to the waterline, but that is hard to achieve. I might toss the 2 biggest rocks and replace with some smaller ones to make more nooks and crannies in between.

Overstocking is a key way to manage aggression among Malawi, especially mbuna. Your length is about 55 inches US which is an unusual size. What is the dimension from front to back?

I assume you are going with mixed gender? Which mbuna made you choose mbuna, we can suggest how to stock them and other fish that will be compatible.

You might manage aggression with the rock you have by choosing peaceful species. 1m:9f each of Labidochromis caeruleus and Pseudotropheus acei. Those numbers may change when we hear the other dimension.

 

[KJD66]

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!

Are you sure you want mbuna? I would double the rock and fill in the space in the middle...you can have separate rock piles but you don't want to leave much substrate other than patches between fingers of rock extending from the pile for males to defend as territory. The guideline is to completely fill the tank to the waterline, but that is hard to achieve. I might toss the 2 biggest rocks and replace with some smaller ones to make more nooks and crannies in between.

Overstocking is a key way to manage aggression among Malawi, especially mbuna. Your length is about 55 inches US which is an unusual size. What is the dimension from front to back?

I assume you are going with mixed gender? Which mbuna made you choose mbuna, we can suggest how to stock them and other fish that will be compatible.

You might manage aggression with the rock you have by choosing peaceful species. 1m:9f each of Labidochromis caeruleus and Pseudotropheus acei. Those numbers may change when we hear the other dimension.

Thanks for the response!

The tank front to back is 50cm so around 20 inches.

I've been looking at hopefully stocking from the following (mixed gender probably): Pseudotropheus Acei, Labidochromis Caeruleus, Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos, Pseudotropheus demasoni, and Pseudotropheus Saulosi. I also hope to add other species such as Syndodontis Multipunctatus, Monodactylus Sebae, Flying Fox fish (not all of them).

I agree I probably need to add a load more rock to what I already have.

 

[DJRansome]

Another thread has been started in Aquascape and that topic also has the species discussion. Let's have replies in the other forum.

 

[shiftyfox]

Oase Highline tank..?