Tropheus w/ Black Sand substrate

2357 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Grumpysmurf, Jun 27, 2008

Grumpysmurf

Discussion Starter · Jun 22, 2008

I'm setting up a 900 litre long and narrow display tank (viewable on both long sides). I had originally planned on a mixed Malawi tank, but as I look at Tropheus, the more I like the idea.

I have already ordered $450 worth of Tahiti Moon Sand (pitch black) as I really liked the idea of black sand. I am also having 8X 54w T5s (10,000k & actinic) as well as 4x 150w 10k MH (will hardly be sued as this is really just future proofing for possible planted or reef in the far future). There will be piles of limestone and 1 large driftwood.

I will no doubt have a colony of Duboisi Maswa, plus maybe another colony of other (more red coloured) Tropheus. Other tanks mates will be some plecos. I will want a heavily stocked tank (thinking 50-70 Tropheus in total!)

My concern is that the dark coloured fish would be camouflaged with the black sand. Does anyone have Tropheus colonies and black sand in their tank? And any pictures?

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IrkedCitizen

· #2 · Jun 22, 2008

Yes and no to the camouflage. The fish really don't stay at the bottom all the time. They like to swim the length of the tank. As the tank is viewable from both sides you'll most likely have a light background so the fish will stick out.

What are the measurements of your tank?

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Grumpysmurf

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 23, 2008

Tank will be 2720mm long, 420mm wide, 760mm high. It will be a room divider to be fitted within dimensions of a current brick pillar, hence the narrow shape. From my reading, it seems as though it would be a perfect shaped tank for these aggressive Tropheus.

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eklikewhoa

· #4 · Jun 23, 2008

I'm thinking if it's for Dubs it would look really good!

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IrkedCitizen

· #5 · Jun 23, 2008

You could keep Duboisi with pretty much any other variant of tropheus as long as it isn't another Duboisi type without fear of hybridization. So with that in mind your possibilities for another variant are limited only by what you can get. You could easily house two colonies of 25-30 fish in that tank for a total of 50-60 tropheus.

That tank measures 107"L x 16.5"W x 30"H for 230 gallons. That will make for a nice tropheus tank. The only cichlids that would really use a tank that tall are Discus and Angelfish. But with that many fish in the tank I don't think you have to worry about it.

If you haven't already done so you can look at the tropheus profile section for a better idea of what second species to keep. Any of the reds or rainbows would look nice as well as Ikola's.

Keep us posted on what you decide. Pictures are a MUST! :thumb:

What are you going to have for filtration?

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Grumpysmurf

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 27, 2008

Other equipment for those interested are;
2X Eheim Pro3 2080
2X Hydor 300W Inline heaters
36W UVC
4X 150W 10,000k MH
4X 54W 10,000k T5
4X 54W Actinic T5
Blue LED moonlights
150Kg Tahiti Moon Sand
Approx 100Kg limestone
1 Large Driftwood

I don't imagine using the MH much at all - just getting the all in one fittings for future-proofing (in case I'm crazy enough to go back to marine or try planted).

I have read many times that Trophs would like to have 7-10x water turnover. I won't have anywhere near that as the Eheims are just 1700 l/hr each. But they are rated for a larger aquarium than other canisters with high flowrate. I am hoping its reputation and design will handle the bio-load.

So far, locally, I've had offers for some Tropheus Sp. Red Moliro. I will be looking for Duboisi Maswa to go with this.

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