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Country:
South Africa
Description:
My custom built aquarium designed on Lake Malawi.
Its a 600liter aquarium; L-150cm; W-60cm; H- 80cm. (I know it's short but I wanted the 'flatscreen TV' look)
Filter: Eheim 2250 canister. It works well and is relatively easy to clean as long as you can access the back of the tank easily. I also do 10% water changes weekly, I have had no problems with algae, which is a relief. None of my fish have had disease or died in the last 8 months.
I decided to build this tank for my 21st Birthday present. As a passionate animal enthusiast who has kept various organisms over the years, I wanted a new challenge. After considerable deliberation, I decided that I wanted African Cichlids. As a student of Zoology I was excited to learn more about these beautiful fish, and thus the research began. At first I was overwhelmed by the amount of information on the internet and had no idea where to begin. I found lots of articles contradicting each other on various matters which complicated things. Anyway in the end, I decided to use my own knowledge of animal behaviour and combine the information which I felt was the most reliable. To cut a long story short I decided on a few of the bigger Haps and some smaller Mbunas (the less aggressive species). I purchased all my cichlids as fry so they could grow up together and thus reduce the aggression towards each other (for the record, it worked!) The only trouble is that I had too many males of some species so now they have been moved to my other tank until I can sell them. I will be getting some more females for some of the species. It's been up and running for 9 months now and I have a happy selection of fish in great condition and can definitely recommend these astonishing fish to anyone wanting to keep beautiful and interesting freshwater fish.
Advice:
My biggest word of advice is to do LOTS of research as their are many things you need to consider when dealing with fairly large and potentially aggressive cichlids. Do NOT buy a fish just because it looks pretty! Its your responibility to ensure the health and happiness of your pets.
Fish Kept:
Haps:
Nimbochromis venustus- Giraffe Cichlid (1M/3F)
Copadichromis borleyi- Red Fin Borleyi (1m/2F)
Protomelas taeniolatus- Red Empress (1M/3F)
Crytocara moorii- Blue Dolphin (1M/2F)
Placidochromis milomo (1M/3F)
Peacocks:
Aulonocara baenschi- Aulonocara Benga (4M) 2 Orange form and 2 normal. Getting females soon.
Mbuna:
Labidochromis caeruleus- Electric Yellows (1M/3F)
Metriaclima estherae- Red Zebra (2F i think)
Unknown species. Looks like Melanochromis johanni
Dwarf cichlids:
Pelvicachromis pulcher- Kribensis (1F)
Non-Cichlids:
Common Pleco- (x2)
Chromobotia macracanthus- Clown Loaches (x2)
Corals/Plants:
All fake plants.
Tank Size:
150 gallons
Quote:
'Those wish to sing, always find a song'
About Yourself:
Currently a student of Bsc Zoology and Botany 3rd year. Passionate about the environment and learning everything there is to know about it!
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