Have any suggestions for cool mbuna rocks? Let me know! Hope you like these crazy mbuna. Thanks for watching! Oh and it was Benjaminmoreley1007, not Marley. Oops 😮
@@lmckoskey thank you. Mine isn’t being tormented to death, but you’re not the first one to tell me that. I’ll keep an eye on him and if it isn’t working out, he’ll have a good time in Alcatraz. Thank you 🥰
So back when I was a teenager and had my 135G Mbuna tank, this was a like a million years ago, in the mid-90's, I didn't have enough dough for something fancy like a large Fluval or Ehiem canister filter, so I actually had an under-gravel filter with some powerheads, in a Mbuna tank! Crazy right? Well it worked freakn' great, I spread evenly about 1.5" of crushed coral over the under-gravel plates, and then cut some fiberglass window screen from the hardware store to fit the bottom of the tank, then put about 3 more inches of crushed coral and gravel over the screen, and whala! A Mbuna-proof under-gravel filtered tank! So when they dig, the farthest they will ever get down is to the fiberglass screen, and this provides a barrier to protect the bottom glass of the tank from falling rocks.
I had the same, but in the 70's. My tank was my dad's homebuilt fiberglass (3 sides) and glass rescued from a plate glass window damaged in a hurricane. About 120 gallons.
I have a 65 gallon Mbuna tank and I just added a crimson tide pundamilia today. Everything is going ok so far. I love the colors of the Victorians. I will keep you posted on how everything is going
Various rock sizes will help in cave construction. I usually rearrange my rock work once a month. My cave construction gets better each month. I gathered all my rock from local rivers. Columbia River being one. I boil to sanitize. My tank, 55 gallon currently with 25 mbuna. The only aggression that was too much so far was from Kenyii variety. I rehomed the males, only female Kenyii now. Love thier color. Female mbuna are actually colorful, for most variety. Some drab, yes. But not what you said about females is true. Plenty of color found. So glad you're enjoying your mbuna tank. In all my years of community tanks, the adventure into mbuna has been my favorite by far. I'm 7 months in. Upgrading to a 120 acrylic soon. Sanding and polishing currently. Will shoot for 45 mbuna total, with synodontis petricola group.
It’s so good to hear about other people’s experiences like yours. BTW I said that mbuna females have color, unlike the peacocks and some haps where they are plain silver. I like that about mbuna. In fact, some species like the msobo magunga, I actually prefer the female color.
Hi Miss Stella, are you helping daddy again, I could watch these Mbunas all day long they really are characters! Thank you for taking the time to give us the info needed to keep these guys healthy and happy!
Great video! I have a 75g mbuna tank. I keep maingano, yellow labs, and yellow-tail acei. Here is my response to your video (sorry it's so long)... Don't worry that your food sinks to the bottom. In the wild, mbuna get their food mostly by grazing algae and tiny critters off rocks, not by feeding in open water. So, they are perfectly happy searching for and picking up pellets from the bottom. Aggression… Yes, your mbuna are still technically juveniles. Wait until they are sexually mature. As the saying goes, you ain't seen nuthin' yet. Although, if you don't have any conspecifics (what is your stocking list?), I'm not sure what they will do. Now, the hard part: ROCKS! I struggled a lot with the rock aspect of keeping mbuna. So let me share what I've learned… Don't worry about your rocks sitting directly on the glass. That's exactly what you want. Don't bother with egg-crate or any other type of padding. It isn't necessary and it can actually cause problems if it traps waste. Unless you literally drop a rock into your tank, the rocks will not crack the glass. You mentioned getting bigger rocks than the ones you have. Getting all big rocks doesn't work well, because big rocks alone won't create as many nooks and crannies as a stack of smaller rocks will create. You want a mixture of big and small rocks. Here's a strategy that has worked for me. Use a lot of small (tennis-ball size) rocks as your base layer. Try to find rocks with at least one flat side and put the flat side directly down on the glass (do NOT place them on top of the sand, for obvious reasons). Place them randomly all over the bottom of your tank. Then get some large flat rocks to lay on top of all the tennis-ball-size base-layer rocks. Don't cover 100% of the area; leave a 2-3 inch margin around the entire perimeter, and leave a few lanes/paths uncovered here and there running from the front to the back of your tank. If the lanes/paths are diagonal or curved, that's even better. Now imagine what that looks like. By laying the flat rocks over the randomly placed small rocks, you created mazes of tunnels at the bottom of the tank. Your mbuna will love it! And now you have two or three elevated platforms of large flat rocks upon which you can build upwards by adding more medium and small size rocks. You can just keep layering upward in this way until you reach the desired height. Aim for at least half the height of the tank (two-thirds the height is better; three-quarters is ideal). If you're really nervous about having rocks stacked that high (I sure was!), and if you can afford them, there are ceramic rocks/caves that you can purchase to use for the upper levels of your rock pile. The ceramics are hollow and lightweight, so if they tumble down, they won't crack your glass. An alternative plan that actually works great, though you might not like the aesthetic, is to simply fill your tank two thirds of the way up with short lengths and elbows of pvc pipe. IMO, mbuna "redecorating" (moving sand) is not "irritating." It is precisely all those wacky mbuna behaviors (digging, chasing, and spawning) that makes them so much fun to watch and even interact with! As you hinted at in your video, there is an ongoing contest of wills between me and my mbuna. They keep digging holes and I keep filling them back in. Round and round we go! It remains to be seen who will outlast who. My money is on the fish. LOL! I've kept many different kinds of fish over the years, but mbuna are by far the most interesting and entertaining!
This is such good advice! Absolutely love it. If you can get me your actual name quickly enough, I will actually include it in my next video. Really good info. 3/4 high sounds great, but 😬
Love the video! For the rocks what I did was got some insulation foam from Home depot washed it down, cut it to size then wrapped it with black yard cloth (that way if they dig up the substrate you wouldn't see the pink colour) have had this in my tank for a year now and I have no issues and no stress about rocks cracking the bottom glass
What kind of Mbuna is the one at 2:52? I have one and do not know the type, he is awesome. I named mine Chucky. And their tank is called Arkham aquarium 😅
i have a 75-gallon with mbunas and peacocks. They are all bullies at one time or another. I have a maingano, who I call the enforcer. The tank boss is a yellow metriaclima type mbuna. The tank boss is currently in solitary because he loves to beaat up on my dragon blood peacock. I am doing it all against the way many say you should do it. You know what I mean, they say no plants, because cichlids like to dig, or you should have an mbuna only tank, or you should keep peacocks and haps. I currently have just a few rocks, several pieces of mopani wood, 2 pieces of spiderwood, and multiple plants. Yes, they do love to dig! So, from time to time, I have to readjust objects in the tank. I love my crazy fish!
@NotSure876 I am always willing to listen to advice from others. I have heard many times from many experts that sometimes when a fish is extra abusive, it may need to be taken out of the tank for a time. But I noticed you commented that you lost half of your fish from a mistake you made. You may not be the one I should necessarily take advice from. But thanks, anyways!😊
@@texcalibur2000 How many mistakes have you made that cost you fish in the last 38 years? This was my first since 1986. A time out is a band aid for a bigger issue, like insufficient hiding spots or incorrect scaping, too many or not enough fish or conspecific aggression just to name a few. I know my stuff, maybe you would too if you listened to people
I haven’t had much luck with time outs. I did have a good experience with a timeout and my nuchisquamulatus (Victorian). He was doing too much chasing, so I moved him to the 75 for a few weeks. Put him back in Alcatraz, and he’s been fine for at least a month. Glad you love your fish. I love mine too 🥰🥰
A piece of blue insulation foam underneath your substrate, if the fish clear away the sand and a rock falls on the one inch piece of foam it won’t crack your aquarium glass
I have a 125, full of mubuna and peacocks. I have 2 really strong wave makers and turn them on when I see too much aggression. It works. Everything gets turned off when feeding. When done eating I just turn filters on. Only using wave maker when I see aggression. I really like your channel.
How interesting with the wavemakers. And that you are keeping mbuna with peacocks. I have wavemakers on in Alcatraz and the mbuna tank all the time, but I could turn the one on top of Alcatraz up when things get out of hand. I totally forgot about that - thanks for the reminder! RUclips is so awesome. My VIEWERS like you 🔥
I use egg crate diffuser material on the bottom and then use sand then you can decorate. That helps protects the bottom of the glass just in case they dig out the sand and the rocks fall. As for lake Victorian cichlids I use they in my mbuna tanks and no issues they work great. Oh and I use Texas holey rock 😅 and thing I have been using is PVC as decorations they love swimming in and out of it. Good luck on scape and can't wait for the next video 😁
I like to sit and watch the Mbuna in the 75 gal I have and I can tell you the substrate moving never ends. You can rescape the tank daily and they will go right behind you and redo what you just did, I set mine up two years ago with Black Diamond blasting sand and have never went back in to adjust the substrate only because I learned early on it will get you nowhere but frustrated. Now my 125 gal all male Peacock tank is a different story, I have CaribSea Golden Sunset sand in that tank with a little bit of pea gravel in the corners and sporadically throughout the tank with a couple of tennis ball sized rocks and two fake logs to give it a natural look and those guys aren't nearly as crazy as the Mbuna. I do enjoy both tanks and I don't have one more favorite than the other, but I've had Mbuna off and on for around ten years and just recently started with Peacock cichlids a few months ago, my next set up I have is a 55 gal that I plan on going with Tarkana Jewel cichlids which I'm looking forward to as soon as I find some one who breeds them as I can't find them in any shop within 100 miles of my house.
I certainly agree that those mbuna are much crazier than the peas and haps with decor! Your tanks sound lovely, btw. Join the fb group Cichlid Charmer Fish Keepers and show everyone your tanks.
Its definitely coming along! Good idea on getting some more and bigger rocks - one tip I got when building the structure is but down a bed of small rocks spaced out about 6-8 inches in like a grid then put bigger rocks over them, that way you get a cave structure under it and the bigger caves amongst the bigger rocks higher up. In terms of where to find good rocks, WIO do some great ranges of boulders and their Mega Box ranges give you a lot of rocks, they are expensive compared to finding or perhaps ones from landscaping stores but just really look great, good shapes, textures etc. I've used 3 boxes of their Black Venom Boulders in my Mbuna 75 - you can see it in my first video that I posted a few weeks ago.
Hey just a suggestion for what to put your rocks on. As i mentioned in a comment last video, i have recently set up a 6 foot tank. I used a thick plastic trellis from a hardware store to place on the bottom of my tank before i put any sand or rocks in, this way all the rocks were ontop of the plastic and there is no chance they can be moved by the cichlids while "redecorating". I then placed white sand ontop of the white coloured trellis so that when the fish move the sand to expose the plastic, it blends in with the sand and isn't too ugly. This trellis is probably about 5mm thick and has coin sized gaps in it. Not sure exactly what it is called but thats the best way i can describe it and it works great. I have also heard of people using eggcrates which i didn't know what they were until i looked them up but they seemed a bit too weak for the rock weight and i didn't want to risk it. The material i have currently is really sturdy. I have a picture of the material i used but i dont think there is any way to attach a picture. I hope that helps
That sounds like a brilliant idea actually. And it’s thinner than egg crates, so much less obvious once they start doing the heavy moving. How the heck did you think of that? I’ve done lots of searching and NO ONE has suggested that.
@@CichlidCharmerTo be honest, not sure how I thought of that. Just didn't trust the egg crates as they look like they could collapse under a lot of weight. So because I have a lot of rock weight I thought of some thinner alternatives and stumbled upon that. It works great and is never really visible even with the heavy moving. It's also easier for cleaning the sand as a lot of the sand will get stuck between the egg crates
I have a 125 gallon that's over 25 years old and I've always stacked my rocks right on the bottom glass and backfilled my substrate without any issues. It does have a tempered glass bottom though. Not sure what you have but in my experience it seems safe to stack rocks on the bottom.
Thanks! I’ve heard that from a few others too. Right now they are on bare glass, but it is causing me a little anxiety 😬. Maybe I’ll put a sheet of acrylic down.
I commented before on one of your previous videos. I have a 65 gallon acrylic Mbuna tank. I've had for a year now. I had 23 Mbunas in there but I lost two due to a rock falling on them. Both were Yellow Labs. the last one I lost a couple weeks ago we named Nip-See because when we got him from IT it looked like his fin had been nipped. He started off as the smallest and we worried about him but Nip-See got his weight up and he became a boss of the Yellow Lab tribe. I have Yellow Labs, White Labs, OB Red Zebras, Rusty Cichlids, Blue Cobalts, and Yellow Acei. Those Mbunas stay moving the sand. I have a big Pirate ship in there with a lot of the rocks. They all hide out in the ship because it's so big but most of them have their own separate rock cave. I got my rocks from out of the yard. Boiled them, did the vinegar test and they were good to go. Haven't had any problem accept for the two avalanches. My wife thinks the other fish set them up and committed murder. After all, the tank is called "The Rock." I really love this tank. I tried to downloaded a couple of pictures but was unable to make it happen. I have been cycling a 90 gallon acrylic that I'm doing an all male Peacock tank I think. Going to wait until mid April after we come back from vacation. I still haven't really decided. I really love those Geophagus because of the work they do and I would love to have them. But I don't want to get limited with tank mates. A couple of Severums and that 90 is overcrowded. I'll know when I come back. I enjoy your videos. Really good information. You, Kaveman Kev, and the Cichlid Bros are my go to for information. Keep posting, you help more than you know. Stay Blessed
What a great comment - thank you. I guess our tanks are both Alcatrazes since yours is called the Rock 😎. That really sucks about the avalanche. Sorry man. Your wife is hilarious though 😂. LMK what you decide with your new tank. I’m interested to see what you go with. Thanks again!
I have my 75 gallon tank setup with (I don't want to promote anything, but...) a collection of a 6 popular mass produced ornaments from a big box store that looks like tree bark in the shape of a cave. I twist and turn them and pile them upon one another until it looks like a system of amber color mountain caves. Its light and easy to maneuver. Oh and my mbuna really seem to love it.
People use egg crate/lighting diffuser or even some thin foam (like you put between a tank and the stand) to protect the tank base. Obviously make sure it's aquarium safe. I'm old school and just put them straight in. Re rocks if you don't want jagged rocks or Texas you can stack larger boulder shaped rocks quite easily. If you can't source any try a landscaping type store. In fact you might get some flatter rocks there too. Don't buy in an aquatic store if you can help it or want to pay over the odds! I have quite jagged shale type rocks. Simply because I found an endless supply behind my house. I have had no issues with fish wounding themselves so far... Anyway a visit to a landscaping store might inspire you!
Thank you! I have a place down by the river where I found my current ones. Love the idea of just heading down to a landscaping store. And pet stores are definitely way over priced!
With my mbuna I just got lucky. I watched them in the store and chose the ones that were the least aggressive in the store tank, so they get along pretty well😄
For my peacock and haps I used caribsea rocks and a tree stump with a mix of smaller rocks to great a huge scape that full of hides and eye line breaks. Always a place to be and I love it, I’ve heard jokes, but they didn’t buy it and I’ve posted videos of it with lots of people saying it looks fantastic! My mbuna all rocks and coral stacked, it doesn’t look like much but they all, 35 fish disappear in it with no problem and I see chases but I never see more than maybe some bite mark, mostly just like to swim and “play” they breed and everything so,
Only need to know how to join! Otherwise I’m on “the” tiktok but it’s more of boredom project there, HapiPETS, but I love all my tanks and set ups, ( sorry if this is a double my last reply disappeared)
As for rock try aquatic rocks Colorado you can get 12+” rocks. I would use river rocks or sieryu rocks. For support use plastic egg crates, styrofoam, or thick rubber mats. You can cut and shape all of them to your preference.
I have these caves from Underwater Galleries. Big rock box. They are the most realistic looking and once they age, the small amount of algae makes them look even better. The mbuna absolutely love them too. I have a few pieces of holy rock that the fish have decided to lay over and create their own caves into the sand, looks way better than just setting them in. Should look to add a school of Synodontis. Would definitely add flair to that tank. Absolutely gorgeous fish
Fantastic aquarium! I've had my 90-gallon Mbuna tank up and running for a few months now, housing 13 Yellow Labs, 8 Yellow Tail Acei, and 9 Metriaclima 'Blue Dolphin' Manda. My choice of these species was heavily influenced by their reputation for being relatively peaceful, according to numerous experiences shared by others. Initially, I attempted to introduce 9 Snow White Socolofi but soon realized they were too aggressive for the otherwise harmonious group. But individual results vary. I would recommend steering clear of Mbuna species like Kenyi, Auratus, Demasoni, and Johanni due to their notably aggressive nature.
Sounds like a great tank! I would like to have another mbuna tank with breeding groups, but I’ll have to somehow find room. Somehow…. I agree about the more aggressive mbuna. I also steer clear of them.
My fish are half adults, half Juvy and there is a pretty good amount of aggression in my tank, a lot of chasing, but for the most part, everybody leaves each other alone so you don’t really have to worry about aggression for a while I didn’t have to. Btw it Sam I loved this video❤
Wait till you watch the epic fights for dominance. They really have a lot of personality! Adding a few females is sure to stir up some more action in the tank, specially a few more fights for dominance. The good thing about your setup is that you have mbunas of the more peaceful type. The only exception is the maingano, but they can turn out to be really peaceful as well, specially if there’s not any competition for him in terms of power. The way mbuna tanks work is that, there’s a constant struggle for power between the inmates, the one you need to keep an eye on is the one that loses every fight. When these guys grow older, they pick out the weak one and bully them. The tank boss is always very lightly dominant from my experience after the initial sparring to get to that position. If you’re new to mbuna/don’t want the stress from the added action, I would suggest you stay away from - Auratus, demasoni, kenyi, johanni, elongatus, bumblebee, greshakei, saulosi, etc. Preferably stay away from zebras as well. Love your setup and love the little ones in there ❤️ All the best!
Thank you for all the great advice! I did my research, but failed to find that the maingano was a a bit on the aggressive side. At least there’s hope he won’t go over the edge. Thanks again!
I use lave rock,great for breading and for algea growth, I breed many types of cichlids and this has always gave me the best results for any type of rock fish..
You can use cheap egg crates at laid at the bottom of the tank. Fill with sand until you just cover the egg crates, then put rocks on them and fill the rest with sand. This way the rock will never touch the bottom of the tank even if fish di all the way to the egg crate.
For my mbuna I use carved red lava rock. It’s rough surfaces……but has holes like the Texas Limestone. I piled it up to just over half the depth. The fish behavior is insane. So interesting……….
Great video. I started my 75 gallon Mbuna tank 2 years ago and I really enjoy it, but some species like my old Rusty cichlid (Rambo) was a real ahole, I had to rehome him. I’m slowly transitioning to a mix peacocks and a few selected Mbunas that I really like.
Completely off topic but I was wondering if you're still using the pot scrubbers in your fx's and if so, have you just got these in every tray now along with just the sponges?
Yeah still using them in my Fx6s. They are in the bottom two trays with the top one being coarse and fine sponges if I remember correctly. There might be a tray in one of them with some matrix.
Thank you for all your efforts in making these videos... I enjoy it tremendously. Always looking forward for the next video. I'm from Cape Town, South Africa and I've been in the hobby for the past 2years and has just started my dream tank... 75G (300L) Take a guess which Mbunas I started with... OK ok ok... I added 6 Yellow Labidochromis Caeruleus... Next up will be 6 Speudotropeus Saulosi and then 6 Speudotropeus Acei and then... Then... Then... Another 75G 😂😂😂
You’re welcome! Sounds awesome. I keep wondering if I should have started with some breeding colonies, like you. I’d love to see your tank all the way over in South Africa. You should join our fb group.
@@CichlidCharmer Good morning from sunny Cape Town....hope all is well that side of the BIG POND😂. As a matter of fact I did join your FB page just yesterday😁. Regarding breeding colony...yeah about that ...I just added males only, the reason for that is to curb most of the agression...you should know that when a bunch of guys are enjoing a cold beer and some NFL (Rugby is our equivelent) all is Good...BUT when you add the woman in the mix ....welllll al hell brakes loose...😂🤣😂. Maybe I will do a breeding colony with 1 male and 4 females in the near future.
Hi CC! I also started my first male only Mbuna 75g tank approximately six months ago. I currently have 12 Mbuna ranging from 4.5 inches to 5.5 inches. The aggression has been real but manageable once I isolated the lone demonsi “emphasis on Demon & sigh”. I’ve been told a good overstock is around 22 Mbuna. I’m curious as to what your thoughts are that number and also also your thoughts on repeating a species type? Love the channel!
Hey that’s cool! I have heard about that guy - funny about the “demon” and “si.” 😂 So I am not an overstocker. I like to have a fewer amount than most while still having a good blend that get along fairly well. Refining when I get a really bad seed. If you have 12 and they’re getting along pretty well, I would leave it in a 75. That’s just me. Lots of hiding places for sure too. I would be too afraid to repeat a species.
@@CichlidCharmer Thanks for the reply. Although the temptation to add more is always there, I am inclined to agree with you. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it with another cichlid. Thanks again.
Thumbs up on setting up this new tank, hoping it grows out to rival alcatraz 😂! Suggestion: Yellowtail aceis or other schooling mbunas. question: how do you deal with poop that gets stuck beneath those rocks?
I thought that would be a nightmare, but so far I don’t see much poop down there. I have the Wavemaker blowing across the tank, but I still thought I’d have lots of dead spots. If it does build up, I might have to take some top rocks off and siphon it out. Thanks!
Can I suggest seiryu stone for your mbuna tank . Does have sharp edges but can be found with rounded edges and different shapes and sizes. Helps ph buffering also. Tank looks just great as is in my opinion.
Thanks for the info. I have an all male 75 gallons mbuna tank. I have five Cuckoo Catfish and one Pleco in it as well. They get along well. No problems. You have some stunning mbunas in your tank. Where did you purchase them from? Great video. 👍🏽
After watching this video I am replacing my cichlids stones with river socks and aragonite sand. I have a all male 75 gallon tank as well. I have about 25 mbuna and four cuckoo catfish in there now. I have egg crates on the bottom of my aquarium. I look forward to seeing some more info on your channel concerning mbunas. Can you tell me any RUclips channel that you may be watching concerning mbuna cichlids? Most sites are about haps and peacocks. Thanks again.
Many years ago I had a 4ft aquarium with mostly mbunas I loved it. I have just bought an 8ft aquarium, about 240 gallons. I am considering making a big reef like structure from rocks and stocking LOTS of mbunas. Any reason why it would be a bad idea or wouldnt work?
Hi 👋 I been through what your going through I switched too red lava rock which holds its own it just seems too lock in place when stacked too your desired hight, Put standard plastic grill under substrate too help it lock but left around 4inch clear at front & sides so you can't see it when they've adjusted it lol, Good luck on your choice & keep up the good work 👍👍👍👍👍 Regards Wayne
Plastic egg crate for the rocks v glass bud. I have it in my peacock/hap tank as a safe guard. Cheap and cheerful, and just distributes that rock weight eliminating any pressure points
That’s one of the things I researched actually. I’m wondering about that thin vinyl lattice they use for yards. The gaps are probably too large, but I like how thin it is. Hmm. Maybe a thin acrylic scrap sheet from a glass shop.
Good question. The sand I use controls the pH. It raises it to about 7.8. It’s Caribsea aragonite. Crushed coral in a bag will raise the pH as well. Thank you!
Try lava rocks. I have a 75 gallon mbuna tank with lava rocks. I have it stacked fairly high. Plenty of places for them to dart in and out of. Also great place for frye to hide. I’ve had a ton of frye survive and grow to adults.
Wow thank you 🙏 I am using the Canon R6 II usually with the Canon Rf 35mm f1.8 or the Tamron EF 35mm F1.4. Sometimes the Sigma EF 24mm f1.4. That’s what I use for filming me. For the fish I still use my iPhone.
@CichlidCharmer WoW, the way you said that seems like I asked an expert camera man from RUclips. From the camera to lenses is well. Excellent buddy. Thank you. Love your videos and your sense of humour, along with the sound effects that are made in the videos. It definitely makes me 🤣😂🤣😂 for sure
lol, well I am photographer who has just recently delved into the world of videography. I put a lot of effort into making them look somewhat interesting, but I just don’t have time to do more. Some of these RUclipsrs are SO GOOD! But thank you so much. I love it when someone appreciates the extra things 🥰
@@Waterloo.cichlidsso that should be more than enough, but two 150s and a controller 🔥. That way you have a back up of one fails to turn on, and if one wants to stay on all the time, the controller will prevent it from doing so. A controller should also extend the life of your heaters.
Thank you! I have an Fluval Fx4 and a 407. I like Fx6s more than fx4s. I bought it before I realized if you are paying for an fx4, might as well get the extra basket and get an fx6.
What are the best tank mates for mbuna cichlids to distract them from each other and break the line of sight. I have tons of hiding places but my maingano cichlid is such a bully he goes out his way to force them out of hiding.
I don’t think there are good dither fish for Africans. They could wind up dead. So… that maingano might just be a jerk. Make sure the tank is the right size and there are lots of hiding places. Leave the light off and see if that helps. Also check your stocking level to see if you might add or remove some. He could also be too aggressive. Sometimes that happens and you have to rehome.
I two large tanks are acrylics from fish tanks direct. I have another glass tank coming from Custom Aquariums. Expensive, but great reviews. My 75 is an Aqueon from Petco. It does the trick unless you want to spend the money for something nicer.
Hi There, New subscribers back to SA Cichlids after 10 or so years. 🙂 May I ask why you don’t want the Texas holy rock in this tank. Just curious if it’s an issue or just preference. I’ve just put a very holy 20kg rock in a new tank set up with natural Argonite substrate. Recommended by store. No fish yet. Still waiting for it to cycle. 😅 Cheers, DD. 🇦🇺
Hey welcome back to the crazy world of cichlids. I just prefer the looks of other rock. Especially with my light sand. I don’t like all the small holes in it, and white on white doesn’t have much contrast. Lots of people love it though! 🥰. You must be really excited to get some fish in there!
@@CichlidCharmer oh thanks for that. I know what you mean, Yeah I thought that too (little contrast) but there wasn’t that much choice otherwise. In fact it actually looks quite nice with dark blue background. And the rock is sorta smooth not like the moon, but huge hole holes. Just making sure it’s got some bacteria 🦠 life and all before i load it up. Oh my $150 aud for 1 rock. lol. Extortion. Great channel. Informative and appreciate your style. Nice pupper also.
I have Msobos. 1 male and 5 of the yellow females you have. Love the difference in look between male and female. But the females we nicknamed the minions.
Hey. Great channel. I have peacocks. Male only. But I was thinking about adding fish from other lakes too but not sure tbh. P.s I do have a yellow lab mbuna in the peacock tank and that's working for now
I would think the lab would be fine with the peacocks. Those peas can get really nasty. I had mine with my haps, and I decided to just do mostly haps because they were easier and I thought they weee cool anyway. Another viewer commented that he turns on his wavemakers when the aggression gets out of control. If you have powerful wavemakers that can be an idea. If I had just a peacock tank, I would probably just leave it as a peacock only tank. Thank you so much 🥰
@CichlidCharmer thanks for the reply. Yes I have two wave makers . One on each side of the tank. Reefwave plus a tmc. I get great flow with fx6 also. And turn them up when things get abot funky on there. I like the haps but they do get really large so I will probably stick with peacocks only. Thanks for the advice :)
Jebo makes a black plastic grating for the bottom of the tank to distribute the rock weight evenly. I have 3 for my new Cichlid tank I can send you a pic of the tag for product info.
I have a 180 gallon mixed Mbuna, Peacock and Hap tank. I use large Cobbles to build caves etc and the Mbuna love it. The peacocks and Haps just swim around loving life. My ice blue Red top Mbuna is the boss of the tank, he's 5 inches now and none of the fish dare bother him.... apart from my rather stupid red marbled peacock, who will insist swimming into his space and being chased off.... Every time, just doesn't learn 🤦😂
Sounds like a great tank! It looks like cobbles are just about the same as my river rock. At least it looks that way to me. That’s hilarious about your peacock 😂😂
I have a melanocromis auratus named richard. (Dick for short, also for a reason) He gets so mad when i redecorate "his" tank. He will go as far as going to the side of the tank im observing from and spit sand in my direction. These guys are in the top 3 for being jerks and definitely arent for the faint of heart haha!
Sure! The substrate is Caribsea aragonite. It helps get the pH up to almost 8. The rock is river rock from a local river, but you can buy it at Lowes. Thanks for watching 👀
I’d keep ‘em separate. The only mbuna I am comfortable keeping with my peas and haps (not including Victorians) are yellow labs. They do fine with more meat in their diet too. Having said that, others have been successful with other mbuna mixed in with peacocks.
Build a rock structure w the liquid superglue and cotton method. Totally safe and inert, and your structures will never collapse, endangering your guys.
@@CichlidCharmer I have seen some on there Web site that have crevices big enough for the fish to hide and hide pumps and filtration behind it, but the tank would probably need to be wide
I would to ask you a Question I have a Mbuna for over a month and half but the water don't want to change over to clear. It stay cloudy I try everything I use prime and stability and I trying now water Clarifier. nothing is working for me I did a 10% water change just the help to fix the problem.
You might have a bacterial bloom. That’s pretty common with new tanks. Kind of a milky look to the water. Clarifiers wouldn’t work, because it’s not really particles clouding it up. It’ll clear up on its own. Just keep checking your parameters and add Prime as needed if there is any ammonia or nitrite.
What I personally use for my Mbuna is the large smooth river stone from lows, it’s stacks very easily and is really good for growing the algae they like to eat
You need to put this at the bottom of your tank. I got mines from Home Depot. Aquarium Fish Tank Bottom Isolation 4 Pcs, Plastic Egg Crate Grid Divider Tray Egg (L 4pcs Black) Amazon's Choice in Aquarium Décor Tank Dividers by
It was either that or start some harems. If I did harems, I would probably only have three different species in a 75. I wanted more variety and I didn’t want fry.
@@CichlidCharmer ok but what if you have two or three same species is that going to be a problem you think? Im asking because i have like 3-5 same species cichlids males and they are boiling water inside there. So im thinking to do same like you, because they attacking just their own species fish
@@redassumskas3746 Yes, that's called conspecific aggression. They hate anyone that looks like them (don't ask me how they can tell!). So it's best not to have two yellows, two mostly blues, etc. You can get away with it sometimes, or if you have several females for each male (like four or so), but I tried to keep mine different-looking enough that it wouldn't be a problem, and so far there has been very little aggression. No torn fins, damaged scales at all.
just a week ago i asked you wether you had a fire Uganda and you said you did not , i think you might be referring that you dont have it in "Alcatraz" ?
An! Someone else asked me the same thing and I actually just totally brain farted it 🤪. I found his comment and corrected my answer and forgot yours I guess. He so far looks nothing like my last one because the old one had color from the start. We shall see with this guy. Sorry for the lie!
I have a young adult fire red Uganda and if you use your imagination you might think you can see red in him, he's more silver so like you I hope his colors start to show.@@CichlidCharmer
Cichlid Farmer the tank looks ok. It needs more rocks. Here is a good idea. When you get the rocks put them in a container full of water and put it in the sun. You want the rocks to be heavily infested with algae. Then place those rocks in the tank and layer it up. You will be saying algae is bad but however the algae will produce natural behaviour because the mbunas will be grazing. Let me know what you think of this suggestion. Keep trolling.
They will get way more aggressive.....brutally aggressive! Locking lips as well. You should rise up your intake. Otherwise, you will find a lot of sand in your canister. Sill love them, though. 😉👍
@@CichlidCharmer ... also, since Mbuna need hard, alkaline water, Tufa Rock acts as a pH and mineral buffer because it's basically a form of limestone. Use it with at least some coral sand or ground shell substrate, and pH should remain nicely stable once the aquarium is cycled. If your pH drops below 7.8 or so with those materials in your aquarium, you know something has gone seriously wrong, requiring emergency attention. If you can't use all Tufa Rock, possibly due to cost,, other limestone variants can be used in conjunction therewith. If push comes to shove, use some marine coral skeletons (rounded types like brain coral) as part of the hidden understructure. Some of these might be tough to work with, but again, you're basically dealing with limestone.
I DID HAVE an all mbuna tank in one of my 75#, had a lot of Texas holey rock in this tank . I loved the beautiful fish, but their constant digging and rearranging drove me crazy and every water change I felt that I needed to take all rock out and level sand then put rocks back in. It proved to be a little too much for me , along with 3 other tanks to also take care of. I woke up one Friday, decided to list all of the fish for sale , $10 each , sold them to my pet groomer in 15 minutes time , and now also have peacocks/ haps in this tank also.
You know I could DEFINITELY see that. For now I still love that they dig more than I hate the look of the tank, but that could change. And good on ya for realizing it taking more time than you’d like and making the change to something that fits into your schedule better 😎
They’re looking great!! I’d definitely add more rocks and go much higher. I ordered a bunch today , but I’m going mixed sex Here’s the mbuna tank I had for a few months, these are sharp rocks, but I’d go this high or even higher ruclips.net/video/eZP9B4J5OsI/видео.htmlfeature=shared
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Have any suggestions for cool mbuna rocks? Let me know! Hope you like these crazy mbuna. Thanks for watching! Oh and it was Benjaminmoreley1007, not Marley. Oops 😮
Put egg crates in under the sand to protect the glass, we have done Victorians with Mbuna and they torment them to death… literally!
@@lmckoskey thank you. Mine isn’t being tormented to death, but you’re not the first one to tell me that. I’ll keep an eye on him and if it isn’t working out, he’ll have a good time in Alcatraz. Thank you 🥰
Blue 1 inch foam insulation from the hardware store under your substrate
i use pretty slate that has streaks of white marble in it
its very pretty
So back when I was a teenager and had my 135G Mbuna tank, this was a like a million years ago, in the mid-90's, I didn't have enough dough for something fancy like a large Fluval or Ehiem canister filter, so I actually had an under-gravel filter with some powerheads, in a Mbuna tank! Crazy right? Well it worked freakn' great, I spread evenly about 1.5" of crushed coral over the under-gravel plates, and then cut some fiberglass window screen from the hardware store to fit the bottom of the tank, then put about 3 more inches of crushed coral and gravel over the screen, and whala! A Mbuna-proof under-gravel filtered tank! So when they dig, the farthest they will ever get down is to the fiberglass screen, and this provides a barrier to protect the bottom glass of the tank from falling rocks.
It’s brilliant!
I had the same, but in the 70's. My tank was my dad's homebuilt fiberglass (3 sides) and glass rescued from a plate glass window damaged in a hurricane. About 120 gallons.
I have a 65 gallon Mbuna tank and I just added a crimson tide pundamilia today. Everything is going ok so far. I love the colors of the Victorians. I will keep you posted on how everything is going
Crimson tide - would love to have one in my mbuna tank. Yeah let me know how it goes. Sounds like we’re in the same adventure
Various rock sizes will help in cave construction. I usually rearrange my rock work once a month. My cave construction gets better each month.
I gathered all my rock from local rivers. Columbia River being one. I boil to sanitize.
My tank, 55 gallon currently with 25 mbuna. The only aggression that was too much so far was from Kenyii variety. I rehomed the males, only female Kenyii now. Love thier color.
Female mbuna are actually colorful, for most variety. Some drab, yes. But not what you said about females is true. Plenty of color found.
So glad you're enjoying your mbuna tank. In all my years of community tanks, the adventure into mbuna has been my favorite by far. I'm 7 months in.
Upgrading to a 120 acrylic soon. Sanding and polishing currently. Will shoot for 45 mbuna total, with synodontis petricola group.
It’s so good to hear about other people’s experiences like yours. BTW I said that mbuna females have color, unlike the peacocks and some haps where they are plain silver. I like that about mbuna. In fact, some species like the msobo magunga, I actually prefer the female color.
@@CichlidCharmerMsobo are one of the types I ordered, I requested 2 males and 3 females
@@NotSure876 That'll be a good mix
Hi Miss Stella, are you helping daddy again, I could watch these Mbunas all day long they really are characters! Thank you for taking the time to give us the info needed to keep these guys healthy and happy!
Thanks, Polly. It’s hard to keep her head I. The frame because she’s just SO relaxed. I should carry her over my shoulders like a baby sheep.
You need one of those front infant carrier lol.@@CichlidCharmer
Great video! I have a 75g mbuna tank. I keep maingano, yellow labs, and yellow-tail acei. Here is my response to your video (sorry it's so long)...
Don't worry that your food sinks to the bottom. In the wild, mbuna get their food mostly by grazing algae and tiny critters off rocks, not by feeding in open water. So, they are perfectly happy searching for and picking up pellets from the bottom.
Aggression… Yes, your mbuna are still technically juveniles. Wait until they are sexually mature. As the saying goes, you ain't seen nuthin' yet. Although, if you don't have any conspecifics (what is your stocking list?), I'm not sure what they will do.
Now, the hard part: ROCKS! I struggled a lot with the rock aspect of keeping mbuna. So let me share what I've learned…
Don't worry about your rocks sitting directly on the glass. That's exactly what you want. Don't bother with egg-crate or any other type of padding. It isn't necessary and it can actually cause problems if it traps waste. Unless you literally drop a rock into your tank, the rocks will not crack the glass.
You mentioned getting bigger rocks than the ones you have. Getting all big rocks doesn't work well, because big rocks alone won't create as many nooks and crannies as a stack of smaller rocks will create. You want a mixture of big and small rocks.
Here's a strategy that has worked for me. Use a lot of small (tennis-ball size) rocks as your base layer. Try to find rocks with at least one flat side and put the flat side directly down on the glass (do NOT place them on top of the sand, for obvious reasons). Place them randomly all over the bottom of your tank. Then get some large flat rocks to lay on top of all the tennis-ball-size base-layer rocks. Don't cover 100% of the area; leave a 2-3 inch margin around the entire perimeter, and leave a few lanes/paths uncovered here and there running from the front to the back of your tank. If the lanes/paths are diagonal or curved, that's even better. Now imagine what that looks like. By laying the flat rocks over the randomly placed small rocks, you created mazes of tunnels at the bottom of the tank. Your mbuna will love it! And now you have two or three elevated platforms of large flat rocks upon which you can build upwards by adding more medium and small size rocks. You can just keep layering upward in this way until you reach the desired height. Aim for at least half the height of the tank (two-thirds the height is better; three-quarters is ideal). If you're really nervous about having rocks stacked that high (I sure was!), and if you can afford them, there are ceramic rocks/caves that you can purchase to use for the upper levels of your rock pile. The ceramics are hollow and lightweight, so if they tumble down, they won't crack your glass.
An alternative plan that actually works great, though you might not like the aesthetic, is to simply fill your tank two thirds of the way up with short lengths and elbows of pvc pipe.
IMO, mbuna "redecorating" (moving sand) is not "irritating." It is precisely all those wacky mbuna behaviors (digging, chasing, and spawning) that makes them so much fun to watch and even interact with! As you hinted at in your video, there is an ongoing contest of wills between me and my mbuna. They keep digging holes and I keep filling them back in. Round and round we go! It remains to be seen who will outlast who. My money is on the fish. LOL! I've kept many different kinds of fish over the years, but mbuna are by far the most interesting and entertaining!
This is such good advice! Absolutely love it. If you can get me your actual name quickly enough, I will actually include it in my next video. Really good info. 3/4 high sounds great, but 😬
@@CichlidCharmer Happy to talk fishkeeping any time. As for my name, "S. Arch" is all I can give you. Thanks.
Love the video!
For the rocks what I did was got some insulation foam from Home depot washed it down, cut it to size then wrapped it with black yard cloth (that way if they dig up the substrate you wouldn't see the pink colour) have had this in my tank for a year now and I have no issues and no stress about rocks cracking the bottom glass
Thank you!
Sounds like you were smart about it. Good solution and keeps your tank safe!
I use under gravel filters panels. They not only create a nice base for rocks, but if you use it as intended, it adds an extra filter.
What kind of Mbuna is the one at 2:52? I have one and do not know the type, he is awesome. I named mine Chucky. And their tank is called Arkham aquarium 😅
I believe you are looking at the jalo reef. Great name for your fish and especially the tank!
i have a 75-gallon with mbunas and peacocks. They are all bullies at one time or another. I have a maingano, who I call the enforcer. The tank boss is a yellow metriaclima type mbuna. The tank boss is currently in solitary because he loves to beaat up on my dragon blood peacock. I am doing it all against the way many say you should do it. You know what I mean, they say no plants, because cichlids like to dig, or you should have an mbuna only tank, or you should keep peacocks and haps. I currently have just a few rocks, several pieces of mopani wood, 2 pieces of spiderwood, and multiple plants. Yes, they do love to dig! So, from time to time, I have to readjust objects in the tank. I love my crazy fish!
If you’re having to put fish in a time-out tank, then maybe you should start doing what people are telling you
@NotSure876 I am always willing to listen to advice from others. I have heard many times from many experts that sometimes when a fish is extra abusive, it may need to be taken out of the tank for a time. But I noticed you commented that you lost half of your fish from a mistake you made. You may not be the one I should necessarily take advice from. But thanks, anyways!😊
@@texcalibur2000 How many mistakes have you made that cost you fish in the last 38 years? This was my first since 1986. A time out is a band aid for a bigger issue, like insufficient hiding spots or incorrect scaping, too many or not enough fish or conspecific aggression just to name a few. I know my stuff, maybe you would too if you listened to people
I haven’t had much luck with time outs. I did have a good experience with a timeout and my nuchisquamulatus (Victorian). He was doing too much chasing, so I moved him to the 75 for a few weeks. Put him back in Alcatraz, and he’s been fine for at least a month. Glad you love your fish. I love mine too 🥰🥰
@@CichlidCharmer I think timeouts work when the underlying problem is fixed. I’m batting about.500 using them
A piece of blue insulation foam underneath your substrate, if the fish clear away the sand and a rock falls on the one inch piece of foam it won’t crack your aquarium glass
Thank you!
I have a 125, full of mubuna and peacocks. I have 2 really strong wave makers and turn them on when I see too much aggression. It works. Everything gets turned off when feeding. When done eating I just turn filters on. Only using wave maker when I see aggression. I really like your channel.
How interesting with the wavemakers. And that you are keeping mbuna with peacocks. I have wavemakers on in Alcatraz and the mbuna tank all the time, but I could turn the one on top of Alcatraz up when things get out of hand. I totally forgot about that - thanks for the reminder! RUclips is so awesome. My VIEWERS like you 🔥
I use egg crate diffuser material on the bottom and then use sand then you can decorate. That helps protects the bottom of the glass just in case they dig out the sand and the rocks fall. As for lake Victorian cichlids I use they in my mbuna tanks and no issues they work great. Oh and I use Texas holey rock 😅 and thing I have been using is PVC as decorations they love swimming in and out of it. Good luck on scape and can't wait for the next video 😁
Excellent ideas, cichlidman! I have a few pipes in my tank, but I think I could use some more. These fish are so interesting!
I have a 75 that I am getting ready for these buggers 😂
I like to sit and watch the Mbuna in the 75 gal I have and I can tell you the substrate moving never ends.
You can rescape the tank daily and they will go right behind you and redo what you just did, I set mine up two years ago with Black Diamond blasting sand and have never went back in to adjust the substrate only because I learned early on it will get you nowhere but frustrated.
Now my 125 gal all male Peacock tank is a different story, I have CaribSea Golden Sunset sand in that tank with a little bit of pea gravel in the corners and sporadically throughout the tank with a couple of tennis ball sized rocks and two fake logs to give it a natural look and those guys aren't nearly as crazy as the Mbuna.
I do enjoy both tanks and I don't have one more favorite than the other, but I've had Mbuna off and on for around ten years and just recently started with Peacock cichlids a few months ago, my next set up I have is a 55 gal that I plan on going with Tarkana Jewel cichlids which I'm looking forward to as soon as I find some one who breeds them as I can't find them in any shop within 100 miles of my house.
I certainly agree that those mbuna are much crazier than the peas and haps with decor! Your tanks sound lovely, btw. Join the fb group Cichlid Charmer Fish Keepers and show everyone your tanks.
I have a lake tanganyika 5 bar cichlid in my mbuna tank. He has been in there 3-4 months and is doing great.
Its definitely coming along! Good idea on getting some more and bigger rocks - one tip I got when building the structure is but down a bed of small rocks spaced out about 6-8 inches in like a grid then put bigger rocks over them, that way you get a cave structure under it and the bigger caves amongst the bigger rocks higher up.
In terms of where to find good rocks, WIO do some great ranges of boulders and their Mega Box ranges give you a lot of rocks, they are expensive compared to finding or perhaps ones from landscaping stores but just really look great, good shapes, textures etc. I've used 3 boxes of their Black Venom Boulders in my Mbuna 75 - you can see it in my first video that I posted a few weeks ago.
Very good suggestions - thank you! I’ll have to look at those black venom boulders and at your channel. Thanks Will!
Hey just a suggestion for what to put your rocks on. As i mentioned in a comment last video, i have recently set up a 6 foot tank. I used a thick plastic trellis from a hardware store to place on the bottom of my tank before i put any sand or rocks in, this way all the rocks were ontop of the plastic and there is no chance they can be moved by the cichlids while "redecorating". I then placed white sand ontop of the white coloured trellis so that when the fish move the sand to expose the plastic, it blends in with the sand and isn't too ugly. This trellis is probably about 5mm thick and has coin sized gaps in it. Not sure exactly what it is called but thats the best way i can describe it and it works great. I have also heard of people using eggcrates which i didn't know what they were until i looked them up but they seemed a bit too weak for the rock weight and i didn't want to risk it. The material i have currently is really sturdy. I have a picture of the material i used but i dont think there is any way to attach a picture. I hope that helps
That sounds like a brilliant idea actually. And it’s thinner than egg crates, so much less obvious once they start doing the heavy moving. How the heck did you think of that? I’ve done lots of searching and NO ONE has suggested that.
@@CichlidCharmerTo be honest, not sure how I thought of that. Just didn't trust the egg crates as they look like they could collapse under a lot of weight. So because I have a lot of rock weight I thought of some thinner alternatives and stumbled upon that. It works great and is never really visible even with the heavy moving. It's also easier for cleaning the sand as a lot of the sand will get stuck between the egg crates
I have a 125 gallon that's over 25 years old and I've always stacked my rocks right on the bottom glass and backfilled my substrate without any issues. It does have a tempered glass bottom though. Not sure what you have but in my experience it seems safe to stack rocks on the bottom.
Thanks! I’ve heard that from a few others too. Right now they are on bare glass, but it is causing me a little anxiety 😬. Maybe I’ll put a sheet of acrylic down.
Lmao love you humor man. Enjoy watching your videos!!! Gonna start a mbuna tank myself. Just learning first
Thank you. You’re a smart man. Check out some videos by prime time aquatics.
I commented before on one of your previous videos. I have a 65 gallon acrylic Mbuna tank. I've had for a year now. I had 23 Mbunas in there but I lost two due to a rock falling on them. Both were Yellow Labs. the last one I lost a couple weeks ago we named Nip-See because when we got him from IT it looked like his fin had been nipped. He started off as the smallest and we worried about him but Nip-See got his weight up and he became a boss of the Yellow Lab tribe. I have Yellow Labs, White Labs, OB Red Zebras, Rusty Cichlids, Blue Cobalts, and Yellow Acei. Those Mbunas stay moving the sand. I have a big Pirate ship in there with a lot of the rocks. They all hide out in the ship because it's so big but most of them have their own separate rock cave. I got my rocks from out of the yard. Boiled them, did the vinegar test and they were good to go. Haven't had any problem accept for the two avalanches. My wife thinks the other fish set them up and committed murder. After all, the tank is called "The Rock." I really love this tank. I tried to downloaded a couple of pictures but was unable to make it happen. I have been cycling a 90 gallon acrylic that I'm doing an all male Peacock tank I think. Going to wait until mid April after we come back from vacation. I still haven't really decided. I really love those Geophagus because of the work they do and I would love to have them. But I don't want to get limited with tank mates. A couple of Severums and that 90 is overcrowded. I'll know when I come back. I enjoy your videos. Really good information. You, Kaveman Kev, and the Cichlid Bros are my go to for information. Keep posting, you help more than you know. Stay Blessed
What a great comment - thank you. I guess our tanks are both Alcatrazes since yours is called the Rock 😎. That really sucks about the avalanche. Sorry man. Your wife is hilarious though 😂. LMK what you decide with your new tank. I’m interested to see what you go with. Thanks again!
Oh, you should join Cichlid Charmer Fish Keepers on fb. I’d love to see your tank, as would everyone else there.
Add some floor tiles to the bottom of the tank. They'll be like a false floor that helps distribute weight and pressure points.
Thanks!
I have my 75 gallon tank setup with (I don't want to promote anything, but...) a collection of a 6 popular mass produced ornaments from a big box store that looks like tree bark in the shape of a cave. I twist and turn them and pile them upon one another until it looks like a system of amber color mountain caves. Its light and easy to maneuver. Oh and my mbuna really seem to love it.
Sounds like you’ve nailed it down, Sue! 🥰
When the fish move sand it's added nice and naturalistic features to the scape of tank. Simplistic but beautiful tank
Thank you!
People use egg crate/lighting diffuser or even some thin foam (like you put between a tank and the stand) to protect the tank base. Obviously make sure it's aquarium safe. I'm old school and just put them straight in.
Re rocks if you don't want jagged rocks or Texas you can stack larger boulder shaped rocks quite easily. If you can't source any try a landscaping type store. In fact you might get some flatter rocks there too. Don't buy in an aquatic store if you can help it or want to pay over the odds!
I have quite jagged shale type rocks. Simply because I found an endless supply behind my house. I have had no issues with fish wounding themselves so far...
Anyway a visit to a landscaping store might inspire you!
Thank you! I have a place down by the river where I found my current ones. Love the idea of just heading down to a landscaping store. And pet stores are definitely way over priced!
Search lace rock. A lot of it can be on the sharp side, but you can find some smooth ones. I’ve seen it, and used it myself for years successfully
Excellent -- thank you!
With my mbuna I just got lucky. I watched them in the store and chose the ones that were the least aggressive in the store tank, so they get along pretty well😄
Good idea
@@CichlidCharmer yeah but sometimes you don’t get to get the prettiest one because a lot of times that one’s the aggressive fish lol
@@tiffanyclark-grove1989 They sure can be -- good observation lol!
For my peacock and haps I used caribsea rocks and a tree stump with a mix of smaller rocks to great a huge scape that full of hides and eye line breaks. Always a place to be and I love it, I’ve heard jokes, but they didn’t buy it and I’ve posted videos of it with lots of people saying it looks fantastic! My mbuna all rocks and coral stacked, it doesn’t look like much but they all, 35 fish disappear in it with no problem and I see chases but I never see more than maybe some bite mark, mostly just like to swim and “play” they breed and everything so,
That sounds wonderful. I wish you were a member of the Cichlid Charmer Fish Keepers group. I’d love to see those setups.
Only need to know how to join! Otherwise I’m on “the” tiktok but it’s more of boredom project there, HapiPETS, but I love all my tanks and set ups, ( sorry if this is a double my last reply disappeared)
@@HapiPETSWM facebook.com/groups/688794539950086. I don't ever use tiktok 😔
@@CichlidCharmerI don’t blame you!
Finally someone that uses Caribsea rocks for Cichlids.
I always use light diffuser on the bottom of all my tanks, even the acrylic tanks and also those that aren't African cichlid tanks.
Appreciate that - thanks. Sounds like a good plan.
I use egg crate panels under Mbuna tanks substrate black lava rock for grippy needs but not as pretty as seriyu so I use that on top and hide the lava
I actually just did a new video on remodeling the entire tank, including the addition of an egg crate. Your tank sounds nice 👍
As for rock try aquatic rocks Colorado you can get 12+” rocks. I would use river rocks or sieryu rocks.
For support use plastic egg crates, styrofoam, or thick rubber mats. You can cut and shape all of them to your preference.
I have these caves from Underwater Galleries. Big rock box. They are the most realistic looking and once they age, the small amount of algae makes them look even better. The mbuna absolutely love them too. I have a few pieces of holy rock that the fish have decided to lay over and create their own caves into the sand, looks way better than just setting them in. Should look to add a school of Synodontis. Would definitely add flair to that tank. Absolutely gorgeous fish
Looked em up!
Fantastic aquarium! I've had my 90-gallon Mbuna tank up and running for a few months now, housing 13 Yellow Labs, 8 Yellow Tail Acei, and 9 Metriaclima 'Blue Dolphin' Manda. My choice of these species was heavily influenced by their reputation for being relatively peaceful, according to numerous experiences shared by others. Initially, I attempted to introduce 9 Snow White Socolofi but soon realized they were too aggressive for the otherwise harmonious group. But individual results vary. I would recommend steering clear of Mbuna species like Kenyi, Auratus, Demasoni, and Johanni due to their notably aggressive nature.
Sounds like a great tank! I would like to have another mbuna tank with breeding groups, but I’ll have to somehow find room. Somehow…. I agree about the more aggressive mbuna. I also steer clear of them.
Can you please do an update video on your mbuna tank and give individual fish profiles?
That’s a great idea. I kind of put that concept on the back burner while I was preparing for the new tank. Thanks for the reminder!
My fish are half adults, half Juvy and there is a pretty good amount of aggression in my tank, a lot of chasing, but for the most part, everybody leaves each other alone so you don’t really have to worry about aggression for a while I didn’t have to. Btw it Sam I loved this video❤
Aw thanks for the info Sam. I know who the great SCRAT is 🥰
Wait till you watch the epic fights for dominance. They really have a lot of personality!
Adding a few females is sure to stir up some more action in the tank, specially a few more fights for dominance.
The good thing about your setup is that you have mbunas of the more peaceful type. The only exception is the maingano, but they can turn out to be really peaceful as well, specially if there’s not any competition for him in terms of power.
The way mbuna tanks work is that, there’s a constant struggle for power between the inmates, the one you need to keep an eye on is the one that loses every fight. When these guys grow older, they pick out the weak one and bully them. The tank boss is always very lightly dominant from my experience after the initial sparring to get to that position.
If you’re new to mbuna/don’t want the stress from the added action, I would suggest you stay away from -
Auratus, demasoni, kenyi, johanni, elongatus, bumblebee, greshakei, saulosi, etc.
Preferably stay away from zebras as well.
Love your setup and love the little ones in there ❤️ All the best!
Thank you for all the great advice! I did my research, but failed to find that the maingano was a a bit on the aggressive side. At least there’s hope he won’t go over the edge. Thanks again!
I like the larger rip rap rock they use the fill in ditches. It’s all a light grey but lots of shapes and sizes.
Thanks. Are some of them smooth and rounded?
Some what smooth. Not much rounded, very natural looking though.
For the rocks 🪨 touching the glass use 4 ft. x 2 ft. Suspended Egg Crate Light Ceiling Panel that’s what used for years and it works great
Thank you. That was one of my thoughts. Glad to know you think it’s working well 😊
I use lave rock,great for breading and for algea growth, I breed many types of cichlids and this has always gave me the best results for any type of rock fish..
You can use cheap egg crates at laid at the bottom of the tank. Fill with sand until you just cover the egg crates, then put rocks on them and fill the rest with sand. This way the rock will never touch the bottom of the tank even if fish di all the way to the egg crate.
Thank you! That's what I ended up doing a few videos ago. Works great
@@CichlidCharmer Then I'm definitely watching your videos out of sequence. Time for me to catch up!
After 2 years ,I had to re-home my maingano... He just became a real jackbag... Major temperament change in the tank now..
Bummer, man. Hopefully this guy is a good one.
For my mbuna I use carved red lava rock. It’s rough surfaces……but has holes like the Texas Limestone. I piled it up to just over half the depth. The fish behavior is insane. So interesting……….
Interesting! Yeah their behavior is really something to watch!
Great video. I started my 75 gallon Mbuna tank 2 years ago and I really enjoy it, but some species like my old Rusty cichlid (Rambo) was a real ahole, I had to rehome him. I’m slowly transitioning to a mix peacocks and a few selected Mbunas that I really like.
Haha, that just shows that generalizations don’t work since rustys are supposed to be peaceful
Thank you! It sucks rehoming, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Don’t be surprised if those peacocks are all a-holes too 😂😂
Completely off topic but I was wondering if you're still using the pot scrubbers in your fx's and if so, have you just got these in every tray now along with just the sponges?
Yeah still using them in my Fx6s. They are in the bottom two trays with the top one being coarse and fine sponges if I remember correctly. There might be a tray in one of them with some matrix.
Thank you for all your efforts in making these videos... I enjoy it tremendously. Always looking forward for the next video. I'm from Cape Town, South Africa and I've been in the hobby for the past 2years and has just started my dream tank... 75G (300L) Take a guess which Mbunas I started with... OK ok ok... I added 6 Yellow Labidochromis Caeruleus... Next up will be 6 Speudotropeus Saulosi and then 6 Speudotropeus Acei and then... Then... Then... Another 75G 😂😂😂
You’re welcome! Sounds awesome. I keep wondering if I should have started with some breeding colonies, like you. I’d love to see your tank all the way over in South Africa. You should join our fb group.
@@CichlidCharmer Good morning from sunny Cape Town....hope all is well that side of the BIG POND😂. As a matter of fact I did join your FB page just yesterday😁. Regarding breeding colony...yeah about that ...I just added males only, the reason for that is to curb most of the agression...you should know that when a bunch of guys are enjoing a cold beer and some NFL (Rugby is our equivelent) all is Good...BUT when you add the woman in the mix ....welllll al hell brakes loose...😂🤣😂. Maybe I will do a breeding colony with 1 male and 4 females in the near future.
I use the white plumbing tubing and build rocks around it!
Instant safe tube
Hi CC! I also started my first male only Mbuna 75g tank approximately six months ago. I currently have 12 Mbuna ranging from 4.5 inches to 5.5 inches. The aggression has been real but manageable once I isolated the lone demonsi “emphasis on Demon & sigh”. I’ve been told a good overstock is around 22 Mbuna. I’m curious as to what your thoughts are that number and also also your thoughts on repeating a species type? Love the channel!
Hey that’s cool! I have heard about that guy - funny about the “demon” and “si.” 😂
So I am not an overstocker. I like to have a fewer amount than most while still having a good blend that get along fairly well. Refining when I get a really bad seed. If you have 12 and they’re getting along pretty well, I would leave it in a 75. That’s just me. Lots of hiding places for sure too. I would be too afraid to repeat a species.
@@CichlidCharmer Thanks for the reply. Although the temptation to add more is always there, I am inclined to agree with you. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it with another cichlid. Thanks again.
@@earlmcdonaldiii9796right! Could totally mess things ups up and stir up all kinds of previously dormant crazy.
Would love an mbuna tank but thanks to you I’ve got 3 Apistogramma tanks 😂 Awesome channel 🤙🏼
You’ll have to get one someday. You love those apistos! Youre welcome for that 😍😍😂. Thank you for the compliment about the channel!
Thumbs up on setting up this new tank, hoping it grows out to rival alcatraz 😂! Suggestion: Yellowtail aceis or other schooling mbunas. question: how do you deal with poop that gets stuck beneath those rocks?
I thought that would be a nightmare, but so far I don’t see much poop down there. I have the Wavemaker blowing across the tank, but I still thought I’d have lots of dead spots. If it does build up, I might have to take some top rocks off and siphon it out. Thanks!
Can I suggest seiryu stone for your mbuna tank . Does have sharp edges but can be found with rounded edges and different shapes and sizes. Helps ph buffering also. Tank looks just great as is in my opinion.
Thanks for the suggestion, Stefanos. I thought all shirts stone had sharp edges. Appreciate the info 🥰
Thanks for the info. I have an all male 75 gallons mbuna tank. I have five Cuckoo Catfish and one Pleco in it as well. They get along well. No problems. You have some stunning mbunas in your tank. Where did you purchase them from? Great video. 👍🏽
That’s awesome. I bought my guys from Live Fish Direct.
Thanks. I am about to make an order from them.
@@Shadow-wn5fw You bet!
After watching this video I am replacing my cichlids stones with river socks and aragonite sand. I have a all male 75 gallon tank as well. I have about 25 mbuna and four cuckoo catfish in there now. I have egg crates on the bottom of my aquarium. I look forward to seeing some more info on your channel concerning mbunas. Can you tell me any RUclips channel that you may be watching concerning mbuna cichlids? Most sites are about haps and peacocks. Thanks again.
They’ll love it. You’re right, kind of hard to find stuff on mbuna. Try Prime Time Aquatics. Jason talks about every type of freshwater fish.
Many years ago I had a 4ft aquarium with mostly mbunas I loved it. I have just bought an 8ft aquarium, about 240 gallons. I am considering making a big reef like structure from rocks and stocking LOTS of mbunas. Any reason why it would be a bad idea or wouldnt work?
I can think of absolutely no reasons that would not be a lovely tank. They will love the room!
Hi 👋
I been through what your going through I switched too red lava rock which holds its own it just seems too lock in place when stacked too your desired hight,
Put standard plastic grill under substrate too help it lock but left around 4inch clear at front & sides so you can't see it when they've adjusted it lol,
Good luck on your choice
& keep up the good work 👍👍👍👍👍
Regards
Wayne
Hi Wayne! Thank you for the info. I hadn’t thought about lava rock.
@@CichlidCharmer I'd send you a pic but not sure if I can through here,
@@waynehiorns6688join Cichlid Charmer Fish Keepers on fb and post it there. We’d all love to see it.
Plastic egg crate for the rocks v glass bud. I have it in my peacock/hap tank as a safe guard. Cheap and cheerful, and just distributes that rock weight eliminating any pressure points
That’s one of the things I researched actually. I’m wondering about that thin vinyl lattice they use for yards. The gaps are probably too large, but I like how thin it is. Hmm. Maybe a thin acrylic scrap sheet from a glass shop.
Lace rock looks nice but it might be too jagged for your liking.
Thank you. I’ll check it out and see. I just don’t want them scraping their eyes on something pointy.
Nice video. I would put some light diffuser down then and substrate and rocks for protection.
Thank you. Good idea. That’s what I’m thinking so far.
love the video. What kind of sand do you use and how do you control the PH?
Good question. The sand I use controls the pH. It raises it to about 7.8. It’s Caribsea aragonite. Crushed coral in a bag will raise the pH as well. Thank you!
Try lava rocks. I have a 75 gallon mbuna tank with lava rocks. I have it stacked fairly high. Plenty of places for them to dart in and out of. Also great place for frye to hide. I’ve had a ton of frye survive and grow to adults.
Thanks for the suggestion! My mbuna are all males, but maybe someday I’ll have some females.
Hi buddy, excellent videos. Keep up the good work. What camera do you use for your videos looking awesome 👌
Wow thank you 🙏 I am using the Canon R6 II usually with the Canon Rf 35mm f1.8 or the Tamron EF 35mm F1.4. Sometimes the Sigma EF 24mm f1.4. That’s what I use for filming me. For the fish I still use my iPhone.
@CichlidCharmer WoW, the way you said that seems like I asked an expert camera man from RUclips. From the camera to lenses is well. Excellent buddy. Thank you. Love your videos and your sense of humour, along with the sound effects that are made in the videos. It definitely makes me 🤣😂🤣😂 for sure
lol, well I am photographer who has just recently delved into the world of videography. I put a lot of effort into making them look somewhat interesting, but I just don’t have time to do more. Some of these RUclipsrs are SO GOOD! But thank you so much. I love it when someone appreciates the extra things 🥰
@@CichlidCharmer ♥️
💯% your not far from professional yourself mate trust me when I say excellent videos
How about a big driftwood centerpiece? You can definitely find some crazy ones
Good idea. I’m saving driftwood for my American guys though. For mbuna it’s more of a rocky type of scape they enjoy. Thank you!
Hi. You could have put egg create on the glass bottom. Problem solved with rocks on the bare glass, when they move the sand.
Excellent idea. Thank you!
I set up 2 Mbuna tanks recently ( first time ) I love making all the caves and tunnels
However
This has made it almost impossible to catch them 😂
How many heaters do you have in your 75 gallon aquarium
Two. Neither is strong enough to heat the entire tank alone and I have a controller also.
I have a 300 watt fluval heater in mine is that good enough to heat my 75 cichlid aquarium
@@Waterloo.cichlidsso that should be more than enough, but two 150s and a controller 🔥. That way you have a back up of one fails to turn on, and if one wants to stay on all the time, the controller will prevent it from doing so. A controller should also extend the life of your heaters.
@CichlidCharmer so if I git 2 fluval 150s would be more beneficial for my 75 gallon aquarium
@@Waterloo.cichlidsyes. A 150 can’t cook your fish most likely.
Awesome tank. What size and brand of canister filter do you use on your 75 tank? Do you use only one?
Thank you! I have an Fluval Fx4 and a 407. I like Fx6s more than fx4s. I bought it before I realized if you are paying for an fx4, might as well get the extra basket and get an fx6.
I love it . I used to catch this mbuna fish at chulumba in lilomo that is the place u can fund them . Thank u to make this video
Thank you!
What are the best tank mates for mbuna cichlids to distract them from each other and break the line of sight. I have tons of hiding places but my maingano cichlid is such a bully he goes out his way to force them out of hiding.
I don’t think there are good dither fish for Africans. They could wind up dead. So… that maingano might just be a jerk. Make sure the tank is the right size and there are lots of hiding places. Leave the light off and see if that helps. Also check your stocking level to see if you might add or remove some. He could also be too aggressive. Sometimes that happens and you have to rehome.
In general, what brand of tank do you buy and where? Some of the brands do not have very good reviews. Wanting to pick up a 75 gallon.
I two large tanks are acrylics from fish tanks direct. I have another glass tank coming from Custom Aquariums. Expensive, but great reviews. My 75 is an Aqueon from Petco. It does the trick unless you want to spend the money for something nicer.
Mbuna I like are Kenyi or Msobo, one gender is bright yellow and the other gender is blue.
I actually have an msobo in here. We think alike
@@CichlidCharmer The tank I want to get is a 180 gallon. The more research I do between Haps, Peacocks and Mbuna, I am leaning more towards the Mbuna.
Hi There,
New subscribers back to SA Cichlids after 10 or so years. 🙂
May I ask why you don’t want the Texas holy rock in this tank.
Just curious if it’s an issue or just preference.
I’ve just put a very holy 20kg rock in a new tank set up with natural Argonite substrate.
Recommended by store.
No fish yet.
Still waiting for it to cycle. 😅
Cheers,
DD. 🇦🇺
Hey welcome back to the crazy world of cichlids. I just prefer the looks of other rock. Especially with my light sand. I don’t like all the small holes in it, and white on white doesn’t have much contrast. Lots of people love it though! 🥰. You must be really excited to get some fish in there!
@@CichlidCharmer oh thanks for that. I know what you mean, Yeah I thought that too (little contrast) but there wasn’t that much choice otherwise. In fact it actually looks quite nice with dark blue background. And the rock is sorta smooth not like the moon, but huge hole holes.
Just making sure it’s got some bacteria 🦠 life and all before i load it up.
Oh my $150 aud for 1 rock. lol. Extortion.
Great channel. Informative and appreciate your style.
Nice pupper also.
I have Msobos. 1 male and 5 of the yellow females you have. Love the difference in look between male and female. But the females we nicknamed the minions.
lol, good name for them
Lava rocks work great.
Pick them up at any garden centre
Thank you for the idea 🥰🤘
Hey. Great channel. I have peacocks. Male only. But I was thinking about adding fish from other lakes too but not sure tbh. P.s I do have a yellow lab mbuna in the peacock tank and that's working for now
I would think the lab would be fine with the peacocks. Those peas can get really nasty. I had mine with my haps, and I decided to just do mostly haps because they were easier and I thought they weee cool anyway. Another viewer commented that he turns on his wavemakers when the aggression gets out of control. If you have powerful wavemakers that can be an idea. If I had just a peacock tank, I would probably just leave it as a peacock only tank. Thank you so much 🥰
@CichlidCharmer thanks for the reply. Yes I have two wave makers . One on each side of the tank. Reefwave plus a tmc. I get great flow with fx6 also. And turn them up when things get abot funky on there. I like the haps but they do get really large so I will probably stick with peacocks only. Thanks for the advice :)
Have a lot of mbuna that keep mating, 40 gallon. Blue Dolphin hap all doing great. Moving to a 110.
Ooo you’re doing something right! They’ll love that 110 too
Jebo makes a black plastic grating for the bottom of the tank to distribute the rock weight evenly. I have 3 for my new Cichlid tank I can send you a pic of the tag for product info.
Oooo nice! Please do!
Email to send to please?
I used a bunch of Seiryu in my Mbuna tank.
Did that work out pretty well?
I love the look of it! It really seems like the rocks kinda lock together.
I have a 180 gallon mixed Mbuna, Peacock and Hap tank. I use large Cobbles to build caves etc and the Mbuna love it. The peacocks and Haps just swim around loving life. My ice blue Red top Mbuna is the boss of the tank, he's 5 inches now and none of the fish dare bother him.... apart from my rather stupid red marbled peacock, who will insist swimming into his space and being chased off.... Every time, just doesn't learn 🤦😂
Sounds like a great tank! It looks like cobbles are just about the same as my river rock. At least it looks that way to me. That’s hilarious about your peacock 😂😂
I have a melanocromis auratus named richard. (Dick for short, also for a reason)
He gets so mad when i redecorate "his" tank. He will go as far as going to the side of the tank im observing from and spit sand in my direction.
These guys are in the top 3 for being jerks and definitely arent for the faint of heart haha!
Spots sand in you direction 😂😂😂
Can you please give me some info on your substrate and rocks?Where you got them from? Thanks.
Sure! The substrate is Caribsea aragonite. It helps get the pH up to almost 8. The rock is river rock from a local river, but you can buy it at Lowes. Thanks for watching 👀
@@CichlidCharmer Thanks! I found a rock you might like. Exotica Elephant Skin Rock. But you probably already came across it and passed on it :)!
I have a 75 gallon with 1 johanni 4-5” and 6 1.5-2” peacocks would you add them or keep them separate?
I’d keep ‘em separate. The only mbuna I am comfortable keeping with my peas and haps (not including Victorians) are yellow labs. They do fine with more meat in their diet too. Having said that, others have been successful with other mbuna mixed in with peacocks.
Build a rock structure w the liquid superglue and cotton method. Totally safe and inert, and your structures will never collapse, endangering your guys.
What a great idea
@@CichlidCharmer also, if there happens to be any place where the glue/cotton is visible, sprinkle some dry substrate onto the area.
AquaDecor does have some 3D backgrounds that have crevice and caves built in
They make some nice stuff. I actually looked there, but I must have overlooked it.
@@CichlidCharmer I have seen some on there Web site that have crevices big enough for the fish to hide and hide pumps and filtration behind it, but the tank would probably need to be wide
I would to ask you a Question I have a Mbuna for over a month and half but the water don't want to change over to clear. It stay cloudy I try everything I use prime and stability and I trying now water Clarifier. nothing is working for me I did a 10% water change just the help to fix the problem.
You might have a bacterial bloom. That’s pretty common with new tanks. Kind of a milky look to the water. Clarifiers wouldn’t work, because it’s not really particles clouding it up. It’ll clear up on its own. Just keep checking your parameters and add Prime as needed if there is any ammonia or nitrite.
What I personally use for my Mbuna is the large smooth river stone from lows, it’s stacks very easily and is really good for growing the algae they like to eat
Sounds good. I might have to try to grow some algae on the new rocks before I add them. Thanks!
@@CichlidCharmerI grew algae on rocks for my stiphodon tank by putting fish water in a bucket with the rocks and putting it in the sun for a week
and my mbuna like to bounce off the sand pretty cool
Haha I hope mine do that. Characters!
You need to put this at the bottom of your tank. I got mines from Home Depot.
Aquarium Fish Tank Bottom Isolation 4 Pcs, Plastic Egg Crate Grid Divider Tray Egg (L 4pcs Black)
Amazon's
Choice
in Aquarium Décor Tank Dividers by
Thank you for the awesome suggestion!
Hello may i ask you why did choose just one mbuna fish of every single species? What is the reason of this?
Many thanks
It was either that or start some harems. If I did harems, I would probably only have three different species in a 75. I wanted more variety and I didn’t want fry.
@@CichlidCharmer ok but what if you have two or three same species is that going to be a problem you think? Im asking because i have like 3-5 same species cichlids males and they are boiling water inside there. So im thinking to do same like you, because they attacking just their own species fish
@@redassumskas3746 Yes, that's called conspecific aggression. They hate anyone that looks like them (don't ask me how they can tell!). So it's best not to have two yellows, two mostly blues, etc. You can get away with it sometimes, or if you have several females for each male (like four or so), but I tried to keep mine different-looking enough that it wouldn't be a problem, and so far there has been very little aggression. No torn fins, damaged scales at all.
@@CichlidCharmer thank you very much for your time and your answers
just a week ago i asked you wether you had a fire Uganda and you said you did not , i think you might be referring that you dont have it in "Alcatraz" ?
An! Someone else asked me the same thing and I actually just totally brain farted it 🤪. I found his comment and corrected my answer and forgot yours I guess. He so far looks nothing like my last one because the old one had color from the start. We shall see with this guy. Sorry for the lie!
well hopefully he grows up to be colorful @@CichlidCharmer
I have a young adult fire red Uganda and if you use your imagination you might think you can see red in him, he's more silver so like you I hope his colors start to show.@@CichlidCharmer
i would say on basis of aggression haps
I totally agree with that. I’ll keep a close eye on the Victorian.
Cichlid Farmer the tank looks ok. It needs more rocks. Here is a good idea. When you get the rocks put them in a container full of water and put it in the sun. You want the rocks to be heavily infested with algae. Then place those rocks in the tank and layer it up. You will be saying algae is bad but however the algae will produce natural behaviour because the mbunas will be grazing. Let me know what you think of this suggestion. Keep trolling.
Nigel I love it. Seriously that is a great idea I have never heard before. Thank you very much. 🤓
@@CichlidCharmerYour welcome
on basis of sand shifting atleast you can say they are not shell dwellers
😂😂😂 totally! That would be too much for me
Hi good night nice video call you tell me the name of the yellow fish in that tank thank you
Thank you! I list all the fish in this video: How To Setup a 75 Gallon MBUNA Tank | Live Fish Direct UNBOXING
ruclips.net/video/26qAdmge-b0/видео.html
They will get way more aggressive.....brutally aggressive! Locking lips as well. You should rise up your intake. Otherwise, you will find a lot of sand in your canister. Sill love them, though. 😉👍
I’ll be raising that intake - great point!
I ever experience, Most territorial most aggressive MBUNA always fight and kill others
I’m trying to stay on the less aggressive side.
my mbuna love to dig
They’re insane aren’t they?
Slate rocks :)
Maybe you can use slate rocks
Possibility 😎
Reef Rock
Thank you 🤘
I have White Reef Rock since my substrate is white. However I just saw 2 days ago that there is a black Reef Rock as well
@@kenkno803thank you!
Rock? Try Tufa rock. You can carve it to shape.
Thank you!
@@CichlidCharmer ... also, since Mbuna need hard, alkaline water, Tufa Rock acts as a pH and mineral buffer because it's basically a form of limestone. Use it with at least some coral sand or ground shell substrate, and pH should remain nicely stable once the aquarium is cycled. If your pH drops below 7.8 or so with those materials in your aquarium, you know something has gone seriously wrong, requiring emergency attention.
If you can't use all Tufa Rock, possibly due to cost,, other limestone variants can be used in conjunction therewith. If push comes to shove, use some marine coral skeletons (rounded types like brain coral) as part of the hidden understructure. Some of these might be tough to work with, but again, you're basically dealing with limestone.
Have you seen john kg tropical build his Mbuna tank? Pretty cool,check it out!!! P.s. a bumblebee cichlid, a real jerk don’t do it!!!
Yes I have - all yellow labs. Looks cool! And definitely not adding a bumblebee. Thank you.
I DID HAVE an all mbuna tank in one of my 75#, had a lot of Texas holey rock in this tank . I loved the beautiful fish, but their constant digging and rearranging drove me crazy and every water change I felt that I needed to take all rock out and level sand then put rocks back in. It proved to be a little too much for me , along with 3 other tanks to also take care of.
I woke up one Friday, decided to list all of the fish for sale , $10 each , sold them to my pet groomer in 15 minutes time , and now also have peacocks/ haps in this tank also.
You know I could DEFINITELY see that. For now I still love that they dig more than I hate the look of the tank, but that could change. And good on ya for realizing it taking more time than you’d like and making the change to something that fits into your schedule better 😎
They’re looking great!! I’d definitely add more rocks and go much higher. I ordered a bunch today , but I’m going mixed sex
Here’s the mbuna tank I had for a few months, these are sharp rocks, but I’d go this high or even higher
ruclips.net/video/eZP9B4J5OsI/видео.htmlfeature=shared
That’s my plan. Probably a bit higher if I can manage it. Your tank looked great 👍
@@CichlidCharmerNice! Look forward to seeing it and thank you!