Planning a 72g bowfront....

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myswtsins

myswtsins

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[FONT=&quot]Right now I am working on resealing the 72g but once it is ready I want to put Mbuna in it. I am also refinishing the stand & building a custom canopy, fingers crossed all around! Here is what I have sorta figured out so far.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Stock (definitely want!)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1:3 Lab. caeruleus (lion's cove/yellow)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1:3 I. sprengerae (Rusty)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1:3 Ps. socolofi (albino)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1:3 Ps. Acei (yellow tailed)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](considering)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1:3 Met. estherae ( Blue or OB)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1:3 Labeotropheus trewavasae (Zimbawe or OB, whatever I did not get the estherae in)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Substrate - Black 3m Colorquartz T-grade[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lighting - unsure of at this time. I want to grow java ferns & anubias eventually & algae of course. Probably AHsupply kits, suggestions on wattage or spectrum?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Filtration - This is a big one! I have one cycled Eheim 2213 & an Eheim 2013 but I don't think that will be quite enough. Should I just add a 3rd filter or upgrade the 2013? I do have a oceanic trickle filter model 75 for my oceanic 58g tank also. I do plan to use it though once the 58g is setup (probably for a colony of Neo. Brichardi).[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Decor - LOTS of Lace Rock[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Out of tap Ph – 8.2[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Out of tap Kh – 12 dKh[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Misc. Questions![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. My LFS is VERY stingy with exchanges & returns. Any tips on how to get 1:3 M:F ratios? Buy online??[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]2. Stocking...Any suggestions/alternatives? I would like a lot of variety in the tank.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]3. I do also want some bottom dweller(s)/cleaner(s), if possible. I prefer something with a lowish bio-load and not super secretive. I would either want 1 med/large or several small. Does Synodontis njassae fit that? And/or would it get too big?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]4. Salt is unnecessary?

Lots of questions I know! I want be well prepared before I walk into my LFS. Thanks!


[/FONT]
 
ibr3ak

ibr3ak

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1. Most lfs's sell juvies in different sizes, the smallest ones cost about half the price of bigger ones, get a group of at least 7-8 (maybe even more, they won't effect the bioload much) and let them all grow out, then when at a mature size, vent them and sell the rest locally (forums, craigslist, aquabid, etc..).

2. I really like the stock, if I had to change anything I'd bump the female numbers up to 4 or 5 and reconsider trewavasaes for fuellebornis as the latter are alot less aggressive.

3. Get some bristlenose plecos, they look pretty cool and clean the tank (even the brown stuff) at the same time.

4. No salt, only when treating for ich.

For the lights use anything you want, mbuna are not picky when it comes to light and ferns and anubias are both low light plants that'll grow regardless.

As far as filtration you can never have too much especially with an overstocked african tank.

Post some pics when you set it up :)
 
myswtsins

myswtsins

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Thanks a lot ibr3ak! With that many questions it is quite impressive to see such a complete response!! :)

1. I have looked at venting pictures and really can't tell the difference. :confused: Hopefully when I actual have one in my hands it will be easier, although I still I am unsure of my snails sexes. Should I buy ALL the fish at the same time? That would a lot of fish at once. I do plan on doing a fishless cycle on top of the cycled 2213 though.

2. Good substitute, thanks! I would be more than willing to bump the female numbers up to 4 or 5 if that would still be within reasonable stocking numbers!

3. I have a BN & love it but they have large bioloads and are rarely seen, which is ashame because I really love plecos!

4. Yay!

There will be many pictures....can't say they will be very good but they will be posted! :) (speaking of pictures I think I am going to post my progress on resealing the 72g in the DIY section if anyone is interested)

I would like to hear more opinions but you've been a great help!
 
ibr3ak

ibr3ak

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Venting is pretty easy, the hard part is getting the fish out of the tank (which usually means taking out all the rockwork), you'll see that males vent and anus are just about the same size (kinda like (oo)), while females vent will be noticeably bigger than her anus (like (oO)).

In my opinion your tank is large enough to handle a sudden increase in bioload without spiking, I'd probably do plenty of water changes in the first couple of weeks.

I'd say you should be good with around 25 fish with rusties and labs staying relatively small, but make a group of fuellebornis smaller, 1m/2-3f, since they can get bigger than other mbuna.

As far as bottom dwellers you could take a look at synodontis cats (personally I'm not the biggest fan, I've seen them at full size, fat and with a hump on their backs, not the sexiest fish out there :) ).
 
myswtsins

myswtsins

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Excellent venting illustrations! :) Thanks.

I am still tweaking the stock list. I keep seeing new fish that I like!
After talking with the other members of the house we definitely want 1 med/large catfish. What would be the biggest catfish I should have in my tank? (12 inches wide on the ends & 18 inches in the middle)

ibr3ak you have been a GREAT help but no one else has any opinions or suggestions on this setup? I would love to hear other views.
 
Pittbull

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wow ibr3ak has done a great job at advising you of what you need to do and props to ibr3ak only thing i will add is that the filtration sounds good the 2213 is rated for a 55gal and you have the other eheim i would say add a hang on filter like a daul marineland with bio wheels and if you are going heavy with rock formations i find the under ground gravel filter is best for that and it helps as well with filtration but its a personnel choice, but everything else sounds good..
 
myswtsins

myswtsins

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I think ibr3ak did a great job too, thanks for confirming!

Yea, I need more filtration I am just not sure which route to take at this point. The tank MAY be going in front of a window (I am taking heat & algae into consideration) so a HOB may cause a problem.

From what I read UGF are very debated with cichlids. Personally anything that will help with gravel vacs is OK in my book! =)

Right now I am trying to plan the canopy design and am having a hard time deciding on lighting. I want to grow java ferns & anubias (not that they need much) but I also want to bring out the cichlids colors. Any advise here would be greatly appreciated!
 
ibr3ak

ibr3ak

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lol no problems, just speaking from my own trial and errors :)

In my opinion a 50/50 light (either one 50/50 bulb or 1 regular 1 actinic, if you have a 2 bulb canopy) will bring out the mbuna colors alot more than just regular white light, not that actinic will grow you plants, but with 1 regular bulb you'll be shooting 2 birds with 1 stone.
 
jpappy789

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myswtsins said:
I think ibr3ak did a great job too, thanks for confirming!

Yea, I need more filtration I am just not sure which route to take at this point. The tank MAY be going in front of a window (I am taking heat & algae into consideration) so a HOB may cause a problem.

From what I read UGF are very debated with cichlids. Personally anything that will help with gravel vacs is OK in my book! =)

Right now I am trying to plan the canopy design and am having a hard time deciding on lighting. I want to grow java ferns & anubias (not that they need much) but I also want to bring out the cichlids colors. Any advise here would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
UGF's with africans is probably not a good idea. One, the weight of rock work could pose a problem with the grates. Two, small grade substrates and UGF's do not mix well.

With this size tank I would go with a cannister filter. A supplement HOB shouldn't be a problem.

Coler has has great success mixing plants with africans...hopefully he'll pop in here soon and give you some pointers :)
 
myswtsins

myswtsins

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What about an UGJ? Something similar to the DIY link here, modified for the bowfront of course. From my understanding if it is setup correctly there is technically no need for gravel vacs.

I also hope coler will pop in with his opinions. :)
I am thinking of getting 2 - 55watt ahsupply kits with 2 50/50 PCF bulbs. Would that be enough to grow java ferns & anubias though, I'm thinking not? If not I could add a 36 watt kit with standard CF bulbs (I'd rather save that $60 if I could though!)

From what I have read online I need to cycle the entire tank 8 times an hour to get good filtration in a cichlid tank, 576pgh. My 2213 only does 116gph and the 2013 is less than that! A marineland 350 bio-wheel does 350 gph, I definitely need to revisit HOB filter. :grinyes: Thanks for the advice.
 
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