My new 55 gallon Mbuna setup. [pics]

Winterymix

Winterymix

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Apr 7, 2009
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Hey guys!

This is my first foray into African cichlids. I'm having a lot of fun with it so far. The fish have so much color and personality. They are a blast to watch and care for. Anyhow, I've got the initial build of my 55g African Mbuna tank finished and wanted to share some photos with you guys.

I'm a fairly new fish keeper in general, having only kept fish for about a year. I did some extensive research and I think I have everything setup pretty well. The tank has been running for about 10 days (substrate and filter seeded heavily from previous mature tank) and everything seems to be working out great.

Water parameters:
pH - 7.5 (I know I need to buffer a bit more)
gH & kH both > 180
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - trace

Pics:

2h7l3yw.jpg


1xyxde.jpg


Initial stock:
2 Metriaclima estherae (Red Zebra)
2 Labidochromis caeruleus (Yellow Lab)
1 Pseudotropheus sp. (Acei)
2 Corydoras
2 Caridina japonica (Amano Shrimp)
1 Synodontis catfish
323,032,765,455,342,245 Malaysian Trumpet snails

Want to add:
2-3 more Yellow Labs
2-3 more Red Zebra
1-2 more Acei
4-5 another colorful relatively peaceful mbuna (maybe Rusty or Elec. Blue)

Thanks for looking! :)
 
Last edited:
Nice start :) It looks great


Just a heads up, your cories won't be happy in this set up and the shrimp are likely to become lunch. Mbuna are really tough on tankmates. I think your stocking list looks good. I would bump up the numbers of the fish you have and add some rusties as you mentioned.
 
Yeah I figured the corys and amano would have to move. They were in my little 10 gallon community that I broke down. It is going to be set back up soon and they will be moving. The cichlids have ignored them so far, but they (the cichlids) are all juvenile and as they grow I imagine that might change. Thanks for the heads up! :)
 
^I agree 110% with blue. And yes, you have a great looking tank! Add the other mbunas ASAP before the ones you have now can establish territories.
 
Sounds good i would also beef up the Acei's a little more say about 8 to 10 they do better in a colony.. Amano shrimp its the other other white meat..
 
I really like your rockwork. a couple things of note: red zebra and yellow labs crossbreed very easily and no fry can be kept from them if you have both in the same tank. Acei do like to be in groups, but 8-10 is way too much for a 55 gallon. For your last species, I suggest mainganos. they are beautiful and not as aggressive as johanni...
 
IMO...i think crossbreeding only occurs if male-female ratio in either group is not good...if you keep good male-female ratio in yellow lab and red zebra i don't think there would be any problem...
I agree with mianganos..they are pretty cool...
 
or you could add some pseudotropheus elongatus 'chailosi' they are a colorful addition to any mbuna group in my opinion
 
You're right, if ratios are fine they won't hybridize, except that an estherae male will need a good size colony of females, for which a 55 is too small, also zebras in general can grow larger than their profile says they would and they get very aggressive with age.

The tank looks great, but I'd revise the stock and keep 3 groups of 5-6 fish instead (labs, acei, 3rd specie OR zebra, acei, 3rd specie), with a small group of syno cats, like petricola or multipunctatus.
 
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