# New Rockscape Advice/Tank Setup



## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

First off...I'm new to this forum (any forum for that matter) as well as the Cichlid species and would like to say a big hello to everyone. I recently purchased a 75 gallon aquarium and I am in the process of setting up my very first African Cichlid tank. I've sucessfuly kept many a planted freshwater aquarium but never thought to venture over to the Cichlid world. I've scoured the wonderful world of google to get an idea of how to hardscape my aquarium and I've got a pretty good idea of how I want it to look. I'm a big fan of the natural "biotope" look...as if you took a piece of nature and brought it into your home. With that being said, I'm not sure if the rock that I have (which is all sandstone) is too much for the aquarium size. The total weight of it all is right at 175 lbs. Posted below is a picture of the initial grouping which is very subject to change...hence this post. I opted to set everything up on top of my DIY stand (a first for me...I'll post pictures of the build for anyone interested) to get an idea of how it would look in the aquarium. As I'm going for the "biotope" look and have never setup an African Cichlid tank, I thought I'd ask the experts. All comments and criticism are more than welcom and appreciated.

Thanks - Joe


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Which lake are you doing a biotope of? What kind of fish will you keep? The above looks good for haps and peacocks from Lake Malawi for example.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey Joe, welcome to Cichlid Forum! 
Those look like nice rocks. What type of fish were you planning on? Some fish prefer a more open area of sand with a few rocks, while others prefer lots of rocks to provide hiding places and help establish territories.
As far as weight goes, once the tank has water in it, you can fill it with rock and not have any problems. Having said that, you'll want to place the rocks on the glass and then add sand, which provides a firm foundation. This way the fish are unable to dig under the rocks which could shift them.
Take a look through the Aquarium Gallery section for ideas and to see tanks the same size as yours, you can search via tank size.


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## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

I'm glad you mentioned Lake Malawi as that is the biotope that I'm hoping to recreate. Thanks for the advice GTZ about the rocks first...sand later. I've already cut egg crate to fit the bottom of the tank and will fill the squares with sand, place the rock directly on it, then fill in the rest with the remaining sand so the fish can dig all they want without undermining any of the rock work. I'm really fond of the electric yellow and electric blue cichlids as well as the bumblebee and acei. The peacock and hap cichlids are also fish that I would like to keep. Would these species work with the layout as is or would they need more rocks with hiding spaces?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Certain malawi fish work well together, while others don't. Check the Library, under Quick References you'll find cookie cutters for various 75g species setups. This may give you some ideas. Also, for species that you're already interested in, check the aggression level. For instance, bumblebees (Pseudotropheus crabro) are aggressive and would make a poor choice for a peacock/hap tank, not to mention they're borderline too large for a 75g tank.
Feel free to post species ideas for your tank and we'll do our best to set up an interesting, stable tank. :thumb:


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## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks for guiding me to the Quick Reference page...some good information to be had. The species that I'm absolutely set on having are the yellow labs. I guess starting with them and adding suitable tank mates would be a good place to begin. Here is a list of species I would like off the top of my head.

Electric Yellow
Demasoni
Electric Blue
Yellow Tail Acei
Fuelleborni
Blue Johanni
Auratus

Again...just a quick shot from the hip of species that I'm interested in. The electric yellow is a must though.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

In a 75G that is a 48" x 18" rectangle, four species can work depending on which four you choose. Labidochromis caeruleus or yellow labs is a good choice and stocking could be 1m:4f. The mbuna on your list are rock fish and would enjoy a tank filled with closely spaced rock.

Acei is another good choice for 1m:4f.

Demasoni are the extra work fish. You may wish to skip them for your first tank or forever if you want a soothing, trouble free tank. On the other hand, they are a brilliant blue and females are colorful.

Electric blue is a common name that applies to several fish...do you know the scientific name of the one you are interested in?

Fuelleborni is a bigger more aggressive fish that will work fine in your tank, but you want 1m:7f of these.

I'd skip the johannii and auratus.


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## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

Ok&#8230;after much appreciated guidance and some research on my part&#8230;I've come up with the following stocking list for my 75 gallon Lake Malawi setup&#8230;

Labidochromis caeruleus
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Msuli)
Pseudotropheus saulosi
Metriaclima estherae (Red)

As a final stock I would like to have 20 total fish to help spread out any aggression. Let me know what you guys think as far as compatibility of the species as well as male to female ratio and if the rockscape that I have would work for them. The substrate will be CaribSea Special Grade Reef Sand 1 to 2 mm aragonite roughly 2 inches in depth. Thanks again.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Not bad. The only issues I would have if it were my tank, is that the saulosi females are similar in appearance to L. caeruleus, maybe too much yellow? Chalk it up to personal preference.
The other issue is with breeding. L. caeruleus and Met. estherae are a high hybridization risk, so you wouldn't want to keep fry from either species.


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## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

You're thinking the same thing I am about the saulosi females...I was also worried about too much yellow  With that being said...I love the blue colors of the male saulosi...is a male to female ratio a must, or would all male saulosi (4 to 5) work out ok :-?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

That's a good question. In general, it's not a good idea to keep multiple mbuna males of the same species in one tank, especially when there are females of another species in the tank, and more especially when some of the other female species resemble the females of those males. In a 75g with your suggested stocking, I think you'd be ok with 3 male saulosi and 6 or 7 females along with the other species in 1m:4f ratios.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I also find the estherae (orange) too close to the female saulosi color (yellow orange). For mbuna I'd double or triple the rock...what you have would be great for haps and peacocks.

If you want more blue you could switch the saulosi for Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos Maingano...both males and females have the bright blue. 1m:7f of those.

Even if three males do not fight, there is no guarantee that all of them will color up...but it can happen.


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## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

GTZ...that is a great suggestion with the 3m:7f ratio of saulosi. I would get the beautiful blue of the males (hopefully) with the just as beautiful yellow of the females. In that situation I would not keep the L. caeruleus...too much of a good thing (yellow yellow yellow) :fish: :fish: :fish:

That brings me to DJRansome...also a great suggestion with the maingano. In my ongoing studies :wink: I came across this maingano you speak of. A really pretty blue that not only the male but...wait for it...the female has as well...very nice :thumb: In this situation I would definitely stick with L. caeruleus in the mix to bring the yellow back. Duly noted on female estherae color as well.

So the two stocking possibilities are...

List A

Labidochromis caeruleus 
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Msuli)
Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos maingano

List B

Pseudotropheus saulosi
Pseudotropheus sp. "Acei" (Msuli)
Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos maingano

I think I'm leaning more towards List A myself. I really like the idea of a 4 species tank and as much color diversity as possible...any more thoughts or suggestions


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## amcvettec (May 11, 2012)

What about http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1733 "C. afra Jalo Reef" or http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=707 "Rusty"?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Rock local? Looks nice...


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## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks for the suggestions amc. I looked at both of them...and I know this might sound bad...but I'm not too fond of the female coloration. The males are beautiful and I would love to keep them...but if a m:f ratio is a must then I'm afraid I'm going to pass. Since I'm limited to the total number of fish I can stock in my 75g...I'm trying to get the most color out of it as I can. I do appreciate the reply though.

Thanks Cryptic...I'm not sure if the rocks are local to my area or not. I actually found them at local landscaping store that specializes in outdoor waterscapes (ponds and such) called Across The Pond here in Huntsville, AL. Whether or not they found them locally, I couldn't tell you. I plan on on going back to hunt some more out to do a little experimenting with the hardscape. Going to add some smaller rock and move some of the larger ones.

I'm getting all my inspiration from these two amazing hardscapes that I found on YouTube...I think I'm headed in the right direction (I hope at least)


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I still think not enough rocks in those two for mbuna. The advice was always fill the tank to the waterline. I have only been able to get about halfway up but each stack has enough separate rocks that the fish can swim through the piles in many places...not just between rocks and over rocks.

Maybe this pic will give an idea?


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## BayouBeard (Mar 17, 2013)

Yeah...it makes sense...and that does look really good. I'm planning on picking up some more small rock to play around with to see if I can't create some caves and ledges that the fish would appreciate. The larger rock I have is to try to take up some of that upper area of the tank so it doesn't look empty and unused (if that makes sense) kinda like the advice of filling the tank to the waterline. When it's all said and done though I want it to look as natural as possible...almost like an underwater scene of Lake Malawi.


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