# Rock decor



## Kittenpanic (Mar 17, 2014)

Good morning all! 
We're fairly new to the cichlid world. We have 4 at moment and our 2 yellow Acei seem to be trying to escape into the background that is on the tank. It's an ocean coral scene. We don't have quite enough in the tank I guess. The other 2 have taken up the sunken helicopter and submarine my husband put in there. They have a few other decor with hiding places, but I guess them being rock fish they would like all that rock and coral in the background. Where can I find affordable rocks for them? Petsmart charges a $10 minimum for each SMALL piece of rock they have. After buying all the equipment and such for our new tank, we're tight on money few a few weeks. I know I can get some from outside and boil and treat them, but I'm not familiar with Washington state. We're originally from southeast Texas. Washington is a whole different world. How high can I stack the rocks? There isn't too much near the top of the tank other than the top of the fake plants. I feel bad for the poor things trying to get to the background coral reef.


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## shelbynjakesdad (Mar 13, 2013)

Go to a rock quarry or landscape yard and buy whatever rocks look good to you. I put almost 200lbs of rock in my 55 gallon tank, cost me $30. I didn't boil mine, just scrubbed them real good, rinsed, and let dry in the sun. As long as they have not been exposed to pesticides, you should be fine.

You can stack them as high as you want as long as they are stable. Be sure to put them right down on the bottom of the tank (no sand underneath). Mbuna love to dig, you don't want them digging under an toppling your pile.


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## Kittenpanic (Mar 17, 2014)

Thank you! Sorry I didn't check back the other day. I'll see if I can find any local places. My cichlids are getting a little more comfortable. Well at least they ate and one Kenyi made his home in the sunken helicopter and the other the sunken submarine. 2 Acei are stuck in the corner behind a plant even though there's a decent fake rock decor they could hide in. Maybe it's too close to the sub? 
Is it easier to try to find more of a flat slate stone to stack? or does that matter as long as they don't tumble over.


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## Boe82 (Mar 6, 2014)

I have gone to somewhere like Home Depot before and bought some slate tiles, pretty inexpensive, and used a hammer to break them in half or so and use those flat pieces as shelves, stack them up(sturdy) with some rocks and make caves, easy and mostly cheap.


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## Kittenpanic (Mar 17, 2014)

I found a landscaping supply near my. They had tons of rocks for 25 cents a lb. We spent $11 and now they have plenty of caves and rock on half the tank and my husband can still have his sunken sub and helicopter on the other. Though we're taking one of the Kenyi back. He's being a bully and herding our 2 Acei into a small corner and not letting them out. I have no idea the gender of the Acei but they seem to be close buddies and the Kenyi took up different sides of the tank and when we moved their hiding place they began mouth fighting and that's when he started herding the Acei. They use to wander around the mid minding their own. Does this mean they're both male? The more friendly one doesn't herd the Acei and has already taken up a little rock cave on his side. Should I get another Kenyi and hope it's female or will he be okay with the 2 gentle Acei?


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## shelbynjakesdad (Mar 13, 2013)

Unless you have a pretty large tank (125 gallons +) Kenyi are probably not a good choice. They are known to be one of the more aggressive Malawi cichlids. What are the dimensions of your tank? My suggestion would be to take all the Kenyi back and stock something less aggressive, maybe yellow labs? Also, it sounds like you are stocking pairs, which is not a good idea with Mbuna. You want at least 4 females per male as they are harem breeders and the males can be pretty rough on the females unless there are multiple females available.


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