# Mbuna 55 Gallon Tank



## K5MOW (Apr 19, 2010)

Here are some pics of my new 55 Gallon Mbuna tank. I will be putting a black bakground in soon.

Roger


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

a little black paint goes a long way


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## MattyP (Feb 25, 2010)

Absolutely!! Get the Black Background on there and possibly change out that Blue Gravel for either black or white sand and your MONEY!!! I love the look of the cichlid stones!!! Great start!


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## MattyP (Feb 25, 2010)

Absolutely!! Get the Black Background on there and possibly change out that Blue Gravel for either black or white sand and your MONEY!!! I love the look of the cichlid stones!!! Great start!


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## K5MOW (Apr 19, 2010)

Thanks and I will get that black bakgrownd done soon. Will post pic when done. Well if I went to sand I know it would look great but how do you keep the sand clean?

Roger



MattyP said:


> Absolutely!! Get the Black Background on there and possibly change out that Blue Gravel for either black or white sand and your MONEY!!! I love the look of the cichlid stones!!! Great start!


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

most wast sits on top of the sand and you just skim your syphon hose over it, the waste is light than courser sands like pfs


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

Sand is way easier to clean than gravel! I usually just stir it up with my hand during water changes and that's it! Most of the waste that's on the surface ends up floating to the top and gets sucked out along with the water. My water stays crystal clear! Or you can siphon the surface just like someone else suggested.

The sand looks *so* much better and the fish love it! You'll see them digging it and spitting it out. It's very cool.


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## K5MOW (Apr 19, 2010)

Ok I think I will change to sand. Thanks for the info.

Roger


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

You can get a 50lb of playsand (which is more than enough for a 55 gallon) at Home Depot, for just a few bucks. It just needs to be washed thoroughly before being placed into your fish tank. You can also go with pool filter sand, which is also fairly cheap, and is lighter in comparison to the grayish/brownish look of playsand.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

pfs is better, a little coarser so it doesn't kick up as bad and mess up your filters, $5 for 50lbs


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## nauTik (Mar 18, 2009)

I love the rocks, what kind are they? Did you make those holes/caves in them yourself?

and I'm definitely going to second the PFS. I have playsand in my 55g mbuna tank, and I switched to PFS for my new 75g and I love it. Looks more natural to me, and like cjacob said, it doesnt kick up nearly as much which is great for my filters :] oh and its much easier to wash as well :thumb:


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## K5MOW (Apr 19, 2010)

The rocks are called Cichlid stones. You can get the at

http://www.aquariumfish.net/_affiliates ... leries.htm

http://underwatergalleries.com/Home_Page.html

Roger



nauTik said:


> I love the rocks, what kind are they? Did you make those holes/caves in them yourself?
> 
> and I'm definitely going to second the PFS. I have playsand in my 55g mbuna tank, and I switched to PFS for my new 75g and I love it. Looks more natural to me, and like cjacob said, it doesnt kick up nearly as much which is great for my filters :] oh and its much easier to wash as well :thumb:


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## K5MOW (Apr 19, 2010)

Ok I just got the background in. My wife wanted blue insted of black. I think it looks good. Sand is next.

Roger


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

Looks great! What a huge improvement. :thumb:


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## nauTik (Mar 18, 2009)

K5MOW said:


> The rocks are called Cichlid stones. You can get the at
> 
> http://www.aquariumfish.net/_affiliates ... leries.htm
> 
> ...


ah I see thank you :thumb:


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## Joekahuna (Oct 9, 2007)

looks very nice!... I recently changed from gravel to pool filter sand an I'm so glad I did. It looks so much better, the tank looks brighter because of the white color of the sand. The cichlids absolutely love it and I dont have trouble cleaning at all


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## joeshmoe (Nov 29, 2007)

looks great :thumb:


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