# Malawi Tank Wietze Bron (350x80x80 / 2200 litre)



## WietzeBron

Hereby I want to present some pictures of my new tank.

Dimensions: 350 x 80 x 80
Capacity: 2200 litre
Aquarium/frame/furniture: custom made
Decoration: Back to Nature backgrounds en modules

Technique:
2 x Clear Control filters with Red Dragon 8000 pumps
Tunze streamingpump 20000 l/h
3 Kw Profiheater
Aqualight dimable units with aquastar and gro-lux T5
Silenta 1200 airpump
































































supertrio: Buccochromis Rhoadesii, Taeniochromis Holotaenia en Tyrannochromis Maculiceps









Fossorochromis Rostratus couple









Tyrannochromis Maculiceps couple









Cyrtocara Moorii couple









Taeniochromis Holotaenia









Taeniochromis Holotaenia









Taeniochromis Holotaenia









Mylochromis Gracilis









Mylochromis Gracilis









Mylochromis Gracilis









Mylochromis Gracilis









Tyrannochromis Maculiceps en Tyrannochromis Macrostoma









Tyrannochromis Macrostoma









Tyrannochromis Macrostoma









Ahli Iceberg









Ahli Iceberg









Cyrtocara Moorii









Cyrtocara Moorii









Nimbochromis Venustus









Fossorochromis Rostratus









Chilotilapia Rhoadesii









Exochromis Anagenys









Buccochromis Lepturus









Tyrannochromis Maculiceps









Tyrannochromis Maculiceps









Nimbochromis Fuscotaeniatus









Nimbochromis Fuscotaeniatus









Buccochromis Rhoadesii









Buccochromis Rhoadesii









Buccochromis Rhoadesii









Buccochromis Rhoadesii









Buccochromis Rhoadesii


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## CICHLUDED

Sweeeeet.........

Nice tank & fish....

Good thing I have High speed internet....It would have taken a year to load with 56K...
.


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## Beals

very nice i like it


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## F8LBITEva

WOW  beautiful tank. How many gallons is that?? 8 feet long?


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## quiksilver

WOW


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## jhunbj

F8LBITEva said:


> How many gallons is that?? 8 feet long?


11.5 ft. long....(581G) :thumb: Very nice tank.


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## BrianNFlint

WOW... Just WOW


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## Aramz

Unreal tank mate!

Congrats on all your hard work, that tank is one of a kind.


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## marco1010

Did you buy all these fish as adults or did you raise from juvie? and where did you order them from

INCREDIBLE tank by the way, I would like one just like that with the large haps.

thanks


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## remarkosmoc

Awesome. Great photography too!


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## WietzeBron

marco1010 said:


> Did you buy all these fish as adults or did you raise from juvie? and where did you order them from
> 
> INCREDIBLE tank by the way, I would like one just like that with the large haps.
> 
> thanks


Marco,

The Tyranno's are wildcaught (as jung adults), but the Bucco's, Moorii's, Holotaenia's and Venustus for instance are own tank raised fish. I always try to start with small groups (10) of young fish so I can select the best one's. I bye them in Holland and Germany from store's or private persons.

Wietze


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## WietzeBron

When I activate this topic it takes a rather long time to show up. Do you all have that? Is it because of all the pictures or is this just a slow site?
I have already downgraded the pictures to 640x480 pixels which makes them 50K on average.
I dot not have this problem at other forums.


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## MidNightCowBoy

Wow those tyranos are awesome! Are any of them full grown? Would you expect to have some problems when they get larger?

One of the nicest malawi tanks I've ever seen! Good job!

:thumb:


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## NZ1001

Great tank and specimens. The layout in the middle and right side are extremely satisfying. :thumb:


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## WietzeBron

MidNightCowBoy said:


> Wow those tyranos are awesome! Are any of them full grown? Would you expect to have some problems when they get larger?
> 
> One of the nicest malawi tanks I've ever seen! Good job!
> 
> :thumb:


The Tyranno's are indeed great fish. Yhey are not yet full grown. They can get about 35 cm.
I don't expect problems because the tank is large enough and they are not really agressive.

Thank you all for your positive comments !!!


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## jook1

You stole my tank!! I'm calling the police right now. Just kidding :lol: . Very nice tank man!! And i thought saving up for the 220 gallon i want, was over the top!! Just curious, what did it cost you (in euros please) ? I would almost never leave the house with something like that. Congratulations on a VERY nice build!!


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## aussieafricans

i know this will sound stupid but what is an Bucco 

sorry about the stupid question :roll:


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## WietzeBron

aussieafricans said:


> i know this will sound stupid but what is an Bucco
> 
> sorry about the stupid question :roll:


Stupid Questions do not exist !!

This is a (Bucco)chromis Rhoadesii:









A colorfull Malawi predator that can become about 35 cm long.


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## WietzeBron

jook1 said:


> You stole my tank!! I'm calling the police right now. Just kidding :lol: . Very nice tank man!! And i thought saving up for the 220 gallon i want, was over the top!! Just curious, what did it cost you (in euros please) ? I would almost never leave the house with something like that. Congratulations on a VERY nice build!!


Jook, I have done a lot myself (with a friend). The tank, frame and furniture is comletely self made. Large part of the price were the Back to Nature modules and the technique. I think when you want to buy this in a shop it will cost you at least 12K, I have done it for 8.


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## blairo1

I swear those BTN modules are a better investment than any car. :lol:

Fantastic tank bro, I'd be really proud of that, especially considering you constructed the majority of it yourself. Beautiful specimens of fish too, I'll have to hunt you down next time I'm in NL and steal, I meant see, it for myself.

:thumb:


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## WietzeBron

You're welcome.


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## WietzeBron

Here I have some pictures of my Taeniochromis Holotaenia in full color.
When the male is territorial he loses his horizontal line and is getting
some vertical lines back instead.


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## F8LBITEva

wow!! great pics, eggs and everything


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## venustus19

that is just a fantastic tank and fish... probably one of the best tanks i've ever seen... and your photograpghy is great too... i love how you captured the spawning on camera...
congrats and just simply amazing...


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## aussieafricans

i second that. soooo cool :thumb:

p.s. (i love your tank) :drooling:


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## RiftCichlids

What a great looking tank, and an excellent group of fish. I have a few questions.

How are the fish getting along? Lost any due to aggression? Looks like you are close to having an all male tank, I would think the presence of a few females would be enough to cause quite a bit of frustration with so many males.

I'm wondering what you are feeding, any live food?

Is the tank all glass with the wood frame decorative, or is the frame somehow structural? How thick of glass did you go with, and is it tempered?

Looks like most fish have some growing to do, looks quite roomy now though.


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## riffraffxl

Amazing tank. Nicely done, and the stocking is pretty exotic and expensive too! Some hard to find fish in my area.


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## exasperatus2002

OWW OWW OWW !! must me a short in my keyboard at work as Im getting shocked from drooling over those pictures. Incredible tank & back ground, not to mention the fish. [/list]


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## WietzeBron

RiftCichlids said:


> What a great looking tank, and an excellent group of fish. I have a few questions.
> 
> How are the fish getting along? Lost any due to aggression? Looks like you are close to having an all male tank, I would think the presence of a few females would be enough to cause quite a bit of frustration with so many males.


Actually I have more females than males. In most cases I have 1 male/2 females, but in some cases I have 2 males/3 females. I also have some couples. Though the fish are terriotorial from time to time there actually is no real agression. There are 2 reasons for that; 1) the tank is big enough for the fish to hide (they can swim completely behind the background and the hollow modules, and 2) there are quite a number of fish in the tank which spreads the agression. So, I never lost any single fish due to agression in this tank.



RiftCichlids said:


> I'm wondering what you are feeding, any live food?


Not life food, but frozen food like shrimps, mussels, smelt and krill. I also feed pallets called "aquatic nature" which contains Astaxanthine for good color.



RiftCichlids said:


> Is the tank all glass with the wood frame decorative, or is the frame somehow structural? How thick of glass did you go with, and is it tempered?


The wood is decorative. The glass is 15 mm thick and it is just normal glass. In fact it should not be tempered, it should be a little flexible. The bottom consists of 3 parts in order to be less vulnerable.



RiftCichlids said:


> Looks like most fish have some growing to do, looks quite roomy now though.


Most fish are indeed young adults and they can grow a little more. Also the size of the tank makes them look smaller.


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## gordonrp

wowowwowowowowowowowowowowowowowow

:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :fish: :fish: :fish: :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: :dancing:

i LOVE that tank!


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## Wimmels

Hello Wietze, a little kick for this nice thread 

I will see to it that I post some pictures of my fish soon too.


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## Hubbynz

wow **** you could jump in there and swim with them


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## Guest

I just found this tank in the tanks section and I just have to say WOW!!! One of my favorite tanks so far here on the forum and you have such a fantastic stock list...!


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## alexrex20

by far the most beautiful malawi tank i've ever seen


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## Nathan43

Wow is all I can say :drooling:


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## WietzeBron

Here some pictures about the making of my tank.


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## exasperatus2002

Incredible. Truely awe inspiring. Thank you for sharing the build with us.[/list]


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## WietzeBron

Just a few pictures of my Thola (Champsochromis Caeruleus), because he is
getting into his color now. He is about 17 or 18 cm long en therefore about halfway 
to what he is going to be.


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## gordonrp

A couple of questions for you if you don't mind.....

1. How are your lights placed? Are they just sitting on the glass center braces? Are those light fittings from a rena tank? (i have a 6.5ft rena tank and would like to use the light fittings from it on my new 10ft tank).

2. Do you regret not using a sump? Or do you find you have plenty of water flow with your canister filters?

3. If you could build it all again, is there anything about the setup that you would change?

many thanks,
gordon


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## WietzeBron

gordonrp said:


> A couple of questions for you if you don't mind.....
> 
> 1. How are your lights placed? Are they just sitting on the glass center braces? Are those light fittings from a rena tank? (i have a 6.5ft rena tank and would like to use the light fittings from it on my new 10ft tank).
> 
> 2. Do you regret not using a sump? Or do you find you have plenty of water flow with your canister filters?
> 
> 3. If you could build it all again, is there anything about the setup that you would change?
> 
> many thanks,
> gordon


1) Yes, the lights are complete T5 dimmable aluminium units that can be placed on the glass. Very position flexible also. The units are from Aqualight. 








See also: http://www.aquariaveldhuis.nl/index.php ... =AQUALIGHT
Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Rena tanks.

2) The waterflow is perfect with the 2 pressure filters. In fact it are pond filters. The 2 (very silent) Red Dragon pumps each do 8000 l/h. In addition I have a Tunze circulation pump that does 20000 l/h. Together this gives 36000 l/h (=10 litre/second = 2.64 gallon per second) water movement. It constantly keeps the bottom completely clean. Also the pond filters have enough capacity to function properly. 
I use the filters in combination with the siphon system shown below. It has a drain right through the bottom of the tank and is very effective.









So I do not have the disadvantages of a sump like smell, noise and moisture. Anyway when you keep Malawi Cichlids you have to refresh regularly, so a sump has no real advantages (could be different with other kind of fish).

3) There is one thing I can think of. The use of T5 light produces much more heath. In the summer I do not even have a heather on and still the temparature rises to 28 degrees Celcius sometimes. I would like to keep it down a little more (24 degrees), so I have to think of something here (anyone got an idea?). I haven't had this experience with T8. Furthermore nothing substantial, I am very satisfied with the complete setup.

Wietze


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## gordonrp

Thanks very much for the response :thumb:

I think I will stick to canister filters (fx5, 405) and powerheads for my new tank rather than a sump. I'm just going to use my existing rena lighting and sit them ontop of the braces.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*First of all beautiful tank, bigger than mine (1500 litres) the fish are spectacular... F0, F1?

about the background, in the last pictures you posed you can see "naked" glass with no background on it... how is that the I can't see it in the other pictures? did you put something to cover it up? if not, don't the cichlids gets inside the cracks?
thanks*


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## blairo1

Could you possibly put up a tank shot with larger resolution - it is such a stunning tank but I find it hard to truly appreciate the immense size of it with 800 pixel wide pics, if you could upload one in the region if 1280 pixels width that would be excellent - I want to see more detail!

:thumb:


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## F8LBITEva

what a fantastic build! I thought you had purchased the tank I had no idea you had to put it together. BEAUTIFUL!


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## WietzeBron

Ssssssspit_Fire said:


> *First of all beautiful tank, bigger than mine (1500 litres) the fish are spectacular... F0, F1?
> 
> about the background, in the last pictures you posed you can see "naked" glass with no background on it... how is that the I can't see it in the other pictures? did you put something to cover it up? if not, don't the cichlids gets inside the cracks?
> thanks*


At the left side I have no background, so I can look into the tank from that position as well. That's where we have some seats. At this left side I can also remove part of the furniture to peek behind the complete background. The cichlids can easily swim behind the backgound, through some hidden entrances. The right side is almost completely covered with a flat BTN module.

I'd like to see some pictures of your tank as well please !!
Do you have a topic ?

The Maculiceps and Macrostoma are wildcaught fish. Furthermore I have some F1 as well.


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## WietzeBron

blairo1 said:


> Could you possibly put up a tank shot with larger resolution - it is such a stunning tank but I find it hard to truly appreciate the immense size of it with 800 pixel wide pics, if you could upload one in the region if 1280 pixels width that would be excellent - I want to see more detail!
> 
> :thumb:


You are right. For your interest, here is the URL where I have put better pictures in a folder called highres.
http://wietze.matvak.nl

Let me know what you think of it please.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*o.k, thanks but I mean, in these 2 pictures you see a lot of uncovered space:



















but aftewards, you can't:










what did you do to cover this space? do you have pictures of the making? (btw, the bigger rsolution pictures are beautiful, great Fosoo. rostratus)

another question? where you placed the the water entry to the filters?

about my topics, I have 3:
The complete setup:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=117872

un update:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... hlight=400

how the tank looked until 1 month ago (now it's empty)
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... hlight=400*


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## blairo1

There aren't enough words to describe how unbelievably cool that tank is bro.

Truly in awe.

Thanks for putting those pics up, forget a new car, I'd be more than happy to spend that on a tank like that. How do you ever go out? I'd be glued to that, no, I'd be in it, most days.

:thumb:


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## WietzeBron

Ssssssspit_Fire said:


> what did you do to cover this space? do you have pictures of the making? (btw, the bigger rsolution pictures are beautiful, great Fosoo. rostratus)
> 
> another question? where you placed the the water entry to the filters?


The first pictures are the rough set ups. For the finishing touch I used little parts from the background that I had to shorten. I sawed the parts to measure and luted them to the "inbetweens". I finished it with some sand to cover the transitions.

I have placed the water entries to the filters behind the background and the modules, also completely out of sight (see picture below left side). Because of the hidden entrances in the background the water (and dirt) is flowing easily to these filter entries.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*o.k that sounds cool but I've thought of something, you had 2 pieces of background each 200X60 cm meaning together 400X60, your tank is 350X80, after cutting, you had like 50 centimeters to cover up 150X20 cm on the right side on the top and 200X20 on the left side on the bottom... how did you do it?
sorry to bug you about that just I have a tank in the same height and it bugs me*


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## WietzeBron

blairo1 said:


> There aren't enough words to describe how unbelievably cool that tank is bro.
> 
> Truly in awe.
> 
> Thanks for putting those pics up, forget a new car, I'd be more than happy to spend that on a tank like that. How do you ever go out? I'd be glued to that, no, I'd be in it, most days.
> 
> :thumb:


I feel really flattered Blairo, thanks !! 
In fact, I indeed have been completely into my tank when I had to change the circulation pump.
I had to put on my swimming trousers. Luckily, no-one made any pictures of this situation.


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## WietzeBron

Ssssssspit_Fire said:


> *o.k that sounds cool but I've thought of something, you had 2 pieces of background each 200X60 cm meaning together 400X60, your tank is 350X80, after cutting, you had like 50 centimeters to cover up 150X20 cm on the right side on the top and 200X20 on the left side on the bottom... how did you do it?
> sorry to bug you about that just I have a tank in the same height and it bugs me*


I did not need that much, because I also put the modules in front of the missing space.

I put the left background to the top of the tank, filling the lower part with modules. I put the right background to the bottom and there I had to complete the upper part with modules.

Therefore the fish can swim completly behind the background and use the modules as caves (the modules have hollow behinds). They even spawn behind the modules.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*thanks!

about tank swimming here is me, two years ago, in my tank *


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## WietzeBron

LOL  How fast where you going ?


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## F8LBITEva

hahaha that pic is hilarious


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## Hubbynz

haha freak


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## blairo1

WietzeBron said:


> I feel really flattered Blairo, thanks !!
> In fact, I indeed have been completely into my tank when I had to change the circulation pump.
> I had to put on my swimming trousers. Luckily, no-one made any pictures of this situation.


:lol: _Wietzechromis netherlandii_.

Well bud when I next drop by the Netherlands you'll have a visitor on your hands, not that I'm inviting myself :lol:, but I couldn't knowingly go there again and not try to get a first hand look at this tank! If you hear any loud crashes from your lounge at night don't be concerned, I'm not trying to steal anything, just getting into the tank.


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## WietzeBron

You are always welcome man !!


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## hotdogstuff

Thanks for sharing such beautiful pics. You have given me some ideas on what I want in the future.


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## yogurtpooh

tank ofthe month


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## WietzeBron

Here a photo-update of my tank


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## balachel

wow what a beautiful tank


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*Hi Weitze, first of all, beautiful tank and fish, you make me feeling sorry for selling all my malawi haps...

btw, this monday, I'm going to germany to back to nature to buy the background and modules, I'm going specially for that hah...
I'll give you an update...

P.S: how do you glue the modules to the upper side of the tank? I mean doesn't it falls down after you glue it (cuz the silicone ain't strong enough to hold it in place until it dries)*


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## Guest

Gorgeous fish...

Do you have any more close up shots of your Chilotilapia rhoadesi?

Your Exochochromis anagenys are awesome... How many do you have and how many are males and females?


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## WietzeBron

Ssssssspit_Fire said:


> *Hi Weitze, first of all, beautiful tank and fish, you make me feeling sorry for selling all my malawi haps...
> 
> btw, this monday, I'm going to germany to back to nature to buy the background and modules, I'm going specially for that hah...
> I'll give you an update...
> 
> P.S: how do you glue the modules to the upper side of the tank? I mean doesn't it falls down after you glue it (cuz the silicone ain't strong enough to hold it in place until it dries)*


Hey Spitfire, you really got the BTN virus now I guess !! Travelling all the way to Germany. When you also want to drop in, at my place you are welcome. Big tanks are begging for big fish, so I really think you should get your Malawi Haps in again when you finished your BTN background. Please keep me informed.

When you fix the modules into your tank you have to support them until the silicone is dry. You could fix them with tape to the glass strips or support them with a stick or something. You also probably cannot fix everything at once. You need to have a kind of order plan.


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## WietzeBron

Marduk said:


> Gorgeous fish...
> 
> Do you have any more close up shots of your Chilotilapia rhoadesi?
> 
> Your Exochochromis anagenys are awesome... How many do you have and how many are males and females?


I do not have a lot pics of the Chilo, but here is one I did not post earlier.









I have 7 Exochromissen in my main tank. I have 5 males and 2 females, so this isn't a fortunate mix. However I have another group smaller ones (in one of my other tanks) where I hope to get some more females from.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*could you give us pictures of your male macrostoma and nigriventer?*


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## WietzeBron

Here are some pics you might like. The Fusco and the Macrostoma just had an argument. I wasn't able to capture the mouth-fight, but you can see the scratches. The Fusco got his right for the moment and peace has returned. The Macrostoma lost his smooth color and got his pattern back again.

Nimbochromis Fuscotaeniatus









Tyrannochromis Macrostoma









Tyrannochromis Maculiceps couple (one of the lesser pictures with a flash-light, but the colors are OK)









I don't have a Nigriventer myself, but my friend Wimmels has. Here is a picture.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*thanks, I never saw this fish before (Tyrannochromis Maculiceps), I mean I wanted macrostoma first, but now I;m getting this one, it looks much better. you have more pics of it? there are very ew on google...
here's my fish list for my new aquarium, all WC, it'll take about 6 months for me to collect them all but I'm going to have a **** of a tank

Aristochromis christyi
Buccochromis lepterus
Buccochromis rhoadesii
Champsochromis caeruleus
Chilotilapia euchilus
Chilotilapia rhoadesii
Dimidiochromis compressiceps
Exochochromis anagenys
Fossorochromis rostratus
Mylochromis lateristriga 
Cyrtocara moorii
Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus 
Nimbochromis livingstonii 
Nimbochromis venustus 
Otopharynx lithobates (Zimbawe) 
Placidochromis milomo
Placidochromis sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania"
Protomelas spilonotus (Tanzania)
Protomelas ornatus (Eclectrochromis ornatus)
Sciaenochromis fryeri (Maleri Island)
Tyrannochromis maculiceps*


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## WietzeBron

Ssssssspit_Fire said:


> *thanks, I never saw this fish before (Tyrannochromis Maculiceps), I mean I wanted macrostoma first, but now I;m getting this one, it looks much better. you have more pics of it? there are very ew on google...
> here's my fish list for my new aquarium, all WC, it'll take about 6 months for me to collect them all but I'm going to have a #%$& of a tank
> *


That is a great list. Looks like mine a little bit.
There are indeed not a lot of good pictures of the Maculiceps (especially males) on the internet. According to Ad Konings the Macrostoma and the Maculiceps are the same fish, so beware what you buy under what name.

I however see two different species here. The Maculiceps for instance has a much deeper split mouth. Also the Maculiceps has a higher build and to me the Macrostoma is more Nigriventer like. I can also assure you that the males are not interested in each others females. The names I stated are also used by Chiclidenstadl from Germany, where these wildcaught animals are bought from. They even have another species called Tyrannochromis Polyodon, which Konings also considers to be the same as the Macrostoma.

Anyway, I have offspring of both species. The latest throw was 2 and a half weeks ago of the Maculiceps. There are about 50 baby's. They are now already 2 cm long.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*really? so I hope they send me the right fish, according to fishbase it's 2 different species*

*all of your fish are wild caught? if not, which are and which arn't?*


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## WietzeBron

Ssssssspit_Fire said:


> *really? so I hope they send me the right fish, according to fishbase it's 2 different species*
> 
> *all of your fish are wild caught? if not, which are and which arn't?*


Only the Macrostoma and the Maculiceps are wildcaught. The rest is F1 or unknown.

Some fish I already have had for several years, from father to son. My Moorii blood-line for instance, I already have had it for more than 15 years I guess. I always bring in fresh blood, and select the young males with the biggest brows. So this is far away from wildcaught, but just as good.

Here is a an older picture of the grandfather Moorii. Check his head and size.


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## Rizup

Wow that is an incredible specimen!


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## Guest

WietzeBron said:


> Here is a an older picture of the grandfather Moorii. Check his head and size.


Is that one the father of these two? 

















How long have you been line breeding them?


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## Rizup

> My Moorii blood-line for instance, I already have had it for more than 15 years I guess.


I have to say, this is the nicest setup I have seen! I would love to see this in person. I am sure it is unbelievable. When we get our next house with a basement, it is my hope to have something like your tank in it. Thanks for the inspiration! :thumb:


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## WietzeBron

Marduk said:


> Is that one the father of these two?
> How long have you been line breeding them?


He is the grandfather of those two. I also still have the father male that is a little bigger than those two.
I have been breeding them for almost 15 years, but with every generation (2 at the max) I bring in fresh blood.


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## WietzeBron

Rizup said:


> My Moorii blood-line for instance, I already have had it for more than 15 years I guess.
> 
> 
> 
> I have to say, this is the nicest setup I have seen! I would love to see this in person. I am sure it is unbelievable. When we get our next house with a basement, it is my hope to have something like your tank in it. Thanks for the inspiration! :thumb:
Click to expand...

Thanks man. Wish you lots of succes with your setup. Please keep me informed.


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## Guest

I still love your tank man... Are those dimensions you listed in centimeters or inches? If they are in centimeters...that means your tank is approximately 11 ft long...  

You have an awesome tank. I'd love to one day own a tank that size. Where in your home is that tank? Basement?

I am currently in the process of finishing up my stocking for my 265gal tank which is 7ft long by 2ft wide and 2.5ft (30inches) tall or 1,003.13412 liters and 213.36cm x 60.96cm x 76.2cm.
My stocklist contains the following species but I did NOT list the quantities. Depending on how they get a long and how crowded it looks when they're all adult size I may remove a couple:

Lichnochromis acuticeps F1
Exochochromis anagenys
Tyrannochromis nigriventer F1
Tyrannochromis macrostoma/maculiceps Wild (not sure which variant, the macrostoma or the maculiceps...time will tell)
Aulonocara stuartgranti Ungi
Aulonocara stuartgranti Maulana
Aulonocara stuartgranti Ngara
Aulonocara stuartgranti Cobue
Aulonocara baenschi
Protomelas "steveni taiwan" Taiwanee Reef
Protomelas spilonotus Mara Rocks
Protomelas "spilonotus tanzania" Liuli
Mchenga conophoros Otter Point
Taeniolethrinops furcicauda Chiofu Liwani
Lethrinops sp. "Green Chest" Manda
Synodontis decorus
Sciaenochromis fryeri Marleri Island
Buccochromis spectabilis F1
Buccochromis nototaenia
Buccochromis rhoadesi
Chilotilapia rhoadesi
Cyrtocara moorii
Ancistrus sp. "Albino Bristlenose"
Otopharynx lithobates Zimbawe Rock
Dimidiochromis compressiceps half blind male (rescued him from certain culling at my LFS...got him for free)

Like I said, from the list it sounds very crowded. Currently though I have the tank aquascaped with minimal rocks and mostly open water and so far everybody is fine except for the stuartgranti peacocks that spar for dominance and the two sulphurhead protomelas have been fighting recently (will have to sell one of them soon).

I plan on having a breeding group with the Lichnochromis and the Taeniolethrinops, and maybe a breeding trio with the Exochochromis.

Anyway, just out of curiosity what do you think of my species choices for my list? I do certainly love your tank, especially the B. rhoadesi, the C. rhoadesi, the T. maculiceps, and the T. holotaenia...

~Ed


----------



## WietzeBron

Marduk said:


> I still love your tank man... Are those dimensions you listed in centimeters or inches? If they are in centimeters...that means your tank is approximately 11 ft long...
> 
> You have an awesome tank. I'd love to one day own a tank that size. Where in your home is that tank? Basement?
> 
> I am currently in the process of finishing up my stocking for my 265gal tank which is 7ft long by 2ft wide and 2.5ft (30inches) tall or 1,003.13412 liters and 213.36cm x 60.96cm x 76.2cm.
> My stocklist contains the following species but I did NOT list the quantities. Depending on how they get a long and how crowded it looks when they're all adult size I may remove a couple:
> 
> Lichnochromis acuticeps F1
> Exochochromis anagenys
> Tyrannochromis nigriventer F1
> Tyrannochromis macrostoma/maculiceps Wild (not sure which variant, the macrostoma or the maculiceps...time will tell)
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Ungi
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Maulana
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Ngara
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Cobue
> Aulonocara baenschi
> Protomelas "steveni taiwan" Taiwanee Reef
> Protomelas spilonotus Mara Rocks
> Protomelas "spilonotus tanzania" Liuli
> Mchenga conophoros Otter Point
> Taeniolethrinops furcicauda Chiofu Liwani
> Lethrinops sp. "Green Chest" Manda
> Synodontis decorus
> Sciaenochromis fryeri Marleri Island
> Buccochromis spectabilis F1
> Buccochromis nototaenia
> Buccochromis rhoadesi
> Chilotilapia rhoadesi
> Cyrtocara moorii
> Ancistrus sp. "Albino Bristlenose"
> Otopharynx lithobates Zimbawe Rock
> Dimidiochromis compressiceps half blind male (rescued him from certain culling at my LFS...got him for free)
> 
> Like I said, from the list it sounds very crowded. Currently though I have the tank aquascaped with minimal rocks and mostly open water and so far everybody is fine except for the stuartgranti peacocks that spar for dominance and the two sulphurhead protomelas have been fighting recently (will have to sell one of them soon).
> 
> I plan on having a breeding group with the Lichnochromis and the Taeniolethrinops, and maybe a breeding trio with the Exochochromis.
> 
> Anyway, just out of curiosity what do you think of my species choices for my list? I do certainly love your tank, especially the B. rhoadesi, the C. rhoadesi, the T. maculiceps, and the T. holotaenia...
> 
> ~Ed


The tank is indeed 350 centimeters / 11.5 inch long. The tanks is in the living room.

You have an impressive list there. A lot of fantastic fish. The Spilonotus Mara Rocks and the L. Acuticeps are on my wish list too.

However I am afraid that when they all are grown up, you probably will be able to maintain about half of the list (in a 265G tank). Especially more species of Bucco's together will be difficult. Also the Chilo and the Moorii are rather competitive. When you have a lot of swimming room and few caves, the Aulonocara's will not be very happy and will fight over the hiding places.


----------



## Guest

WietzeBron said:


> Marduk said:
> 
> 
> 
> I still love your tank man... Are those dimensions you listed in centimeters or inches? If they are in centimeters...that means your tank is approximately 11 ft long...
> 
> You have an awesome tank. I'd love to one day own a tank that size. Where in your home is that tank? Basement?
> 
> I am currently in the process of finishing up my stocking for my 265gal tank which is 7ft long by 2ft wide and 2.5ft (30inches) tall or 1,003.13412 liters and 213.36cm x 60.96cm x 76.2cm.
> My stocklist contains the following species but I did NOT list the quantities. Depending on how they get a long and how crowded it looks when they're all adult size I may remove a couple:
> 
> Lichnochromis acuticeps F1
> Exochochromis anagenys
> Tyrannochromis nigriventer F1
> Tyrannochromis macrostoma/maculiceps Wild (not sure which variant, the macrostoma or the maculiceps...time will tell)
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Ungi
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Maulana
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Ngara
> Aulonocara stuartgranti Cobue
> Aulonocara baenschi
> Protomelas "steveni taiwan" Taiwanee Reef
> Protomelas spilonotus Mara Rocks
> Protomelas "spilonotus tanzania" Liuli
> Mchenga conophoros Otter Point
> Taeniolethrinops furcicauda Chiofu Liwani
> Lethrinops sp. "Green Chest" Manda
> Synodontis decorus
> Sciaenochromis fryeri Marleri Island
> Buccochromis spectabilis F1
> Buccochromis nototaenia
> Buccochromis rhoadesi
> Chilotilapia rhoadesi
> Cyrtocara moorii
> Ancistrus sp. "Albino Bristlenose"
> Otopharynx lithobates Zimbawe Rock
> Dimidiochromis compressiceps half blind male (rescued him from certain culling at my LFS...got him for free)
> 
> Like I said, from the list it sounds very crowded. Currently though I have the tank aquascaped with minimal rocks and mostly open water and so far everybody is fine except for the stuartgranti peacocks that spar for dominance and the two sulphurhead protomelas have been fighting recently (will have to sell one of them soon).
> 
> I plan on having a breeding group with the Lichnochromis and the Taeniolethrinops, and maybe a breeding trio with the Exochochromis.
> 
> Anyway, just out of curiosity what do you think of my species choices for my list? I do certainly love your tank, especially the B. rhoadesi, the C. rhoadesi, the T. maculiceps, and the T. holotaenia...
> 
> ~Ed
> 
> 
> 
> The tank is indeed 350 centimeters / 11.5 inch long. The tanks is in the living room.
> 
> You have an impressive list there. A lot of fantastic fish. The Spilonotus Mara Rocks and the L. Acuticeps are on my wish list too.
> 
> However I am afraid that when they all are grown up, you probably will be able to maintain about half of the list (in a 265G tank). Especially more species of Bucco's together will be difficult. Also the Chilo and the Moorii are rather competitive. When you have a lot of swimming room and few caves, the Aulonocara's will not be very happy and will fight over the hiding places.
Click to expand...

I'm aware that it won't work out long term that whole list in that size tank.

With the Aulonocara, they actually rarely go in the caves (might be because of the 8" Synodontis decorus that reside in them though). Perhaps you are thinking of Aulonocara jacobfreibergi which are cave dwellers? I believe that most Aulonocara species are sand/rock dwellers and not cave dwellers....

I will have to sell some of them real soon though. The stuartgrantis have been really shredding each other up recently with constant sparring. I'm definitely going to keep the Ngara, and either the Cobue or the Maulana...haven't decided yet. The Ungi is definitely going...don't like him as much.

With the Buccos, I may try and see if I could get two species to get a long, but I am likely going to just grow out all three and pic the one with the best colors. So far I am leaning more towards B. spectabilis or B. rhoadesi based on pics of adults I've seen.

With the Tyrannochromis I am undecided. My alpha male T. nigriventer is a true stunner, 2" larger than the rest of the group and at 6" already nearly fully colored (still needs the blue to intensify though, but color on the entire body). Part of me would love to breed him based on how awesome he is with some of the females I have in the group, and part of me just wants him and the wild 4" T. macrostoma to live in there.

With the Exochochromis, I'd be happy with just one male specimen but I'd love to have a trio or pair.

And lastly, I am planning on having a breeding group with the Lichnochromis and the Taeniolethrinops. I am prepared however to possibly in the future invest in a separate 125gallon tank for a Lichnochromis species tank if they don't do well in the 265g. Currently I have one large F1 male in there 7" and am growing out 10 (previously 12, two died unexpectedly) F2 Lichnochromis acuticeps to be the breeding group.

Hopefully all will go well. Of course though I would much rather keep all the fish I listed... I just wanted to acknowledge that I am aware that once they are all adults it will not work out well with the quantities of each species and number of species I want. Luckily, the ones that I will be getting rid of should be worth quite a bit or at least easy to sell to a good owner... Currently the majority of the fish I listed are all juveniles/young adults so I have some time to make any changes until I decide on a final stocking list. And for example I only got the B. nototaenia and the T. macrostoma because I got good deals on them, the B. nototaenia was $15 at 3-4" and sexed as a male (confirmed it recently, he's starting to show blue on the face), and the WILD T. macrostoma male at 4" was $10. The B. nototaenia I mostly planned to just grow out to like 5-7" and then sell him off, but I am thinking of keeping the T. macrostoma since it is wild caught...

Thanks for your input though on my list. I always find it beneficial to get other inputs and see what they see as a potential problem since sometimes I may read something I did not think about before, for example I wasn't aware that I could have problems specifically with the Moorii and the Chilo in the future. I'll probably end up keeping the Chilo since I have a snail problem in that tank anyway...

One last thing I wanted to ask you, was do you keep any other fish tanks? And how much in Euros or US Dollars did it cost just for the tank and how much just for your stand for that tank? And did you have to reinforce the floors at all from all the weight or is it in the basement/ground floor?

~Ed


----------



## WietzeBron

Marduk said:


> One last thing I wanted to ask you, was do you keep any other fish tanks? And how much in Euros or US Dollars did it cost just for the tank and how much just for your stand for that tank? And did you have to reinforce the floors at all from all the weight or is it in the basement/ground floor?
> 
> ~Ed


Marduk, at the moment I have 7 other tanks for backup and breeding. At least for backup I think it is very usefull to have extra tanks. I could also run into problems with my stocklist at a certain moment (2 Bucco's and Tyranno's/Fusco/Thola). With backup tanks you never have great immediate problems.

My tank is on the ground floor of the living room. According to the builder my floor should be strong enough. It is a concrete isolated system floor with strong carriers. The tank is very near to the foundation.

The tank and the stand are both self-made. The glass (15 mm) + glue was about 1400,- Euro. The steel for the stand was about 450,-- Euro. The BTN decoration and the equipment was the expensive part.


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## WietzeBron

Some more pictures:


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## blairo1

Lookin' good brother!

The blaze on that last one is just spectacular!! :drooling:


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## remarkosmoc

love the linvingstoni


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## WietzeBron




----------



## FLGirl1977

What kind of water maintenance schedule do you have with this tank? What percentage water changes do you do and assuming it is a large one.... how do you handle that much water at one time. Do you have an RO unit? Sorry for all the questions... I'm just in awe.


----------



## WietzeBron

FLGirl1977 said:


> What kind of water maintenance schedule do you have with this tank? What percentage water changes do you do and assuming it is a large one.... how do you handle that much water at one time. Do you have an RO unit? Sorry for all the questions... I'm just in awe.


I change one third to half of the water every 14 days (sometimes 7 days). I have a pond filter (pressure filter) with different positions. The filter is connected directly to the drain. I can flush the water out through the filter within 20-30 minutes. I have pictures of the drain in this topic, so you can check this.


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## WietzeBron

Here is a small film of my tank:


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## Saxochromis

That is a fantastic setup you have there Wietzebron! That would truly be my dream tank.

The first time I saw your setup was just recently in the form of the youtube video you have. I was impressed with that but I must say that your high quality pictures, here on the forum, far exceed the low resolution we see on youtube. Great job man!

I'm brand new here but I can see already that this forum is going to be one of my favorite online places to visit.

I just want to ask you a question or two. I apologize if you've covered them here already. If so please just direct me to the appropriate page or thread.

The background in your tank is amazing! I know you made a few references as to how it's set up and I think you referred to it as "BTN"? Is that correct? If so, where do you get it? Perhaps more importantly for me, do you think something like that could be accomplished as a DIY project? If so, what might be a good starting point?

If I ever own a tank larger than 55 gallons it will likley be a plywood tank that I build myself. Or maybe an indoor pond setup of some sort. Where there's a will there's a way so maybe some day......

Thanks for all your help.

Nice to meet everyone and I look forward to discussing more Malawi stuff with you all very soon.

Again, awesome tank setup Wietzebron!!


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## WietzeBron

Saxochromis said:


> That is a fantastic setup you have there Wietzebron! That would truly be my dream tank.
> 
> The first time I saw your setup was just recently in the form of the youtube video you have. I was impressed with that but I must say that your high quality pictures, here on the forum, far exceed the low resolution we see on youtube. Great job man!
> 
> I'm brand new here but I can see already that this forum is going to be one of my favorite online places to visit.
> 
> I just want to ask you a question or two. I apologize if you've covered them here already. If so please just direct me to the appropriate page or thread.
> 
> The background in your tank is amazing! I know you made a few references as to how it's set up and I think you referred to it as "BTN"? Is that correct? If so, where do you get it? Perhaps more importantly for me, do you think something like that could be accomplished as a DIY project? If so, what might be a good starting point?
> 
> If I ever own a tank larger than 55 gallons it will likley be a plywood tank that I build myself. Or maybe an indoor pond setup of some sort. Where there's a will there's a way so maybe some day......
> 
> Thanks for all your help.
> 
> Nice to meet everyone and I look forward to discussing more Malawi stuff with you all very soon.
> 
> Again, awesome tank setup Wietzebron!!


Hello Saxochromis,

BTN stands for "Back to Nature". I have used their backgrounds and modules. They have different type of backgrounds. The type I have is Malawi. The modules are fitting best with the Malawi type background I think. The product comes from Sweden. Here you have a link where you can find a ditributors list also: http://www.backtonature.se/ . I am afraid there is no distributor in the US. The BTN backgrounds are considered to be one of the nicest and best quality backgrounds. I think it will be very difficult to make such a product yourself (with that kind of detail).

Wietze


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## WietzeBron

Another Youtube film:


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## Saxochromis

[BTN stands for "Back to Nature". I have used their backgrounds and modules. They have different type of backgrounds. The type I have is Malawi. The modules are fitting best with the Malawi type background I think. The product comes from Sweden. Here you have a link where you can find a ditributors list also: http://www.backtonature.se/ . I am afraid there is no distributor in the US. The BTN backgrounds are considered to be one of the nicest and best quality backgrounds. I think it will be very difficult to make such a product yourself (with that kind of detail).]

Thanks Wietze for your answers to my questions. I appreciate the link you provided to the BTN site. They seem to have alot of high quality stuff.

I've seen some references around the internet on DIY backgrounds using shaped styrofoam and some concrete mix. Apparently they were even adding pigments for color to more closely simulate natural rock. They would then add water to the mix and brush or blot it on with a paint brush. Sounds like it might work.

Some folks seem to be using them with no ill effects on their fish. I'd say making sure the concrete was very well cured would be important before installing it in a tank.

I've realy enjoyed the photos of your tank and fish. I've been building a wish list of my own of various large Malawian predators. They are just awesome fish! It would really be nice to see shots of some of your other tanks and fish.

Could you give us some more specifics on the maximum sizes attained (preferably in inches for us westerners) for some of the largest fish you've shown photos of? I'm trying to get an idea of tank size that would be needed for just a few examples of those fine specimens.

Thanks!


----------



## Guest

Where did you get those S. fryeri's? Would you or the seller consider shipping fry overseas? I can't get over how fantastic they are colored....absolutely the best specimens of the iceberg variety I have every see...!


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*Hey Wietze
listen, my tank is running (with fish) for a whole month now, pics will be ready in a few days, but I got to tell you, your tank looks much much better than mine. and I have to agree with murduk about that iceberg, it's stunning*


----------



## WietzeBron

Saxochromis said:


> Could you give us some more specifics on the maximum sizes attained (preferably in inches for us westerners) for some of the largest fish you've shown photos of? I'm trying to get an idea of tank size that would be needed for just a few examples of those fine specimens.
> 
> Thanks!


Here are some figures (according to Ad Konings from one of his books):

Buccochromis Rhoadesii fishsize: 30-35 cm (13.8 inch) tanksize: 200 cm (78.7) tankvolume: (750 l/198 G)
Champsochromis Caeruleus fishsize: 40-30 cm (15.7 inch) tanksize: 200 cm (78.7) tankvolume: (750 l/198 G)
Fossorochromis Rostratus fishsize: 30-24 cm (11.8 inch) tanksize: 200 cm (78.7) tankvolume: (750 l/198 G)

Personally I think these figures are minimum values, but it also depends on how much fish you put into the tank.


----------



## WietzeBron

Marduk said:


> Where did you get those S. fryeri's? Would you or the seller consider shipping fry overseas? I can't get over how fantastic they are colored....absolutely the best specimens of the iceberg variety I have every see...!


Hi Marduk,

I don't have fry at this moment. Here is the website of the seller: http://www.malawimenj.nl/
Maybe they can help you.


----------



## WietzeBron

Ssssssspit_Fire said:


> *Hey Wietze
> listen, my tank is running (with fish) for a whole month now, pics will be ready in a few days, but I got to tell you, your tank looks much much better than mine. and I have to agree with murduk about that iceberg, it's stunning*


I am really looking forward to seeing your pictures !!


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## bigfishferd

MAGNIFICENT! =D>


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## jimmymac

WietzeBron, Beautiful tank. I have the same taste in fish in my 210.
I am still looking for a beautiful Buchochromis male like you have.
Thanks for the inspiration!!!


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## WietzeBron

Here another Youtube movie with the Taeniochromis Holotaenia spawning.


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## WietzeBron

jimmymac said:


> WietzeBron, Beautiful tank. I have the same taste in fish in my 210.
> I am still looking for a beautiful Buchochromis male like you have.
> Thanks for the inspiration!!!


Hey man, thanks for your reaction (in the email). I just have masonrysand at the bottom of my tank. It has a different grain size and to me it looks very natural. We indeed have the same taste in fish (I checked your tank and it looks good !!) I hope you find your Bucco. I've got some almost mature offspring here, but that journey would be to far I guess.

Wietze


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## WietzeBron

Another Youtube movie of my Cyrtocara Moorii male.


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## greencross420

amazing


----------



## newbiechick

I feel silly being intimidated by my new 4ft tank :lol: :lol:


----------



## KaiserSousay

Eenvoudig mooi :thumb:


----------



## hemsiphere

what is your current stocklist and male - female ratios?

benchmark setup, truly beautiful


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## harveyb27

Very realistic tank, thats what i like to see :thumb: the fish probably think so too...


----------



## anjelicax

Is there a law regarding printing a picture of a license plate found online just for decoration?
I want to know if it is illegal to print out a picture of a license plate(that isn't being used on a car) just for decoration.


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## WietzeBron

hemsiphere said:


> what is your current stocklist and male - female ratios?
> 
> benchmark setup, truly beautiful


The exact list in my main tank is at the moment:

Buccochromis Rhoadesii (1/1)
Buccochromis Lepturus (1/0)
Champsochromis Caeruleus "Thola" (1/2)
Cyrtocara Moorii (1/0)
Exochromis Anagenys (3/4)
Fossorochromis Rostratus (1/1)
Mylochromis Gracilis (1/2)
Nimbochromis Fuscotaeniatus (1/1)
Nimbochromis Livingstonii (1/2)
Nimbochromis Venustus (1/2)
Sciaenochromis fryeri "Iceberg" (1/2)
Taeniochromis Holotaenia (1/1)
Tyrannochromis Macrostoma (1/1)
Tyrannochromis Maculiceps (0/1)

In my other tanks I have backup of the above species, fry and also I have other species like:

Aristochromis christyi
Buccochromis Spectabilis
Lichnochromis Acuticeps


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## WietzeBron

anjelicax said:


> Is there a law regarding printing a picture of a license plate found online just for decoration?
> I want to know if it is illegal to print out a picture of a license plate(that isn't being used on a car) just for decoration.


I don't know, I am not a lawyer. How is that related to my topic?


----------



## KaiserSousay

> I don't know, I am not a lawyer. How is that related to my topic?


 :lol: Answered like a true lawyer :lol:


----------



## WietzeBron

Here a few more You-tube movies:

Buccochromis Lepturus





Mylochromis Gracilis





Nimbochromis Venustus


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## Maddog

SICK! awsome setup


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## Scorpio

WietzeBron,

Impressive setup. I wish I had seen this thread early this year. Wife and I had a blast in your country when we went early this year. Great people. Would love to go back and spend more time around Amsterdam. How close are you to it?

I am curious as to how you came up with this design...Did you cut the openings? What size and diameter of pipe is it? I would like to replicate this but instead of draining directly through the bottom, I would like to reroute it like a conventional pick up (hanging over the back) and then to the filtration system.

If you have other pics of the filtration system, can you post them?

Thanks!

Rob


----------



## WietzeBron

Scorpio said:


> WietzeBron,
> 
> Impressive setup. I wish I had seen this thread early this year. Wife and I had a blast in your country when we went early this year. Great people. Would love to go back and spend more time around Amsterdam. How close are you to it?
> 
> I am curious as to how you came up with this design...Did you cut the openings? What size and diameter of pipe is it? I would like to replicate this but instead of draining directly through the bottom, I would like to reroute it like a conventional pick up (hanging over the back) and then to the filtration system.
> 
> If you have other pics of the filtration system, can you post them?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Rob


Hi Scorpio,

I am living a 1,5 hour drive away from Amsterdam. You can visit me if you want.
I designed the tank and everything in it myself. The diameter of the filter pipes are 1.3 inch.
I cut the openings in the bottom with a special glass drill. 









Here you can find extra info about the filtration system:
http://www.aquariaveldhuis.nl/index.php ... merk=VELDA

Wietze


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## noslenwerd

Wow...

I have nothing of value to add except that this is by far the coolest malawi tank I have ever seen in my life...

You make me want to buy a bigger house so I could fit a tank that big :lol:


----------



## Tiberian

very nice


----------



## hydrophyte

What an amazing setup. Those fish are beautiful.


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## WietzeBron

Here some new pictures of my fish.

Champsochromis Caeruleus


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## WietzeBron

Cyrtocara Moorii



























Buccochromis Lepturus

















































































Mylochromis Gracilis


----------



## WietzeBron

Nimbochromis Venustus



























Tyrannochromis Macrostoma


















Exochochromis Anagenys



























Aristochromis Christyi



























Buccochromis Rhoadesii



























Diversen



























Fossorochromis Rostratus









Synodontis Petricola dwarf (Tanganyika meer)


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## Ssssssspit_Fire

*as always
wietze, your fish are magnificent!*


----------



## scrubjay

They are truly spectacular specimens, congratulations! You so rarely see them in their full adult glory because they need such a large tank, and I have never seen better photos of them anywhere. Do you have a favorite?


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## sulcata2big

fantastic tank, fantastic fish, you must be really proud, im sure i would be

mick :thumb: :thumb:


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## TheBanker

gotta love the large haps. :thumb:


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## WietzeBron

scrubjay said:


> They are truly spectacular specimens, congratulations! You so rarely see them in their full adult glory because they need such a large tank, and I have never seen better photos of them anywhere. Do you have a favorite?


Thanks. My favourite is the Buccochromis Rhoadesii, because of his shape, size and rather unique orange color combination. Other ones I like are the Champsochromis Cauruleus and Fossorochromis Rostratus.


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## dkreef

Hi i got a 265gal with 120gal sump filtration. i currently have 75 haps/peacocks/synodontis/some mbunas. all males.
some of my haps are still subadults(~6") but not colored yet such as Buccochromis rhoadesii.
i am amazed how great yur bucco looks. 
is there anything i could do to bring out the color? water quality, food, etc?
i feed them HBH african attach(supposedly colors them).


----------



## WietzeBron

dkreef said:


> Hi i got a 265gal with 120gal sump filtration. i currently have 75 haps/peacocks/synodontis/some mbunas. all males.
> some of my haps are still subadults(~6") but not colored yet such as Buccochromis rhoadesii.
> i am amazed how great yur bucco looks.
> is there anything i could do to bring out the color? water quality, food, etc?
> i feed them HBH african attach(supposedly colors them).


Hi dkreef,

I feed my fish shrimps, mussels, smelt and krill and also protein pellets. Besides that I feed them Aquatic Nature pellets (I don't know HBH). 
This contains high concentrations of natural Astaxanthine en Spirulina which colors them. I don't know if you can get that in the US.

Wietze


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## CrazyCichlid

Not sure how i missed this thread but                        

Your setup my friend should be the benchmark of all hap tank setups! Sorry if you have answered this before but how do you keep so many big haps in great condition with all the aggression ( potential) in that tank?

Keep the pics coming opcorn: 
cc


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## WietzeBron

CrazyCichlid said:


> Not sure how i missed this thread but
> 
> Your setup my friend should be the benchmark of all hap tank setups! Sorry if you have answered this before but how do you keep so many big haps in great condition with all the aggression ( potential) in that tank?
> 
> Keep the pics coming opcorn:
> cc


Thanks for these fantastic words. The tank is rather large with space all behind the BTN background where they can get out of sight. 
Also keeping enough fish together helps spreading the agression. They are all very kind to each other.


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## jimmymac

CrazyCichlid said:


> Not sure how i missed this thread but
> 
> how do you keep so many big haps in great condition with all the aggression ( potential) in that tank?
> opcorn:
> cc


Keeping large haps together isn't a real hard thing to do.
Thats the beauty of an all male Hap show tank, they get along.

*Wietz, *Tank looks the very best Bro!!


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## WietzeBron

jimmymac said:


> Keeping large haps together isn't a real hard thing to do.
> Thats the beauty of an all male Hap show tank, they get along.
> 
> *Wietz, *Tank looks the very best Bro!!


Thanks Jimmy, but in this case it is not an all male tank. 
I keep 1 or 2 females with each male, in one case even 4 females. 
It keeps the males in color !!


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## jimmymac

WietzeBron said:


> jimmymac said:
> 
> 
> 
> Keeping large haps together isn't a real hard thing to do.
> Thats the beauty of an all male Hap show tank, they get along.
> 
> *Wietz, *Tank looks the very best Bro!!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Jimmy, but in this case it is not an all male tank.
> I keep 1 or 2 females with each male, in one case even 4 females.
> It keeps the males in color !!
Click to expand...

Hey bro, I know. I was kinda refering to my tank, on *your* thread, LOL
Check this out. I just got a pair of Champsochromis at the RMCA auction too.

*Jumpin your thread:*


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## Guest

bumping this as the best thread EVER


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## WietzeBron

Thanks Ed !!

FYI: I have put a juvenile couple Buccochromis Heterotaenia in my tank.
The male is not showing full colors yet, when he does I'll post some pics.


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## WietzeBron

Another Youtube film:

The Buccochromis Lepturus is eating smelt from the hand.


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## TheBanker

nice video, your fish are amazing.


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## WietzeBron

A Youtube film of my Buccochromis Rhoadesii defending his territory.


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## exasperatus2002

Beautiful.


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## WietzeBron

An update with pictures of my Buccochromis Heterotaenia:


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## newforestrob

wow...my dream tank,glad to see its still going,what do you feed them?


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## shahar75

Hi Wietze, you have the most beautiful haps tank i ever seen, i watch your video's every week, no words to write how much your tank impresse me :thumb:


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## JimA

Stunning :thumb:

I am more interested in how his rocks and background stay spotless, looks like the day they were put in??


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## WietzeBron

JimA said:


> Stunning :thumb:
> 
> I am more interested in how his rocks and background stay spotless, looks like the day they were put in??


I have some friends that do the cleaning for me:


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## WietzeBron

newforestrob said:


> wow...my dream tank,glad to see its still going,what do you feed them?


I feed them different kinds of food like shrimps, mussels, smelt and krill. 
They also get dry food Aquatic Nature, Tetra Cichlid and brown granulate.


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## Guest

what an amazing tank and species you have man :thumb:

definitely by far one of the best tanks i've seen here on CF man. keep up the good work and keep us updated


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## sandandrocks

You my friend, have acquired my "Dream Tank".

Simply because i can't find those species around here at that size. And i'm too lazy to wait 1-2 years for juvies to grow.


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## WietzeBron

sandandrocks said:


> You my friend, have acquired my "Dream Tank".
> 
> Simply because i can't find those species around here at that size. And i'm too lazy to wait 1-2 years for juvies to grow.


Thanks, I like to see the young ones grow up in my other tanks also. 
And then you have the possibility for selection.


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## Gags

Wow 
Hats off too buddy
Don't how i have missed this thread.....


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## cichlid-gal

Breathtaking and inspiring to say the least...thank you so much for sharing your beautiful fish family pics with us Wietze


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## theswede

Totaly amazing looking tank WietzeBron and all the malawis looks to be in perfect condition!!! :thumb: Beautiful shots of the cichlids as well!


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## Robert van Gramstat

looks totally amazing!

need to build this, too


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## sandandrocks

Can i ask where you got your stock? I'm interested in purchasing large predator haps at juvi size and growing them out. But i'd like to find someone who has a large selection instead of having to buy from several breeders because shipping can be a pain in the butt.


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## Morpheen

Like a lot of other people here I am amazed at what you have achieved here. Simply a beautiful tank and is now book marked for future inspiration!

I am planning on building my own large tank soon and am really interested in your filtration, especially your drainage bar that you have constructed on the bottom and behind the modules. Can you describe your filtration system in more detail? Does your drainage bar suck up sand at all? Do you have a circulation pump blowing across the bottom to help keep the detritus and excess food flowing towards your drain? Do you have anymore pictures of the filtration?


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## Morpheen

Just thought of something else. Do you have any protection on that drain against flooding? Does it drain straight into your pond filters?


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## WietzeBron

sandandrocks said:


> Can i ask where you got your stock? I'm interested in purchasing large predator haps at juvi size and growing them out. But i'd like to find someone who has a large selection instead of having to buy from several breeders because shipping can be a pain in the butt.


I get my stock in The Netherlands and Germany. Here are also few places where you can get everything at once.


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## WietzeBron

Morpheen said:


> Like a lot of other people here I am amazed at what you have achieved here. Simply a beautiful tank and is now book marked for future inspiration!
> 
> I am planning on building my own large tank soon and am really interested in your filtration, especially your drainage bar that you have constructed on the bottom and behind the modules. Can you describe your filtration system in more detail? Does your drainage bar suck up sand at all? Do you have a circulation pump blowing across the bottom to help keep the detritus and excess food flowing towards your drain? Do you have anymore pictures of the filtration?


Hello Morpheen,

My drainage bar does suck up some sand, but my pond filters can easily work for half a year. Then I simply wash out the sand and put it back into my tank. You should not make the holes in the drainage to small, else it gets choked up on the outside. I also have a circulation pump (Tunze streamingpump 20000 l/h) which indeed helps moving the filt to the drain, altough it is not particulary aimed at the bottom. Below one of the few pics I have of the filter system. I have 2 of those pond filters. You can see the drain goes through the bottom of the tank straight to the filters. You should secure the drain with extra taps.

Regards, Wietze


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## pmdf

Wonderful tank and stunning fish. Gives me plenty to think about and something to aspire to... :thumb:


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## B.Roberson

Geez louizzee.yippee kiyaaaa. Yummmy looking fish tank man. Beautiful! !


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## Dean38

Hello Wietze, first I would like to say that you have an absolutely amazing Malawi bio-type. I am amazed at your aquarium engineering. The aesthetics of this tank are simply beautiful. All the species of cichlids you have are what I would like to have in a large display tank. I am seriously interested in your filtration system. Do you have some type of diagram you could share as to how the drain pipe and filters are routed and the other circulation pump that moves the water. I am in the planning stages of a large tank and would like to possibly replicate your design. If that would be OK with you. You can never have enough input when thinking through the design of a large aquarium. Once again, great work in building this amazing Malawi display.

Thanks for sharing
Dino


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## live bait

It's official - you're the man!


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## Davym1991

Any updates? New fish? Updated pics? This is an amazing Malawi fish tank and makes me want to upgrade my 240g peacock/hap tank. Lol


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## WietzeBron

Photo udpate on my Buccochromis Lepturus (and Fossorochromis Rostratus):


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## JimA

All amazing pics! The one holding fry =D>


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## WietzeBron

Some more of Fossorochromis Rostratus:































































Lichnochromis Acuticeps:


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## Morpheen

One of my all time favorite tanks. Nice job!


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## kojak76

Man, I dont know how many times I have been here to look at this tank, makes me jealous almost every time...I have what I consider a large tank 240 gallon long but, my tank would fit in your tank with room to spare..I want your aquarium.


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## MPKS92

Beautiful tank. MAN AM I JEALOUS! :thumb:


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## theboothsociety

This tank is amazing. Very nice job and pics.


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## raydawg

wow buddy you have an epic tank that is one of the best tanks i have ever seen on this site you make allot of people jealous let me tell you


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## matt121966

so what happens to the fry ????

great looking fish, super tank. congrats.


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## Tatmanbob

Awesome tank. Any updates??


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## Iggy Newcastle

Something tells me he uploaded this on multiple forums and does not check in often.


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## theoryguru

raydawg said:


> wow buddy you have an epic tank that is one of the best tanks i have ever seen on this site you make allot of people jealous let me tell you


Epic - well put. I enjoy looking at setups online and this is the best DIY build to date - stand, glass, hardscape, and stock Bravo! =D>


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## cristiano martins

Your aquarium is a dream, so the fish as decoration! very good!


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## WietzeBron

Here some new pictures of my fish.

Champsochromis Spilorhynchus























































Lichnochromis Acuticeps




























Buccochromis Rhoadesii



















Nimbochromis venustus



















Protomelas Spilonotus



















Tyrannochromis Maculiceps
































































Buccochromis Lepturus


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## Dovii 64

:thumb: Great tank and great fish,


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## MAKU

Hi,
Beautiful tank and fishes&#8230;.I can't stop watching it&#8230;.
I'm making preparation for tank 300x70x80 and I have a question about filtration. You use "2 x Clear Control filters with Red Dragon 8000 pumps"&#8230;Is this unit make water really clear or only clear, I mean, do you see from short distance small particles in the water or water is really ,really pure clear ?
Regards
MAKU


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## MAKU

Hi,

Which type of filtration media you installed inside the filter?
Have you ever had water leak from this filter.....what about quality of this filter?

Regards
Maku


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## Deeda

The OP hasn't been on the forum since June 2014 so you likely won't get a response from him.


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## MAKU

Thanks,

I noticed that.....
I don't have experience with this type of filter.......so, I stay with Eheim 2260 x2....should be ok with my new aquarium.

Maku


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