Malawi Mansion in the Making Journal

Update: like the no timeline compliance in my building project, this project too had some delays as result of building and family holiday...

Full tank shot with extra rock in, rock piles 35cm high... Use the husbands wap to hollow out some of the sandstone rocks (dont tell:blink making huge caves and tunnels :laugh:...


Friday 10 Aug 12 - weather permitting (+70mm forecast for Saturday - original pick up date), I am off to the breeders to get some juvi's...

Am thinking now:
Tangerines x 4
Snows x 4 - for my daughter
Taiwan Reef x 6
OB Peacocks x 6
Red Empress x 4
Red Nyassae x 4
Lemon Jakes x 6
Moorii
Maleri Gold x 4
Auratus x 6 - could be first to change for something else

However when I get there and I see the parents, I might decide to on the spot change my mind as I know the list above is 6 carnivores, 2 omni and 4 herbi - so a real mix in terms of food requirements. Your views are welcome on the selection of fish and the numbers... Requirement is simple: lots of color, movement and easy to maintain.

I do make them "home cooked food" - and the current bunch just loves it.

Pumps and lights are sorted and running like a dream.

Better than any TV, just relax with a cuppa / glass and watch the action - off to enjoy my cuppa @ the mansion LOL

 

Sounds nice! Cant see the pic... possible to upload another?

 

@Polla - Nice. Keep us updated...

 

Ok Rickus, lets try the tank shot again... Unfortuantely, the way the windows let the day light in, there is always a reflection on the tank from somewhere, so day pics is no good...

 

Looks great!

 

Awesome!!!

 

Rather than Auratus maybe look at Cyaneorhabdos Maingano? A little less agro yet still beautiful to look at. Personally I think both males and females look better than the Auratus too. My maingano have quickly become personal favourites.

 

Your tank looks really good. The 3D background is awsome.

I also have mbuna, haps and predators in my tank. 80% of my fish are mbuna. I mix my foods t0 2/3 spirulina & vegetable blend and 1/3 high protein granula food & prawn. I have not yet had malawi bloat or any other infections with my mbuna from consuming high protein foods and my nimbochromis species are growing beautifully, males have even started to court the females. I feed my malawi's only once a day.

Enjoy our malawi's

 

Thanks guys - please help me with this matter -@[U][URL="http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/member.php?u=726"]Shakes[/URL][/U], @Boomslang, @Rickus & @MarcHawke and any other knowledgables like @scotty...

Me being a non-practical more creative person and my husband being a mechanical guy and biker (read non-fish), we have been wondering:

How does oxygenating a tank for Malawi work best?
a) sprayline - it is noisy, so I removed it in lieu of option b)
b) @LFS they told me the inflow could be places just beneath the surface
c) do we place the inflow just above the surface to break it?

if b) how does the oxy get into the water? for now the fish is fine, but I would not want them to lack oxy once the new bunch arrives...

Please share your knowledge and wisdom with me...

Appreciate

 

yip, oxygen gets into the water when the water surface is broken.

hth , air pump with air stone, when the bubbles break the surface the oxygen enters the water...

 

@ Rickus

thanks for the feedback, spraybar readjusted, clear from fish behaviour that oxy levels are UP... Off to collect my juvi's - will be posting more pics next week...

 

Juvi's aquired...

yet another little update: 10 August 2012 went to visit a breeder: was a clever move to only go with # cash as I knew once the kidz and I start seeing fish we will forget about the budget and go go go - as my son would say "BUT I Need them Dad - pleasee"...

This is the complete list of tank inhabitants as of last night:

Juvi size: min 3cm except for the baby Auratus that would not leave the net @ the breeder.

Mbuna: Labidochromis Caeruleus (Kakusa) : Yellow Labs : Omnivore : 6 : since Dec '11 - 2 stunning males, 2 females and 2 juvi's

Mbuna: Pseudotropheus Socolofi : Snows : Herbivore : 6 : (2 albino and 4 white/pink with yellow fins) - instantly dubbed the Princesses by my daughter and each has a name;

Mbuna: Melanochromis Auratus : Auratis : Omnivore : 5 : all juvi's, 1 in fact so small I am scared it could disappear...

Dwarf Mbuna: Pseudotropheus Demansoni : Demansoni : Herbivore : 2 males : since Dec '11 (my daughter's - we have agreed if aggression is issue, they will have to be re-homed)

Peacock: [FONT=&amp]Aulonocara Jacobfreibergi : Lemon Jakes : Carnivore : max size 18cm : 4 (1 larger male coloring well, 3 juvi's)

[/FONT]Peacock: [FONT=&amp]Aulonacara “German Red”[/FONT] : German Red : Carnivore : 5 : (1 larger male coloring well, 4 juvi's)

Peacock: [FONT=&amp]Aulonacara “Red”[/FONT] : White Pearl : Carnivore : 2 : (1 larger male coloring well, 1 female)

Haps : Protomelas Taeniolatus : Super Red Empress : Herbivore : 5 : 1 male coloring well, a 2nd starting to colour too, rest juvi's

Haps : Cyrtocara Moorii : Blue Dolphins : Carnivore : 5 : all juvi's (my son picked these and they all have bionicle names)

Haps : Placidochromis Milomo : Super VC 10 : Carnivore : 5 : all juvi's - 2 has black and white while 3 shows up orange and black under my lights, in breeders tanks they all looked 100% same

This morning I was hesitant for a second or 2 to switch on the lights, not wanting to see any "belly-up's" - but the good lady of fortune smiled on us, none!

While adjusting them to the tank water / temp, I did another rock rearrangement, they all seem fine and very settled. Most aggression is coming from the White Pearl male and German Red, they seem to be sizing each other up - they are both just juvi's...

Now the drama begins, who will be the tank master by Dec '12...

Note: hopefully I own the rest of the tank, the kidz are so keen and spending so much time there today id'ing fish and following their movements. Next trip my daughter needs to go with again, she has charmed the breeder into giving us 6 free fish...

Now we start happy fish keeping...
P

 

Very nice specimens you have there @Polla. Just keep a very close eye on the Aulonocaras and Haps. Balancing the feeding with this group is going to be tough as the majority of your Mbunas don't do protein very well

 

Hi Polla, if you are a true Malawi lover than please refrain from using the names you do. Use only the scientific names as the others do not exist. They have been created, mainly by the Yanks, and are hideous. Cannot for the life of me think of where the name "lemon jakes" might originate from!!
Tank looks great. Now for a photo with the fish swimming in it!

 

Left tank front left tank towards middle

right side of tank


I have tried to get the new juvi males that are showing some color - but only managed to get them in a descent group in the last pic... The rest still needs to grow a bit more, under the lights and against the sand, they are almost a see thru or very dull little specimen.

 

Wow this tank looks amazing.

Would love to see a video if you can please take one

 

Tank update:

Since my last post, the juvi's have grown on average 2-3 cm which is amazing... I am overfeeding / feeding 4times a day, different types of food at ta time... The fish are really starting to beg well now...

New furniture:
- added some plastic plants and removed some of the rocks - creating more hiding and openness...

- maintenance: sourced some clear thin wall pipe from the local agriculture irrigation shop, this serves as extension on the gravel-thunnel - out the door into the drain... It also doubles as a filling pipe - from tap to tank as we use borehole water and have no chemicals added... This makes the 20-30% water drop weekly a breeze, 15mins and that is done... Canister pumps, another 15mins and both are clean and back in operation...

Lights: we have changed the lights to LED's white and blue - the quality of the LED plastic is poor, so the electrician came up with the suggestion of housing it in a clear plastic pipe, closing the ends with silicon plugs... These LED strips comes with a 10 year guarantee and are as closely matched to the Breeders "light requirements" as we can get them...

Casualties: 2 are missing or hiding somewhere I cannot find them in my 3D background... 2 fish perished after a live tadpole feed by my son... Total: 4

Visitors/Guests: I am housing a pleco and upside down catfish for someone at the moment as their tank are being repaired... I quite like the 2 in the tank as the poop is considerably less... I cannot see as yet that either of them are disturbing the malawi's in any way.

Will attempt pictures tonight of some of the fish that are coloring well...

I have ordered more specimens from my breeder (oh, that sounds too snazzz :cheesy...

wish list - mainly for orange / red color in tank:
not sure what these species names are, will get them from the breeder once I have seen the parents:
2 Dragon Bloods (also hybrid if I am correct)
2 Albino Tangerines
2 Tangerines

Species ordered:
2 Nimbochromis venustus (Venustus)
2 OB Peacocks (man made species / hybrid)
2 Petrochromis Trewavasae

Till the next update... happy fish keeping...

 

Photo Update:

Species shown here acquired 11 August 2012 - now we are almost 3 months down the line and on average 2-3cm's bigger

Full shot of tank:


Some of the fish - sorry for the iphone pics, but they go into hiding for camera's red focus light...


Till next time, happy fish keeping...

 

Few smaller updates:

Stabilizing the tank temperature: wow with our day temp going above 30 now, I have to add frozen 2l bottles to bring down the temp... Heater is already off for the summer...

Feeding this mixed tank:

4 feeds a day - one of each food...

Spirulina Flakes

Tetra Bits - they crumble when you rub between your fingers

Home made frozen blocks: prawns, broccoli, garlic

home made frozen blocks: prawns, baby marrow, peas, garlic

once a week I will drop some cucumber on a fork in and leave it overnight for the 2 visitors (pleco and upside down catfish)...

Treat for the malawi's: every 2-3 day I give them some krill / malawi mix - they love it...

On day a week: starve day to clear out the systems...

I guess happy feeding till next time

 

Congrats @Polla - The tank has come a long way!