Who wants to show off their african cichlid tank? :)

[RoxyDog]

In a few months I'll be getting a larger tank and plan to put africans in it.  I can't say that I've seen a lot of different setups so I'm looking for something to inspire me.  
With all the cichlid lovers running around here, I thought maybe a couple of pics could be sent my way.  It would be much appreciated!

[darkdep]

Uh oh, African bragging rights...Yeah, I think a few of us can help out here

I just finished a complete rework of my 90gal African show tank this evening, I'll have some new pics up tommorow.

[squeeker]

Roxy, ur getting a bigger tank and you never told me?!  And your hubby isn't going to kick you out?!  Fantastic!

[RoxyDog]

amazing huh squeeker?!  haha.   Ya, he's going to let me get one...it's part of a deal though.

[repeej]

Here's my 55g....but I recently ripped out the plants as the fish were turning them into shredded lettuce.   :lol:   I actually like it better without the plants.

Don't mind the overcrowding....this is only temporary.  

[darkdep]

My Ugly tanks:

Here are the bedroom tanks.  The first one is a couple years old, has Cobalt blue's and a couple Labs.  No background or anything on this tank.  It's all about the Cobalt male in the centre of the photo; everything else in this tank is an accessory.  Coolest fish I have.

Second tank is a juvie growout; in a very scratched up tank with substandard lighting and crappy aquascaping.  But, the wife fell in love with the baby cobalts and won't let me move this tank.  I've recently told her she could redesign it any way she wants, which means it'll probably look a lot better soon.

I'll post my good tank later...gotta get a current pic.

[RoxyDog]

thanks guys, it's all about the rocks huh?    do you silicone them together or just hope they don' fall over?

[repeej]

Yes....it's all about the rock work.

No silicone in my tank...they are just placed in such a way that they "shouldn't" fall over.  The large bottom rocks are actually more than half burried in sand(so they're not going anywhere) and the rest are placed on top.

Furthermore, the bottom stones are sitting on a layer of eggcrate (aka. light diffuser) to even out the weight on the bottom of the tank.

[darkdep]

Yes, African tanks (Assuming you're not doing Haps) are all about the rocks.  

I use Eggcrate in my big tank too.  (Not in the ones I posted, cause they're just little 30gals).  Support rocks should definetly be pushed down in the substrate as much as possible...the Africans WILL dig and can topple your structure if they dig under support rocks.  It has happened to me

I experimented with silicone.  Problem is, I couldn't get the rocks to hold together well enough without using so much silicone it was very visible.  Silicone isn't the ideal rock adhesive, and rocks aren't smooth, so...just pile em up.  When you build a structure, think of it as a puzzle.  Keep trying to build up, and if you try a rock in a certain place and it isn't stable, try it somewhere else or put it down a different way.  Digging, fighting, and fast swimming can cause topples if you don't plan for it (in my 90gal, the big fish HAVE knocked unstable rocks over just by swimming by them too fast).

Try to build lots of individual "caves" with your rocks...the more the better.  Lots of territories means lots of happy fish.

[FishBuddy]

Roxy, I am in the process of building my tank (see my previous post for pics....)  I didn't use silicone either simply because I would like to re-jig the rockwork from time to time; just a different scenery and to prevent aggression.  

Like Darkdep and repeej, I've also have my big rocks sit on top of an eggcrate (see the pictures...).  The eggcrate does a lot more than just keeping the rocks from tumbling down....  It actually provides a supporting medium between the sharp rock edges and the bottom glass of the tank (ie: avoiding pressure points).  I've used pool sand and Florida crushed corals myself.....

[darkdep]

Yeah, the eggcrate is a "nice to have but not necessary" addition.    However, it's especially useful in african tanks because for stability, you usually have to get the rocks right down to the bottom.  It's main purpose is to prevent pressure points.  It also helps in the situation where your africans cause a tumble (and it will happen to you eventually, no matter how careful you are

Therein lies another tip...TRY to build rock structures in a way that if a top rock falls down it won't hit the glass on the sides of your tank either.

[darkdep]

Here's my show tank...

It's been recently reworked to have the rock pile on the right, and a planted area on the left.  The planted area is really liked by the Multipunctatus and the Blue Dolphin juvies.

The background is a wall of real slate, siliconed into place (yes, I have yet to put something on the back glass so the wall doesn't show through...it's coming).  It enhances the rocks a lot in person.  And I don't have to worry about rocks tumbling into the back wall anymore

Also...a recent controversial addition...See the red rock behind the big yellow Baenshi on the right?  That rock, my friends, is an actual piece of the Coliseum in Italy.  A friend smuggled it out of the country.  Some people have given me heck for putting it in there but I thought I would give my show tank some extra character.
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[RoxyDog]

nice tanks!  I really thought more african owners would want to show off their tanks.  

neither of you use the red lava rock like I see at work (Super Pet Kanata) is that b/c you don't like it?  it seems like an easy way to go...?

[Jim]

I don't use it because its too much $$$ for me. I get rocks from a cory.

[repeej]

Lava rock is far from their (Africans) natural habitat and as Jim says cost way too much money.  Got all my rocks along the shores of the Ottawa river.

And i think they look better than lava rock...

[Seanc]

darkdep how many gal is your show tank?thanks

[FishBuddy]

Oh, I got my rocks near the Kanata Centrum (near BA Kanata as a matter of fact :-))....

I am afraid to use lava rock because these rocks have very sharp edges and I am afraid my fish will eventually run into them (being aggressive as they are) and damage their body....

[darkdep]

Fishbuddy:  That's exactly where I got a lot of my rock

SeanC:  Show tank is a 90gal.

Lava rock is nice; I actually would like to have some of it, but it's too damn much cash.

[darkdep]

Fishbuddy:  That's exactly where I got a lot of my rock

SeanC:  Show tank is a 90gal.

Lava rock is nice; I actually would like to have some of it, but it's too damn much cash.

[FishBuddy]

dark, that's why I didn't glue my rocks as I might change my mind later (when I find something better) and change the scenery....  Changing the scenery also enhances the mood a bit around the house as you'll probably get sick of seeing the same thing over and over again :-)

[ZeroGravity]

well, i'm guilty of using rocks non-native to them...  :oops:

[darkdep]

As long as they are rocks, I don't think they mind