# Looking for: Aquascaped Cichlid tanks.



## leemonk (25 Apr 2011)

Hi,

I am wondering if there is much in the world of the above.

I'm refering to Rocks more so than Plants as I know that plants tend not to last to long with Cichlids.

Regards

Lee


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## wearsbunnyslippers (25 Apr 2011)

and i remember another one where the guys had used magnets attached to bath sponges with ferns attached to those, it looked pretty cool, will try and find a pic..


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## mrjackdempsey (25 Apr 2011)

Can't call it aquascaped for legal reasons but have a 5' tank bursting with plants with a Jack Dempsey,Salvinis, Convicts in it but they can plough through plants and dig holes but great personalities, and another with Angels and Acaras,another with egyptian mouth brooders (mother plus three seperate broods,, she killed daddy for coming too close), another with 7 keyholes and 3 sheepshead acara but they are quite gentle.All tanks are over 80% planted


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## George Farmer (26 Apr 2011)

Lee Nuttall has done a load of decent biotope stuff, and specialises in cichlids.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... p?sid=3493


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## Gfish (26 Apr 2011)

Check out my thread on here:-
'South American 720litre high tech'

More wood and plants than rocks but it's set up as a Geophagus Pindare cichlid community tank

Cheers

Gavin


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## leemonk (26 Apr 2011)

thanks guys for all the replies.... going to look through them now.

Regards

Lee


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## sanj (27 Apr 2011)

wearsbunnyslippers said:
			
		

> and i remember another one where the guys had used magnets attached to bath sponges with ferns attached to those, it looked pretty cool, will try and find a pic..




That looks like Travis's tank from back in 2004/5.


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## George Farmer (27 Apr 2011)

Another one - 

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... p?sid=3872

The only issue for me with non-planted tanks is that once they're aquascaped - that's it.  I tend to get bored quite soon.  

However, I've never kept cichlids that I imagine keep your interest levels up to compensate due to their interesting behaviour and stunning colours.

I'm not a fan of planted tanks containing Mbuna - they just look too unnatural for my taste.

I need to set up a Mbuna cichlid rock-based 'scape at some point.


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## dw1305 (27 Apr 2011)

Hi all,


> I need to set up a Mbuna cichlid rock-based 'scape at some point. I'm not a fan of planted tanks containing Mbuna - they just look too un-natural for my taste.


 I've always liked the idea of a Malawi or Tanganyika cichlid tank. When I looked into it there are actually quite few vascular plants native to the Rift Valley lakes, although they don't tend to grow on the rock outcrops favoured by the Mbuna. I'd definitely include plants for their beneficial effect on water quality, although my suspicion is that the Mbuna would eat them.

If you have a big enough tank, or keep Utaka, Haps or _Aulonocara_ spp., an area of sand could be planted with _Vallisneria_ (biotope specific for either lake would be _V. aethiopica_). As an example the "Malawi Eye Biter" (what a great name- sounds like a WWF wrestler) - _Dimidiochromis compressiceps_ is strongly associated in the lake with _Vallisneria_ beds.

My ideal set-up would be a pre-tank phyto-filter "Sudd" with _Cyperus papyrus_ and then a lot of rock work and sand in the tank and it would have to be a big tank.

Other plants present in Lake Malawi are floaters/detached immersed such as _Salvinia, Riccia, Azolla, Pistia, Ceratophyllum & Ceratopteris_ which are all apparently widely distributed over the lake. A fuller list is here: <http://ramsar.wetlands.org/Portals/15/MALAWI.pdf> & <http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_1/placidochromis.htm>.

cheers Darrel


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## sanj (27 Apr 2011)

Ive thought about  a Mbuna aquarium on several occasions, but I just cant get excited enough about them. I have only seen a handfull (if that) of decent mbuna hardscapes. It is a challenge indeed.


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