This is an aquarium measuring 200x60x50cm, about 600 liter. This
aquarium is in my livingroom for three years now (since september 2005). The previous one
had the same measures, but it had scratches all over the window, so
I replaced it.
I've made the back wall by myself, with polyurethaan-foam, with inside some
pvc-tubes to provide the fish with some extra hideouts. After this,
I painted it with yellow, green and black acryl paint. When it was
still wet, I threw some sand on it for a natural effect when it's
under water. After a few days, when it all was dry, I put it in my aquarium, where I washed it for
some times, and after a week I decorated the aquarium.
On the bottom are tempex plates to prevent breaking of the glass. On
top of that are the first rocks, "Grauacke", and well-washed sand.
When this was done, I put the other rocks in and filled my aquarium
with water, which has a pH of 7,9 and a dH of 8,6(according to our
water company). I'm not doing any watertreatments, because my fish like
this environment.
I'm filtering over three Eheim pots (type 2213, 440 liter/hour), each filled
with cotton-wool. From two of these filters the water goes (from each
filter separated) through a closed pvc-tube of 1 meter long and 5 cm. width, filled with
ceramic pipes,in which little holes have been drilled. The water
flows in large flowerpots filled with hydrograins, about 25 cm thick.
In the meantime, the water has reached the top of my aquarium and it flows
through little holes in the bottom of the flowerpots back into my
aquarium.
The advantage is that there is a continuous gasexchange,
which results in a higher degree of oxygen in my aquarium.
The third filter goes back into my aquarium directly, it sprays over
the water surface.
To create light, I'm using two Grolux 58W lamps, two "Blue Sky" 30W
lamps and two "Blue Sky" 38W lamps, which are turned on from 9 am,
Grolux first, an hour and a half later the 30W lamps and another
hour and a half later the 38W lamps. They will go out in
the opposite order, starting at 8 pm, so the lights are out at 11pm.
The total time in which the aquarium is light, is 14 hours. This
results in a good grow of algae on the rocks.
The temperature fluctuates throughout the year between 24 degrees
Celsius in wintermonths and 28 degrees Celsius in the summer.
As vegetation I'm using Microsorium pteropus and Anubias "nana", who are doing
pretty good, but they don't live in Lake Malawi. The fish are leaving
these plants alone.
I used to use Vallisneria Spiralis and Ceratophyllum demersum (when it was in stock), but my
fish always eat the Vallisneria.
The population of this aquarium existed of:
4 Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Eureka", 1 male with 3 females
3 Copadichromis borleyi "Kadango", 1 male with 2 females
3 Cyrtocara moorii, 1 male with 2 females
5 Labidochromis caeruleus, 1 male with 4 females
4 Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, 1 male with 3 females
3 Protomelas steveni "Taiwan Reef", 1 male with 2 females
2 Scianochromis fryeri, 1 male with 1 female
Furthermore there were lots of younglings swimming around, mostly
"Maingano" and "Caeruleus".
Last year`s spring (2008) I decided like Thimo to go keeping "mbuna". I sold the "moorii`s", "taiwan reefs" and "kadango`s" and went looking for new inhabitants, which I found quite fast. At this moment (August 2009) the inhabitants of my aquarium are:
4 Labeotropheus fuelleborni "marmelade" , 1 male with 3 females
3 Labidochromis caeruleus "Nkhata Bay", 1 male with 2 females
3 Labidochromis chisumulae, 1 male with 2 females
4 Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, 1 male with 3 females
4 Metriaclima sp."elongatus usisya", 1 male with 3 females
3 Metriaclima greshakei, 1 male with 2 females
4 Metriaclima sp."msobo" Magunga 1 male with 3 females
3 Metriaclima sp."zebra long pelvic" Mdoka 1 male with 2 females
2 Sciaenochromis fryeri, 1 male with 1 female
3 Tropheops sp."red cheek"Likoma, 1 male with 2 females
During 2008 we`ve also placed some breeding tanks in which, at this moment (August 2009), we keep the following species:
