Help on Mbuna tank setup and stocking

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Heathd

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Mar 9, 2010
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Dallas, Texas
I've kept cichlids before but did a terrible job at it and it was ultimately short lived. Id like to do it right this time, rather then diving in head first.

1) I'm in the process of shutting down a saltwater tank and I'm looking to start keeping Mbunas. The tank is a 48x24 120 gallon drilled tank with 46x18 sump in the stand that I could modify to pick up mechanical filtration. I also have to reactors that I could use for carbon or other media. Does this seem like a good plan? I notice a lot of people end up using HOB or canister filters, and wasn't sure if it was for good reason or if people don't typically buy drilled tanks for freshwater.

2) The tank is a rimless, and I know some fish can jump. Has anyone had a situation where their cichlids and flown the coop? I'm concerned because I could see it happening during aggression.

3) Stocking levels. Is there a good rule of thumb to go by here? I know you can densely populate mbunas, but I don't really know what densely means. I have about 100lbs of texas holy rock to play with during aquascaping, so they will have plenty of area to fight over :D

4) Should I use powerheads to help keep uneaten food and nasty bits from collecting on the substrate, or would the flow rate combined with the return be too much for the cichlids?

Thanks for your insight!!
 
No need for reactors. The sump can also do your biological filtration and produce enough flow rate (I like 8X to 10X GPH) to handle debris.

Definitely cover the tank or you will regularly find jumpers on the floor.

If doing mixed gender I like 4 species in a tank this size and a classic stock plan is 1m:4f of each. Of course, the species you choose could be different if you end up with aggressive types...then maybe 1m:7f of each.
 
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