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This is my son's new African Tank. I hope you like the pictures.

The fish (all juveniles) he has are:-
6 Electric Yellows
3 Electric Blues (not coloured up)
1 Venustus
1 Tretrocephalus
1 Crimson Tide
1 Pleco

Not all the electric yellows or blues will be permanent residents and as they mature, decisions will be made about who to keep.

He will probably add another couple of fish, but not decided on what.

It's probably not a bio type tank, but in real life, it is very nice looking. The only thing I wouldn't have in the tank, is the dried stem coral - but what the heck, it's how how he likes it that counts. The other rocks are not rocks, they are old dead coral, meant to help with the hardness & pH. The fish seem to like all the hidey holes, found naturally in the dead coral/rock and also those created by the placement of the coral/rock. We hope they are happy with their home.

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Full Tank Shot

Cheers
TW

Here a few more shots - well quite a few actually.

The fist is on the right hand side showing his Tretrocephaulus on the left, electric blue (lower middle) and Crimson Tide to the right.

These are the names given by LFS, so I hope they are right.

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Cheers
TW

Same area, but includes a shot of the electric yellow

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Cheers
TW

Left hand side of the tank

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Cheers
TW

Looking down from the middle

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Cheers
TW

Middle shot

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Cheers
TW

Another of the right side

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Cheers
TW

Close up of the Tretrocephalus. He would be my favourite - I love his big sad eyes.

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Cheers
TW

Side view, with electric yellow & venustus

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Cheers
TW

Another side view, with electric blue

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Cheers
TW

Very nice lookin' fish! And personally I like the two coral things on the top! To me, they add interest & balance to the tank. I'm not a cichlid keeper, but I get tired of seeing these tanks when they have just rocks in them........ even if it is more natural looking. So what if it's not "authentic". If the owner likes it, that's what counts. I like to see something else to spice up the rocks............ & you, or he, did it! No one else may agree, but I for one really like it!

Very nice, I like it a lot

How old is your son?

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

looks nice. I will tell you that the venustus will probably get too big and they are predators that might feed on the smaller mates, most likely the lab females. Also if by electric blue u mean Ahli's, they will also get too big & really ned alot of free swimming room as does the venustus and crimson. The 5bar cichlid (Neolamprologus tretocephalus) is a nice pickup as I don't think their too common. Anyways the tank looks good & should work for a while with no probs. GL

What are the dimensions of the tank?
I just realized u wern't asking for feedback & I just went on, sorry if I overstepped. The tank looks nice

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates-
I happen to have become a philosopher

Thanks for the compliment fish patty. I like most of the corals, just not sure about the tall branchy stem coral. But I think it is growing on me.

Hi Theresa, I like it a lot too. The experience helping him means that a new tank I am planning will now be an African, instead of another hi-tech planted as was orignally planned. My son is 26 & moved out of home in Feb 06 - but he is only about a 5-10min drive away, so I have been with him for every purchase. The tank, stand, filter (2nd hand on ebay) & the T5 light (new from ebay) were his Christmas present & all the rest is at his cost. Luckily, he has involved me all the way, as he has never kept fish before.

Thanks for the comments WiseIves.

What are the dimensions of the tank?

It is 48" long x 14" wide x 20" high. The volume I got by punching in the dimensions in the calculator here at FP, but it is less, due to the rocks in there.

I just realized u weren't asking for feedback & I just went on, sorry if I overstepped.

No, no, no that's just what I want, so I thank you for your advice. We are new to Africans and relied totally on LFS staff, who assured us all we had so far would be fine together & who were told our tank dimensions. I will warn my son to watch out for the venustus, particularly towards the lab females. All the fish are meant to be juveniles (we read we may have more success if they're all together from a young age) but even so, the labs are by far the smallest fish in the tank.

If and when any fish gets too big, we will have to think about rehousing or returning.

I've seen pics of Girlie-Girl's nice male cobue, but I have not seen him here in any LFS. When I looked up cobue's profile here & in a cichlid forum, I came up blank. Is there another name that fish goes by? Would a cobue work in this tank?

Thanks for any further advice & comments.

Cheers
TW

cobue would mos def work, but they are not usually available locally. Probably would have to order online or have an LFS try & get them 4U. I just mentioned the Venustus as becoming predatory but you would not have to worry for some time. It would take some years for him to gain the size to eat an adult lab. My heads up to you for a couple of yrs down the line is that the haps will get too big like I mentioned b4. You have all Malawi xcept for one guy from lake tang. I'm really just familiar with Malawi. Basically though there are two types of cichlids in lake malawi, Mbuna & haps. Haps are generally bigger with the exception of peacocks(aulonacara) species. TMbuna's are "rock fish" and usually hide in crevaces and caves. Haps are generally open water swimmers. It looks like your setup would be fine to house both but keep in mind that these are normally aggressive fish. Your decor should allow for the mbuna fish, in your case the labs to hide and keep away from each other. However the haps will probably stay in the open & due to your tank while being a good size, not all that large for the haps, probbaly lead to one or two of the haps harrassing the others to extiction, especially if any are femmes. My guess would probably be the venustus winning out but wieder things have happened. On the other hand this might work out fine & make me out to be a liar thats the beauty of cichlids. I have no clue about the Tretrocephalus, he's the tang. This is really just a crude explanatin of lake malawi cichlids but I believe I pointed out some main points.

Sidenote: theres no rule that says that plants wont work with these guys, especally considering that your stock looks to be more on carnivourous side, althogh they are omni's.

Ives

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates-
I happen to have become a philosopher

Thanks again WiseIves. All that info is good to have.

My son has a better camera & he just sent me this full shot - which looks much better than the full shot I previously posted

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Cheers
TW