Photo Journal: 29g Haplochromis Sp. 44 "Red Tail" [Load Warning]

[mattxlau]

This is the official photo journal for my 29g Haplochromis Sp. 44 "Red Tail" tank that has been set up in my college apartment.

Intro/Background: This is the first time I have a place of my own after a year in the dorms and a year in a frat house, and obviously I needed to have a real tank that I can be proud of. So, I set out my junior year with the goal of setting a cost efficient show tank where I can breed a cichlid species that I haven't tried yet. Due to the tank size restrictions, my only options were dwarf cichlids and species on the smaller end. Because I was trying to keep the costs down, I ruled out a planted tank, which basically ruled out all Amazonian fish. The water in Ann Arbor, MI comes out around 7.5pH and I didn't want to deal with constantly lowering the pH so that only left me with Central American and African cichlids. Having kept Tanganyikan shell dwellers before, I figured I'd try out a Malawi or Victoria cichlid. My tank species considerations were: N. Brichardi, N. Dafodill, L. Mbamba, but after scouring the forums/aquabid/craigslist and breeders across the country, I finally found a breeder who was willing to bring his fish to me (since I don't have a car in college). This was great because it cut out the cost of shipping and after setting up the tank, I was close to breaking the budget I set out with of $300.

Goal: To frequently document the status of the tank over the course of my junior year at the University of Michigan. I've also resigned my lease for senior year, so hopefully I can keep it going into 2015. I also hope to continually breed this species and offer the fry to other hobbyists.

Current (10/31/13) tank parameters:
pH: 7.0-7.5
GH: >180ppm
KH: 40ppm
Tank inhabitants: 4x goldfish, 4x Haplochromis Sp. 44 "Red Tails" (1M:3F)

I hope you all enjoy, and check out my past tank journals in my signature!
All pictures taken with iPhone 5.

Tank with first inhabitants (goldfish to aid in cycling with Seachem Stability)


Tank day of introduction of Haplochromis Sp. 44


Presumed dominant female (could be subdominant male - can someone verify?)



Subdominant female


Dominant male





Subdominant female #2



Group photos




Budget Sheet & Chart of costs

[Ron]

Cool thread! Reminds me of my college tanks - using them as an opportunity to keep something different knowing that they'd have to be torn down at the end of each year.

You'd have been on budget if you hadn't bought the fish. 

[Michael Zebrowski]

Very nicely done.  Not often is a set-up process as detailed as yours. 

Note that Hap. sp. 44 males are extremely aggessive, especially towards the females. 

My only suggestion would be to include additional shelter as the fish grow, such as rooted and floating plants and floating caves.  Also, the black plastic tubing used in underground sprinkler systems floats and would blend in with your background.  I use 4" lengths in my sp. 44 tank; the brooding females shelter up there and are easy to net.

Good luck,

Mike Zebrowski

[mattxlau]

So, the tank has been through a lot since the last time I posted. The tank underwent a pretty tough couple of weeks, with heater failures (dropping the temperature down nearly 8 degrees F for nearly a week, nitrite and nitrate spikes, and severe algae problems on top of the fact that these past two weeks have consisted of nearly 4 midterm exams. But the tank persevered through the storm and many 17% water changes later, we made it through to something beautiful. But before I say what that is exactly, I wanted to further expand on some of the changes that have happened. For one, even before the heater failed, I have been fighting brown diatom algae on the tank glass for nearly everyday. So in order to combat that, in addition to the nitrate and nitrite spike, I added a large plant, Myriophyllum simulan. The plant served many purposes, despite breaking me from the biotope that I originally intended for, including bringing down nitrates (and nitrites), outcompeting most of the diatom algae that grew on the glass, and served as refuge for the increased aggression amongst the cichlids. So overall, the plant was deemed a success. I plan to add more plants to combat nitrates in the future (currently working on getting anubias to cover parts of the rocks). Second, the cheap heater that I bought on eBay shorted out. I ordered a new one from a more trustworthy brand, Eheim Jager, and was also issued a replacement for the original heater. So I now have a nice spare heater. The only thing about the Eheim is that they sent me the 200w instead of the 150w so it doesn't fit in the same location that I had my other heater in originally. The last thing that I've been dealing with is cloudy water. It seems that no matter how many water changes I perform, the water will not clear up. I'm considering resorting to chemicals to resolve the problem, but not just yet.

And now for the good news, after finally dialing in everything to (nearly) the right conditions, my male and dominant female have finally spawned and are now carrying eggs!!! These are my first mouthbrooding cichlids ever and I am very excited! Approximate time until free swimming is 28 days, so I've got a while, but I have breeding net basket to house them until I can sell them.









The pregnant female:





PS: my girlfriend took most of these pictures (she loves them)

All feedback appreciated.

[four_by_ken]

Great pictures!!!!

[Super Turtleman]

The breeder net will need some cover to keep the fry safe...otherwise they can be sucked through the mesh netting.

[mattxlau]

The breeder net will need some cover to keep the fry safe...otherwise they can be sucked through the mesh netting.

What kind of cover? I heard some people use gravel on the bottom, but what about the sides?

[linuxrulesusa]

The breeder net will need some cover to keep the fry safe...otherwise they can be sucked through the mesh netting.

What kind of cover? I heard some people use gravel on the bottom, but what about the sides?

Sand could work too.  I think the bottom is the biggest risk.  I've seen people put the breeder net/box inside a larger net/breeder box for extra security.

[Super Turtleman]

Gravel/sand in the bottom and some fake plants for hiding spots.

[rcombs]

Very nice pictures

[mattxlau]

Thank you very much!

[mattxlau]

Mods please move this to the Tanks and Room Setups subforum. I feel like it would be more appropriate.

[Super Turtleman]

Will do...

[Super Turtleman]

...and done.

[mattxlau]

Thanks!