I have been mostly a saltwater or freshwater community tank guy but now I have the opportunity (space) to get back into DIY tanks and want to do that with a mixed gender mbuna tank. That opportunity has some limits though so this will have to be a mini monster tank build that might end up being the wrong dimensions for mbuna and that's where I'm totally out of my element.
Based on lots of reading and mostly cribbing notes from DJRansome, the stock list I am interested in is any/all of:
The space limits me to a tank no larger than 168" (not a typo, 168 inches, 14 feet) by 18" in footprint but the catch is the height - the tank and stand can't be any taller than about 32" plus I need about 14" of clearance in the stand for stuff. That leaves 18" max total tank height, subtract 1" for the bottom panel, subtract 1" for the top bracing, and maybe subtract some more for a slim canopy or cover... Maybe 15" or 16" of water depth before substrate. If I had to build the tank today then it would be even lower as I happen to have a pair of glass pieces that are 78" by 12" which I could stretch to about 13" or 14" water depth. Subtracting some length & width for construction, it'd be a roughly 150 to 170 gallon display tank with a 13" to 16" water depth, respectively.
So, will the rock fish listed above enjoy this potentially very shallow reef-type tank? How much swim room should there be above the rock work?
Based on lots of reading and mostly cribbing notes from DJRansome, the stock list I am interested in is any/all of:
Labidochromis caeruleus
Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos Maingano
Pseudotropheus acei
Metriaclima callainos Kirondo
Iodotropheus Sprengarae
The space limits me to a tank no larger than 168" (not a typo, 168 inches, 14 feet) by 18" in footprint but the catch is the height - the tank and stand can't be any taller than about 32" plus I need about 14" of clearance in the stand for stuff. That leaves 18" max total tank height, subtract 1" for the bottom panel, subtract 1" for the top bracing, and maybe subtract some more for a slim canopy or cover... Maybe 15" or 16" of water depth before substrate. If I had to build the tank today then it would be even lower as I happen to have a pair of glass pieces that are 78" by 12" which I could stretch to about 13" or 14" water depth. Subtracting some length & width for construction, it'd be a roughly 150 to 170 gallon display tank with a 13" to 16" water depth, respectively.
So, will the rock fish listed above enjoy this potentially very shallow reef-type tank? How much swim room should there be above the rock work?