mawlai keepers

[rED O]

well for know Iam keeping the tank bare, I find theres less agresstion.

[firestorm]

Really? I find with a bare bottom tank you just don't see the fish's true personality. I think fish also prefer a substrate as well. I have some bare bottom tanks that I am planning to put a little sand in for this reason. When my mbuna were in a bare bottom tank, I found them to be more skittish and did not color up as often. But if you plan on putting a substrate in eventually I don't see a problem with this.

Mbuna like to dig, which is why a substrate is good to use for them, especially sand.

Edited October 6, 2008 by firestorm

[rED O]

i dont mean bare, corrected. I have lots of sand, they dig all day long and they school in a tank with no hides

[firestorm]

Oh lol, I thought you meant a bare bottom. Hmm, I guess if you have enough fish in the tank there should be no real issues of aggression. No one will have a territory they can claim lol. I have actually never tried it myself.....with the exception of fry of course.

[rED O]

Here is my tank

well this is something I am looking at. I like the stackable slate. Were should i got do do something like this and how much would I be looking to spend?

[firestorm]

Try burnco out. They usually have reasonable prices on slate rocks, just tell them you don't need anything specific, just more or less want to look in their piles for broken bits and pieces of slate and rocks. Then you just take the load back to them and they normally will charge by the weight. You can easily find rocks like that at any place that specializes in landscaping, or rocks for use of construction.

[Tracked maniac]

I have some slate or limestone whatever it is it looks like vals kinda doesn't raise ph either, I'm not using it as I changed my tank over to the "river look" which I really like. Just fed them so water isn't as clear as it usually is.

Edited November 20, 2008 by Tracked maniac

[Callie]

you can use river rocks, bleach them or put them in the oven at about 300 degrees, lime stone does not effect ph but will make water hard, my cichlids dont mind the hard water, considering how many minerals are in there water naturally, and flagstone, I use rundle flagstone I got it in big sheets so I had to smash it into stutable sizes some seriously sharp edges were sanded down with a steel sander. You can also use. I also use driftwood. I wouldnt do a bare sand tank its not real nice and fish dont like it, they like shelter that they can retreat to.

[rED O]

Well I went to Cannar on 75 street and I looked at there rocks. I don't want to pay those prices. I will wait until I go to the lake in B.C and get some free black slate there. Its worth the wait. For the time being the tank just has sand. Thanks for sharing all the photos :thumbs:

[firestorm]

Limestone is a great addition to an african cichlid tank. Since africans like a higher pH, the limestone will help increase it. I would just not use it for SA/CA cichlids who prefer softer water.

[Go4Long]

sorry, I mighta missed this but where in calgary can I go to get said limestone?

[Murminator]

I suck at taking fish pics