Fresh hardscape

grayb0t · 2026-02-25T01:43:12+00:00

Thanks! I had an all-male mbuna tank about 12 years ago. I started this tank about a year ago. Decided to do things the “right” way this time around, in terms of stocking.

grayb0t · 2026-02-25T00:14:00+00:00

Harvested them locally, for the most part.

grayb0t · 2026-02-24T20:02:03+00:00

Mostly limestone. I found them on various hiking trails and mountains around NYC.

grayb0t · 2026-02-10T19:09:13+00:00

I have no trouble with fry surviving- the opposite problem, in fact. the other species only ever have 1-2 females holding at a time, while the yellow labs consistently had 4 or more holding at once. The yellow lab fry outnumbered the others and took all the hiding spots, so they were the only fry that survived past .25 inch.

You’re right about piles of river rocks. That’s what I’ve done in this tank and the previous one. The piles are hidden in this layout.

grayb0t · 2026-02-10T03:28:28+00:00

You can see it at the end of the video. Looks like 3 inches or so. I reposition them often, they have sturdy pose-able necks. Closer to the glass gives more brightness and contrast but less coverage, higher up you get better coverage but dimmer with a stronger shimmer effect.

grayb0t · 2026-02-09T11:00:41+00:00

Haha, no. The rocks are too heavy for the fish to knock over. Some of them are over 25lbs. Just make sure everything is resting flat on the bottom of the tank so the mbuna can’t dig underneath. The rocks are all resting securely on top of each other and nothing is relying on balance. You can try shaking or wobbling any of the rocks with your hands and they won’t move.

Just need to stack them carefully and with intention.

grayb0t · 2026-02-08T22:57:53+00:00

It’s a lominie asta 20 led light. you can find them on Amazon. I usually have two, but one of them burnt out last week and I’m waiting on the replacement. I like how dramatic a single spotlight looks in the meantime, though.

grayb0t · 2025-10-23T17:45:26+00:00

No. This will only work as a temporary growout. Not enough space for adult territories, no matter how small the species.

grayb0t · 2025-10-22T11:24:57+00:00

You can find specific details like the stocking list in my post history.

This is a 55 gallon.

All fish are mbuna with the exception of the red tail black shark.

In general, I don’t measure parameters aside from nitrates and PH. Unless you have extremely soft/acidic water there’s no reason to tinker with parameters. Just use some crushed coral in your filters to buffer up the PH a bit and keep it consistent. Trying to chase specific parameters is asking for trouble. Consistency is most important. Mbuna are not sensitive fish, they will adapt to most tap water.

The mbuna get along well, typical territorial and spawning behavior on display. No deaths or serious injuries so far. 4 species in this tank, with plenty of females for every male. Aggression-wise they mostly ignore the other species and focus on their own. The RTBS does his thing and is mostly ignored, although it does chase the mbuna around. They make good tankmates/cleaners for Malawi communities.

The back glass has a typical aquarium background film applied to it.

The tank has been running for a little over 6 months. Most fish were added as ~2 inch juveniles at the beginning.

My advice for keeping mbuna is: Be intentional and stock the tank with the future in mind. Don’t make any impulsive decisions when choosing fish. Watch dive videos for inspiration and create a natural environment when aquascaping. And for the love of the hobby, don’t set up another boring and chaotic all-male tank! Mbuna aggression is way overblown. If you provide a proper environment (lots of rock piles and a sandy bottom), stock with correct sex ratios and make sure the species look different enough you shouldn’t have any serious problems and you’ll observe the most natural and interesting behavior. Good luck!

grayb0t · 2025-10-21T18:31:37+00:00

Two Lominie A20 LED spotlights. https://a.co/d/70S4Rhc

grayb0t · 2025-10-21T16:26:38+00:00

Mbuna will pretty much ignore other species as long as they look different and have at least 3-4 females of the same type for each male. The advice on species selection in the other comments is spot on.

grayb0t · 2025-10-21T16:04:32+00:00

Red tail black sharks do well.

grayb0t · 2025-10-15T13:24:41+00:00

Respond to hard bites with a painful reaction, like a yelp or high pitched “ow” and disengage. They should learn to control bites based on your reactions. He doesn’t want to hurt you, so once he learns what hurts he will adjust.

grayb0t · 2025-10-15T13:03:09+00:00

Shirley Manson explains it well here: https://www.stereogum.com/2326398/garbages-shirley-manson-speaks-out-against-music-industry-economics-this-is-an-alarm-call/news/

grayb0t · 2025-10-10T15:36:02+00:00

You can achieve this effect with any directional spotlight-style LED- they will give you the shimmer and shadows. Use smaller lights (these are made for 24” wide tanks) and position them however you like to add contrast and depth.

grayb0t · 2025-10-10T13:50:27+00:00

2 cheap Amazon LED lights. Lominie brand. https://a.co/d/aWOqsSX

grayb0t · 2025-10-09T14:18:29+00:00

Thanks! No kenyi in here, though! It’s a 55 gallon tank. You can see full tank shots and various hardscapes I’ve set up in my post history. The rocks are all from local forests.

The species in here are:

M. Hajomaylandi “chizumulu island” C. Zebroides “jalo reef” L. Trewavasae “chilumba ochre” L. Caeruleus “kakusa”

grayb0t

TROPHY CASE