The PERFECT DESIGN for My 75 Gallon Mbuna Tank

[@CichlidCharmer]

So, what do you think about this scape? Any suggestions?

[@AQUARIUMFREAK123]

Are you concerned about any of the fish dying behind the rocks and decomposing ? if you cant see or easy get any dead fish out ASAP.. Your water quality will suffer greatly.. This has happened to me.

[@raphaellarose3494]

Perhaps a few more fish 🤔

[@danigimenez3328]

Honestly, it looks like a box full of rocks. I think it could be improved quite a bit by using fewer rocks arranged more gracefully.

[@michelrood2966]

My suggestion is look up the top Malawi biotope aquariums, this looks like you dumped a bunch of rocks on top of each other. Theres no illusion of depth created, its paralel to the glass, i could go on..

[@DatdudeTyM11]

Rock dwellers like ROCKS!!!! Beautiful..and I haven't had to watch the video in its entirety! You do great work and your tanks are the shiznit! I thought I had too much in 90g but I have been able to reintroduce a fish that was one of the largest but was harassed by the smallest. Needless to say I have a total of twenty tank mates and ALL are as getting along like I had hoped! I think I'll add more or move them to the 75g and get the 90 set up for the Auclonara & Haps! You Rock! Thank for the content!

[@kaustavghosh8329]

This is now probably your best looking tank, looks amazing.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you! I was just saying that I might think so to my wife last night. Appreciate the kind words!

[@MrAndradejm12]

DUDE! That looks awesome! I am getting stuff together to do the exact same thing, and you have inspired me to finish. That is exactly the "scape" I was looking to build. Awesome job!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Oh wow -- awesome! I hope yours goes smoothly

[@7Makowski7]

I think we can all agree that this can finally be called a “scape” instead of just a handful of river rocks. The ol’ “tap test” is amusing and I truly hope it works out for you, but I would’ve probably tried using CA glue and tissue paper to connect the rocks more safely. You can crush some stone and add a little of that onto the glued tissue paper to prevent that white look when the glue dries. But it’s a great improvement either way. The Seiryu Stone looks dope stacked that way, the fish will definitely love it, and it should also help keep pH higher. Well done 👍

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you. That's a great point about the pH. This tank has aragonite sand, which already boosts the pH, but my tap is also already at 8.3, so I'm not worried lol.

[@sirgerbilmacintosh9101]

It looks way better.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!

[@elivoorhees7075]

Looks amazing ! I plan on starting a mbuna tank in the future. Yours is looking great !

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thanks, Ian! I hope yours goes well!

[@kevrsv4570]

I can only like the video once!! Love the new layout!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you so much!

[@scotp6362]

Well done! They love it and it is more fun to watch them in it.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thanks. Way more fun!

[@dj.excess]

Looks great. I always re do my scraping when I change one of the filters too. I was holding my breath thinking at pile was gonna fall when u stacked them. But the raged edges I can tell made them stack without moving. Love your videos

[@CichlidCharmer]

That probably keeps it fresh and fun for you. Yeah they are so grippy! Thank you!

[@rantsandreviews]

Looks fantastic. It will look even better as it ages and you get a little algae on the rocks. The Mbuna will love that as well.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thanks, man! It doesn't get that much light, but hopefully I do get some algae on those rocks

[@HapiPETSWM]

I’m clapping even you can’t hear me, bravo very well done. I only would add a few more fish personally. But definitely I like your group. Great job and thanks for sharing! Stay happy and healthy my friend!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you! I do plan on adding more fish. I actually had an order placed, but canceled it just because I want to save money for bigger projects for now. Good to hear from you, as always

[@HapiPETSWM]

@@CichlidCharmerI wish we lived closer, I could at least show you some great mbuna types I have, everything from a fry to adults. I honestly have such great groups I allow breeding because it’s fairly typical to actually not have hybrids. So if you were closer happily if you wanted some, labridochromis Freibergi, pseudotropheus Acei and Mpanga, yellow labs, and I see now my demasoni is holding, so very soon a brand new group of them. I typically pull them and put them grow outs but a lot of them just grow up in the tank they were created in. My petrochromis though, myself and him have bled and gone through the worst of times together and now where he is the kind but bossy tank boss. I call him marky mark because he was sort of a “lone survivor” of his own catastrophe. But I hear you, you if you have things on the go and want to diversify, things get spread out. Personally I’m gonna take a break from a lot of things, there’s sort of a pace to things if I get too caught up with the things I want vs need I’m just creating too much turmoil. So I’m really enjoying how things are right now, this being said I am looking forward to your next project and new fish when they come. Also 6$ for those rocks is a steal and they look fantastic. I definitely spent too much money on things I literally have laying in my back yard.

[@CichlidCharmer]

@@HapiPETSWM I would love that as well, Will! I don't have many fishy friends out here, and I'd love to get some nice mbuna from you. I keep going to online companies and loading up my cart, but then I don't make the purchase because I know I have so many other things I need right now -- some of which are just gear for making videos, but with Black Friday here, I am buying them before I would otherwise. I like that name -- Marky Mark -- and the reason you chose it. Pacing is important. I've been trying to take a week off, but I always change my mind and make a video anyway, but I'm actually doing it this week. Well, I'm still working on it lol, but I'm not going to stress about getting it done by tomorrow. I'll just get ahead for next week. Feels good. But also feels like I'm shirking haha.

[@pollylewis9611]

The scape looks awesome, I love the new rock it really adds a lot to the tank, and so happy the dudes are bigger party animals zooming in and out of their new hideouts. Now Astro you just keep being creepy for I'm way jealous of your coolness. I cringed thinking those rock were going to tumble down but hey they didn't wow. Thanks for showing us how you put it all together!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Yeah those rocks are GRIPPY! I'm not even worried now. I was at first though. Thanks, Polly!

[@kinglovic313]

The scape looks amazing, you helped me out with a few ideas for my tank. Thank you! What’s the name/type of the Mbuna cichlid that’s swimming out of the rocks on the lower right of the screen at (13:25) and at the far right center of the screen at (13:29)? Where can I get one from(website)?

[@cichlidman559]

Definitely better setup love it. Keep up the good work 💪!!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Appreciate it!!

[@Fphilip73]

Looks great and love it. I have a very similar setup. After a few weeks algae started to grow on the new rock. I added 3 bristlenose and their doing a great job keeping the rocks clean.

[@CichlidCharmer]

I think I might like some algae on them, but we shall see. Thank you!

[@Fphilip73]

@CichlidCharmer I did find that the mbunas like to pick off some algae as well, but not enough to my liking...lol

[@dingodave3966]

Looks great, probably my favourite stone. I built a wall, in my tank that is, glued them all together though this way I made lots of larger nooks for the bigger fishies too.

[@CichlidCharmer]

That's a good idea. I might make some of the holes larger as they grow. Right now they are working great. Thank you!

[@mikech60]

Looks good. I also setup an mbuna tank in my office with those same rocks, they are pretty. I used foam glue to make bigger holes between the rocks and to improve stability. They are heavy, since it is a on the frame glass tank, I didn't want to pile on too much.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you. That is a great idea 💡

[@markfranklin8831]

This is a great scape for mbuna's and it looks really good too. Thanks for sharing

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you very much! They really love it so far.

[@Jake-ur2wf]

Looks lovely! They're gonna thrive for sure. I hate to admit that your "guy who killed all of his fish" joke got a chuckle out of me, I really hope you don't hear that from people on KZbin!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you! I'm glad that made you laugh. Everyone has been very kind about it

[@twoturtletom]

A very nice scape. That’s a ton of rock, it certainly makes a bold impact in the tank.

[@CichlidCharmer]

I think it has become my favorite tank to watch. At least for now. Thank you! ❤

[@dannyaquatics]

Very nice Dave. Looks beautiful.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Many thanks, Danny!

[@Gaza14860]

Looks fantastic so much better 😊

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you so much!

[@sschario60]

YESSSS! The seiryu stone is always dramatic. Did you mention how many pounds you ordered? My 75 gallon mbuna tank has the river stones like yours had. I've long desired to create a taller rock structure. If I can find the basalt locally, I could see myself going with them as a cheaper alternative to the seiryu. Thanks for this one... always entertaining.

[@CichlidCharmer]

It was five 17lb boxes. Thank you!

[@Dylan-ok6ft]

Nice scape! I used 100% Portland basalt for my 90 gallon mbuna tank. I love the way it looks and you can’t beat the price! My scape is more islands of columnar stones - less caves, but lots of breaks in line of sight.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you. Yours sounds amazing 😍

[@KrazyKZs_Garage]

So cool. Love the gray color and real rock. I actually went to my local rockscape outdoor store and got some new rock as well.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you. Have fun with your scape!

[@jeremymoore450]

David, All I have to say is wow buddy that looks so good. I am actually thinking of setting up a MBUNA tank myself. I have my old 98 gal. That I think I might just turn it into this. Since it’s a 4 ft tank but pretty tall I think I am going to build my caves from the bottom up. Man I am excited to get the tank setup. I always wanted AF Cichlids. Now I think it will be the time. That will make 4 tanks for me not to bad. We are going to put the tank where we can see through both front and back. So if I build the caves in the middle we can see them in the caves. Sweet. Where did you get the bottom plastic hole thing to put under the sand? Did you buy it from somewhere?

[@CichlidCharmer]

Hi Jeremy! Thank you! That's really exciting that you are going to set up an mbuna tank. I'll tell you, this has become the most fun to watch tank I have now. Love the zooming in and out! That's an egg crate from Lowe's. Cheap and works great.

[@apluscichlids]

May I ask what kind of camera you are using? Also all of your videos have amazing lighting and editing. You should already be famous. Also you are very personable. Thank you for your content

[@CichlidCharmer]

Your comment is so encouraging -- thank you. So I use a Canon R6 II for the talking head shots and just my phone on ultra wide usually for the fish. Lighting and lenses are a huge part of my videos to me, so I appreciate that you noticed 🤘🤘 thanks again!

[@edwardlarosa77]

Beautiful tank, had to subscribe!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you, Edward!

[@024DJF]

Wow! Balls to stack the rocks like that. Lol. Looks fantastic.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Yes, I have big balls lol. In all seriousness, those rocks are so grippy it's strange. They aren't going anywhere. Thank you!

[@alchemist384]

Awesome as always 👍🏽

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you and good to see you back!

[@mowrybrian8951]

We have went a lot of ways. A lot of detritus build up under things with mbuna. That’s why we settled on universal holy rock. But it looks great and they will love it. Can not have too many line of sight breaks with mbuna

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!

[@chefsteve8381]

Looks great... i found using pre made half circle caves on the base for safety ( rocks can't crush them if they collapse ) then stack the smaller rocks next made bigger sized caves...after doing lots of scapes you get sick of black so i changed it up and did a dark blue background with a rock I'd not seen before called red wood rock ...😊 you make my Saturday nights here in Australia much more interesting and inspiring thanks...

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you! And all the way from Australia 🌏. So cool. Hey I wish you could post your tank on my FB group.

[@DjPosey3]

Very nice! looks much better ! Ive been wanting to do something very similar to my 75g as well... Have you considered adding a few more mbunas to add a few more colors to the tank? Maybe like a white lab,another yellow lab, blueberry ob,ob red zebra, just to name a few

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you, and I sure have! Did you see how few were in that tote? I gotta get with it. I had an order placed, but I canceled it. Need to wait a bit for the funds. I like to have more of a cushion for emergency aquarium issues, but as soon as I'm there, I'll be getting at least 8-10 more.

[@DjPosey3]

@CichlidCharmer That's great! I watch all your videos and looking forward to whenever you do get more mbuna.. And your video quality is amazing!! love the channel

[@CichlidCharmer]

@@DjPosey3 Thank you! I try... lol

[@Apistofish70]

Looks awesome 🤙🏼

[@CichlidCharmer]

I appreciate that!

[@shindama]

Nice scape. I used lava rock in the past. I loved it except it can crumble over time. Advantage is that they are light weight.

[@awilderireland]

Nice. I'm one of the ones who suggested stacking towards the surface. I think I've also mentioned since I made that sugestion I've found a down side. If they breed and some of the young survive. I'm going to have to take out most of the rocks to thin out the population. Dreading it. 😂😂 When I kept Mbuna years ago the young never made it. Must be getting smarter! Anyway nice job.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Well I sure appreciate you saying something when my scape was shorter. I really did take it to heart.

[@awilderireland]

@@CichlidCharmer The fish will be much happier in your tank now. Maybe it will work out. The Kids might not survive. You have room for more Mbuna in there anyway. So it might be a win, win. Did you ever consider adding Synodontis? The ones from Lake Tanganyika. Not just any Synodontis. There's a few species. I have Petricola and Polli in mine. I prefer the Petricola. The Mbuna ignore them. Actually sometimes (not very often) the catfish swim up to the Mbuna. It looks like they are behaving like a cleaner fish. But I don't know. The Mbuna don't seem to know what's going on! I enjoy them as much if not more than the Mbuna even though I bought them more as a clean up crew when I got them. You will see them more if you add a small group. Maybe five or six. Or more! They only reach a few inches. Little characters. Just a thought.

[@CichlidCharmer]

@@awilderireland That's a great idea. I have had them before in my peas/haps tank, but I had a hard time making sure they had enough food since the cichlids did a great job cleaning up on their own. Maybe someday I'll give them another go. Yours sound really cool!

[@brucecroft3232]

Looks fantastic, now just a few more fish

[@CichlidCharmer]

Lots more fish! Thank you 😍

[@TheSalient1]

Looks great! I have a 75 gallon mnuna tank, I'm gonna move them to a 125, but it does not look as good as yours!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Well thank you, but I'm sure yours looks great as well!

[@stefanosahretis5075]

Love it , it’s definitely a Picasso now .

[@CichlidCharmer]

Oooo that sounds even better than it is lol. Thanks Stefanos!

[@rustyfan89]

Looks great, interested because my next big tank is going to be an mbuna tank

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you! That's really exciting for you!

[@Revzinator]

Great video as usual. This is heaven for M’Bunas and Seiryu stones are my favorites. Now, no offense but I wish we could make a decor that provides as many caves and tunnels but remains more natural vs. a pile of rocks in balance. If you know how to do it, let me know. I have never found the right solution.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you. I'll have to do some digging and see if I can find something like that

[@lewisjohnson458]

Nice. I had a 90 gal mbuna peacocks, that is until hurricane Helene.

[@stephenjohnson3337]

Now THATS an Mbuna tank!!! Beautiful job putting this together!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!!

[@bob21colts]

Tank looks much better, now you need more yellow/orange mbuna 😄

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you, and yes I do!

[@BAcHIGU_]

So, I had a fluval filter a long time ago. I had issues with leaking. How are the 7 series models? Recommend?

[@CichlidCharmer]

I do like my 407s. I plan on buying a few more for polishing filters on the big tanks. I had a couple of mysterious leaks that stopped on their own, so not sure what that was about. Keep them in totes.

[@GabrielHernandez-if7yh]

I love this setup, great job man! What is the breed of the light blue with the orange/yellow fins? The one with the cat face, I would love love to get me one of those. I have peacocks and Mbuna in my tank, they say is "not recommended" due to aggression, but there is no aggression in my tank.

[@CichlidCharmer]

I don't recall which one that is, but my mbuna setup video has an unboxing of all the fish and their names.

[@123dippyboy]

For that tall stack of rocks have you also considered Aquadecors protective rubber mats instead of egg crates?

[@CichlidCharmer]

I did not. They do a better job?

[@123dippyboy]

The egg crates do a good job but not sure you will get full coverage if there are gaps in between. My egg crates float when not covered in sand and are slightly unsightly. I am yet to try out the rubber mats and i will be getting them soon. They look good. Only thing I am worried is if it will trap detritus.

[@CichlidCharmer]

@@123dippyboy My egg crate covers the entire footprint. It is a little unsightly in spots where it has been revealed by the inmates, though.

[@Jack-ik6qq]

About how many rocks did they send you, I also have a 75g, And I want to change out my Texas Holy rock.

[@CichlidCharmer]

I can't remember, but it was several packages. I'd say at least 30

[@billw8778]

This scape is great. The dark colored Seriyu stones stacked high is an excellent. look. I've been scaping a 150 mbuna tank for the last few days. I've had my mbuna in a 30 for 3 weeks because my old 125 started leaking. I've learned a lot on how to scape these mbuna tanks from your videos. I'd love to send some pictures of it. Do you have an email address?

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you! Your project sounds stressful but exciting. Do you think could post your pics on the cichlid Charmer fish keepers fb group?

[@billw8778]

@@CichlidCharmer Yes i can, ill go ahead and join right now

[@oscarastorga1201]

Amaxing upgrade

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!

[@WEE-pz8rt]

I’d suggest either 3/4 yellow labs or my favorite red zebra for that accent color to the blue and black colors

[@CichlidCharmer]

Both great options. Just waiting for more money to throw at them 😀

[@redassumskas3746]

Hi was you touching back glass of your aquarium with this big pile of rocks?

[@CichlidCharmer]

No. There is a gap.

[@redassumskas3746]

Thank you

[@michaelbrown1015]

What substrate are you using?

[@CichlidCharmer]

That is Caribsea Aragonite.

[@leoshears6222]

Off topic do you also use aragonite sand in your angel and acara tank?

[@CichlidCharmer]

No. That is Torpedo Beach. Good sand that doesn't affect pH.

[@leoshears6222]

@CichlidCharmer ok thx

[@leedibiasio9229]

Great vid

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!

[@ahoutdoorsman]

Can I get a list of the fish you have in that tank?

[@CichlidCharmer]

In my setup video I go through them all by name. Thanks for asking!

[@williamtufts3600]

Astro peaking out on the bottom looks like Gmork. The wolf in The Neverending Story. I think the rocks on the bottom near the front need different spacing. They look too symmetrical compared to the natural looking rock pile. But just my opinion for what it's worth.

[@CichlidCharmer]

That's a good observation about Gmork lol. Regarding the wall, if you know me, I'll probably be changing it again in a few months anyway lol

[@sparrowsfish]

Soooo good

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Good to see you back!

[@Fishandgrub]

Very cool. Scape my friend

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!

[@brendatraub1161]

This looks great! But my Mbuna stay hidden ALL THE TIME! Especially if I make a change in their tank.

[@CichlidCharmer]

Lol

[@AustinCarlisle]

Now that’s a masterpiece of a scape!!! Great work!!!🔥🔥🤙🏻

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you so much!

[@davejenkins4534]

And I was starting to think I'm the only one that loves Seryiu in my Mbguna tank.

[@CichlidCharmer]

🤣

[@cediepraxie2365]

Lovely!I love the stone

[@CichlidCharmer]

Thank you!

[@ARod-br2ui]

A nice deep gravel vac to take the edge off. 😂

[@justwho1]

realy nice stones but ....But I think you could have use them to do a better scaping 😉

[@CichlidCharmer]

Someone who's a better scaper than I am definitely could.

[@nattybarba6965]

One thing though, if a fish died between those rocks it'll be extremely hard to extract it

[@CichlidCharmer]

Exactly. I try not to worry too much about that, but I'll have to perform an extraction someday.

[@truijs65]

It looks okay but why didn’t you give them a natural Lake Malawi looking environment which has rounded boulders and doesn’t have black rocks only?

[@CichlidCharmer]

I just think it looks kick ass is all. Lol

[@MunroLrd]

Because there are no "boring" females, the males don't show the right vibrant colors and don't show natural behavior. If you limited yourself to two or three species and gave each male 4 or 5 females, it would be much more interesting!

[@CichlidCharmer]

Yes, thank you. I actually knew that going in, but with the smaller tank, I didn't want just a few species. If I get a 125, I think I will do that.

[@zubbu9190]

You made your aquarium very congested using lot of stones

[@CichlidCharmer]

They love it though.

[@FinessaTiapetorMafia]

Where Are The Sharks? / ~ Kingtutfrmda🎯

[@CichlidCharmer]

Sharks in an mbuna tank?