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| Hobbyist Gallery - Jean Pierre
Hobbyist Gallery - Jean Pierre Wenselaers , Belgium
This aquarium is submitted by ourselves, of course with the
complete coöperation of Jean-Pierre, who sent us the pictures. Jean-Pierre is
already keeping Malawi cichlids for more than 15 years, and his knowledge of
tanks, filtration and of course the Malawi Haps is reflected in this setup.
With sizes of 2.50m x 0.80m x 0.65m for the display part and 0.65m x 0.27m x
0.50m + 1.50m x 0.50m x 0.50m for the filters, this aquarium has a total
volume of almost 1800L. A 2500 - 5000L central heating pump is used to move
the water through the filters.
Jean-Pierre is a real Hap fan, and keeps Fossorochromis
rostartus, Cyrtocara Moorii, Lichnochromis acuticeps, Buccochromis rhoadesi,
Trematocranus regina and Labidochromis caeruleus "yellow" The decoration
resembles the lake very good, with no striking points of annoyance, so all
attention goes to the cichlids. As most of them are sanddwellers, a few large
rocks are placed scattered in the tank and a sand substrate completes the
setup. One important reason why the stones are not stacked very dense, is that
with this kind of setup, the cichlids won't be able to get stuck in a cave, a
much occuring cause of death in tanks with poorly designed caves.
MCH Verdict
The tank
is nice: both inside and outside, fishes seems to do well, there's a really
nice group of sand "sifter"
(C moori - F rostratus) correctly, to me, kept in a group.
I'd add some more
rock (increasing possible room for "survivors" = fry) and I think there're
some M'buna in the "crew" but all in all things are OK.
This tank is a correct
interpretation of the lake Malawi haplochromis biotope. Huge rocks, lots of
sand, the light a bit subdued, all technical equipment hidden and a discrete
background makes sure
that the cichlids really feel at
home and thrive. My only
(small) negative comment is that there are not enough
caves where the cichlids can hide.
A truly beautiful tank that does justice to those cichlids. The top photo
shows the ample space provided for those species - something neglected by most
hobbyists. It is a perfect example on who should keep those fishes and what
kind of setup they need. I hope all those "hobbyists" who keep
groups (!!) of species like N.
venustus and C.moorii in 200 liter tanks spend some good time here. This kind
of setup clearly demonstrates that Haps may be for many hobbyists but are not for any tank. The aquascape is
also very clever with natural materials, and an overall dull color which
focuses the attention on the fish. Thoroughly deserved rating.
Overall
rating by MCH :
83/100
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