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To mimic Lake
Malawi's rocky habitat, you only need sand and BIG ROCKS. Not
the mid-sized boulder, lava, tufa, slate or hollow limestone,
but big hefty ROCKS. Of course I'm not saying the other types
are unsuitable, but if you take a look at pictures shot in the
lake, you'll only find a variation of light to dark grey-brown
ones. So why should we use other ones? They will be completely
overgrown with algae anyhow, and this surely is less
disturbing on dull stones than on bright white ones. (I've
even heard some people taking their stones out on a regular
basis to clean them...) Also the cichlids will feel better at
home and will be the centerpiece of attention in a less bright
environment. Moreover, keep in mind that all Malawi cichlids
need a hideout for feeling at ease. My Fossorochromis
rostratus, typical sand dwellers BTW, are the first to flee
for the caves when then feel threatened.
In this article
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/aquarium_on_the_rocks.html
you can read much more about this subject. I specifically want
to talk about my experiences with handling and stacking real
massive stones. Caution! Mind your back when reading this! |
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Rocky habitat at Nkhata Bay, Lake Malawi
Picture presented here by courtesy of
Walter Deproost
Rocky habitat in my 3000L tank
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| I got my rocks
from a local farmer that buys them from a quarry and sells
them for pond decoration purposes. They're also used for each
ABCV show where about 15 tons are moved from the storage depot
to the hall.
There is only one downside on
them... they're extremely heavy! I needed at least 500Kg for
having a decent looking construction in my 3000L tank! After a
meticulous visual selection, what's not always a guarantee
because rocks can look different under water, they were bought
and transported to my home with a small trailer. There they
were thoroughly cleaned with a pressure washer and then the
stacking could begin.
Other construction elements can
be used to help the 3D decoration. Square stone chimney pipes
and special hollow bricks can be applied to create caves. They
also ensure a stable design, so you don't have to fear that
your caves will collapse when the cichlids start digging. Of
course we start with the largest rocks that are put on
straight the bottom, of course with a Styrofoam board
underneath them to prevent damaging to the bottom glass, and
some smaller ones can be laid in front of them. Also the top
of our artificial caves (if possible when tank depth is large
enough) can be hidden by stacking rocks on them. this way an
impressive reef can be built.
An alternative for the
Styrofoam boards can be thick S-shaped strips of silicones
glued straight on the bottom of the tank. After drying they'll
prevent stones from sliding away. They are also less visible
than the Styrofoam boards, especially when the digging
instinct in our cichlids wakes up.... The downside is that
these strips are not removable, or at least leave traces,
compared to Styrofoam boards. |
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Putting such a striking red hollow brick in the tank would be
a very ugly sight. However if you glue a dark polyurethane
background board against the brick, it will disappear seamless
behind some rocks! Also when you leave the back of the tank a
bit darker by concentrating all lamps in the front area of the
tank, these elements won't attract notice. |
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An excellent way to move stones in and out of the aquarium, is
using a plywood board that is laid on the corner of the tank.
This way you prevent damage done to the glass edge, and the
rock can be handled completely by yourself. Of course this is
only possible with monster tanks where you can stand in.... |
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Styrofoam boards are used to protect the tank bottom from
being damaged. 2 or 3cm thickness is sufficient. |
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