360G Cyphotilapia Gibberosa ‘Moba’ Build.

So it begins! My current aquarium will be upgraded to my forever home for my growing C. Gibberosa ‘Moba’ colony. This will be located in the kitchen, right next to the dinner table.

An order for the following has been placed -

84x30x24 LHW - Roughly 260G
Powder coated steel frame with adjustable feet
60x18x17 LHW Sump - Roughly 90G

This will house the following species -
F0 C. Gibberosa
F0 S. Multipunctatus

As far as the scape goes, I’m torn between either doing a 3d background or adding rockwork. I have plenty of rockwork at home to choose from and I’ve already paid for the aquarium to be painted black on the back and sides.

Any suggestions?

 

In to see this build~!

 

In to see this build~!

Exciting times! It will be a big upgrade from my current 150G and my first time keeping a big aquarium in the main building of the house. Though I will admit I’m slightly nervous about possible tank failure and the damage a tank of this scale will cause.

 

Exciting times! It will be a big upgrade from my current 150G and my first time keeping a big aquarium in the main building of the house. Though I will admit I’m slightly nervous about possible tank failure and the damage a tank of this scale will cause.

A lot of damage my 330 gal. Moved us out for 6 weeks had to get new carpets in 4 rooms wooden floors sanded and polished half kitchen rebuilt new furniture in 2 lounge rooms and 2 bedrooms.

 

A lot of damage my 330 gal. Moved us out for 6 weeks had to get new carpets in 4 rooms wooden floors sanded and polished half kitchen rebuilt new furniture in 2 lounge rooms and 2 bedrooms.

Do you know why it blew out?

 

watching this thread!!!

 

C. Gibberosa ‘Moba’ are probs my favorite fish I ever kept.
Here's dom male and a sub,View attachment 880895

 

C. Gibberosa ‘Moba’ are probs my favorite fish I ever kept.
Here's dom male and a sub,View attachment 880895

Nice! Do you still keep them? Have you kept them with any tankmates?

 

Nice! Do you still keep them? Have you kept them with any tankmates?

Unfortunately I no longer have them, they only breed once for me and I didn't strip eggs and they lost them. They were on their own but I have raised juvies with Malawi Cichlids.

 

Unfortunately I no longer have them, they only breed once for me and I didn't strip eggs and they lost them. They were on their own but I have raised juvies with Malawi Cichlids.

How did you scape the aquarium?

 

I would do lots of rock work
Big frontosa tanks are so beautiful
Best if luck

 

Any pics yet?

 

I would do lots of rock work
Big frontosa tanks are so beautiful
Best if luck

I have a lot of large, smooth boulders I’m planning to use. I don’t want to occupy too much floor space as Cyphotilapia very much are bottom dwellers.

Any pics yet?

Yet to arrive! Will be at least a few weeks I’m sure. Though this morning I woke to the news my friends’ 6ft 180G blew out this morning - Only 3/4 months old. Big crack on the bottom base and built from the same manufacturer I’m using for this which is concerning.

 

I have a lot of large, smooth boulders I’m planning to use. I don’t want to occupy too much floor space as Cyphotilapia very much are bottom dwellers.

Yet to arrive! Will be at least a few weeks I’m sure. Though this morning I woke to the news my friends’ 6ft 180G blew out this morning - Only 3/4 months old. Big crack on the bottom base and built from the same manufacturer I’m using for this which is concerning.

That it not good news! Hopefully it was just one faulty… what’s the manufacturer your using?

 

That it not good news! Hopefully it was just one faulty… what’s the manufacturer your using?

I think it was his stand, though I can’t say for sure. They are called ND Aquatics, said to be one of the premium builders in the UK. I’ve heard lots of good things (some bad too ofc) but I’m sure I made the right decision. The alternative builder was much more expensive, excluding the £2-300 shipping too.

 

Update: Got the call yesterday, tank is arriving Thursday! Updates will follow

 

Do you know why it blew out?

Sorry only just saw the reply. Yeah we had the tank with the external window as the background (looked great, looked like the fish were flying) had the first big cold change come through for the autumn outside temp dropped from about 27-28C to around 8C in about 30 minutes we think the extreme temp change and the tank temp staying at 28 the back glass just exploded.
My local fish store had a similar situation when they opened the doors one morning when it was -3C they had 2 tanks explode as the freezing air blew in and hit them.

 

Alas, things did not go so smoothly. After arranging for five of my friends to help on delivery day, we ended up waiting around all day until the late evening.

At last, the phone call comes at 17:30…Saying the driver will arrive at 19:00. Sigh.

19:00 comes, the driver turns up. The steel stand and the sump look great, we start removing them from the truck and move them into the house. Then it’s time for the big moment, the tank itself.

As soon as the cardboard is unwrapped from the tank, I see a big chip on the side of the glass (before we move the tank at all). Big sigh. A couple disputes and phone calls later, the manufacturer says to reject delivery for the display and they will repair or rebuild it for me.

I’m hoping they contact me this week. If not, I’ll contact them myself later in the week.

 

Oh what a bummer! At least you caught it before you took possession of it. Hopefully they’ll put priority on the replacement.

 

I’d not want a repair on that size of tank ! Not for that money !!!
Good for you for being vigilant and contacting straight away , that’s most likely saved you a tonne of heart ache . I hope they don’t charge you twice for the delivery !

I’m invested and want to see this tank up and running. I’m rooting for you and defo following along ! Are you in the same area as the builder? I’m just curious as I know there’s some great shops in that area ( according to social media anyway !)

 

Oh what a bummer! At least you caught it before you took possession of it. Hopefully they’ll put priority on the replacement.

Honestly, my eye caught it straight away. Now the pain will be arranging another day with 4/5/6 people free the same day.

I’d not want a repair on that size of tank ! Not for that money !!!
Good for you for being vigilant and contacting straight away , that’s most likely saved you a tonne of heart ache . I hope they don’t charge you twice for the delivery !

I’m invested and want to see this tank up and running. I’m rooting for you and defo following along ! Are you in the same area as the builder? I’m just curious as I know there’s some great shops in that area ( according to social media anyway !)

I mean, I’m sure a repair would involve a whole new front panel so it would be a new tank anyway. Though I definitely do want a completely new tank. I’ll see what is said this week.

Fortunately they said they’ll deliver it for free. I’m virtually in the same area yes, I think an hour away max.

Thank you for your support!

 

It has landed! Very excited to get it up and running.

 

Great news! Can't wait to see the progress.

 

AWSOME can’t Waite to see fish in it

 

I’m lovin it!

 

Great news! Can't wait to see the progress.

AWSOME can’t Waite to see fish in it

I’m lovin it!

Thank you all!

I have installed the pipework now, dry fitted. I need to shorten the overflow and support the return pipework correctly before sealing the pipework this weekend. As the builders sent an improper-sized elbow, I’ll need that before I can fill.

I still need to purchase some equipment for the sump too - I’m likely filling the aquarium next week and having it running by next weekend.

Here’s some pics!

 

This update has BEEN due!

Everything has been running perfectly *knocks on wood* for 4 days now. The first fill was the scariest, given I’ve never filled a 1000L display before. Had a few leaks in the process with the pipework, this delayed setting everything up. The fish moved 4 days ago and it’s absolutely amazing! They love the space and I love them in it. The display stays crystal clear and everything is controllable from my phone, meaning I can be away from home and still turn appliances on/off.

I have a 24/7 camera setup too so I can monitor things whilst away or at work etc.

Enjoy the pics!

 

Welcome to the world of big tanks enjoy it so much fun to watch

 

Love it! Is there gonna be any hard scape or plants?

 

It looks amazing

 

Love it! Is there gonna be any hard scape or plants?

Thank you! I’m keeping this as true a biotope as possible, so no plants. I considered hardscape as I had some really nice smooth boulders planned, but I’ve decided against them for now.

As the fish occupy so much of the bottom third fo the aquarium, I like to keep it as open as I can for them. It will also make maintenance super easy as I have minimal detritus and crystal clarity 24/7. I also don’t want them to damage themselves on hardscape, especially as their fins are so long.

**UPDATE**

After much searching over the last few months for more wild caught Moba, I’ve finally found a reliable seller. He’s set to sell me 8 from his colony, 2 males and 6 females. As I already have a few males, I’ll consider selling the two new males and keeping the females. This would bring my total up to 16 (18 including the males), and that would probably be the stocking complete.

Here’s a picture from Sunday night, this is my view from the dining table! I love catching them shoal together, looks awesome.

 

Two weeks ago today, the fish were moved in. Since then, it has been smooth sailing (knocks on wood), though the fish are still settling in.

They are eating around 50% less than usual and are still adjusting to their new home. I’m not worried though, as it took 4 months for them to fully adjust when I first bought them. I suspect this will be a similar transition. When I first purchased them, I was largely feeding commercially prepared pellets and granules, soaked in extra supplements. They took to it well, but the pellets were far too small and messy for my liking - I used to clump 5-10 pellets together to make one big pellet! Feeding this resulted in solid and elongated poops which looked uncomfortable, but it filled them up well. Though I had bulk-ordered frozen sheets of bloodworms/krill, these were far too small to be noticed and usually ended up rotting in the substrate.

It was at this point I began feeding frozen, raw prawns, defrosted and chopped overnight. I found these to be an excellent staple - Bellies are filled effectively and little waste is created if uneaten. More importantly, once consumed and digested, their waste releases in a much flakier, powdery consistency. I am convinced this difference in texture is due to the byproducts and fillers used in commercially prepared foods.

Naturally, I am planning to continue exclusively feed frozen prawns to recondition them whilst they settle in since their current lack of appetite is hindering growth and weight. Once conditioned back to my standards, I will begin to slowly introduce various food sources including frozen tilapia, scallops and live earthworms. I have fed live earthworms before to this colony (from a trusted source) and feeding them brought out their piscivorous nature very well.

Though for now, my attention is focused on the colony of 8 set to arrive soon. I will finalise the order tomorrow and hope for shipping next week. They will undergo 3-4 weeks’ quarantine and various treatments. I typically don’t proactively treat new arrivals, though I don’t mess when it comes to £800 worth of F0 Gibberosa.