400 gallon mbuna tank, equipment, decor and fish

Here we go with my 400 gallon mbuna build. Tank is a 96"Lx48"Wx20"H acrylic tank made by Aquatics & Exotics in Cincinnati. I drove up to Toledo from Knoxville, TN to get it a few weeks ago. It's about two years old. It has an overflow on one end that's nearly two-feet wide. It has two drain pipes but just one return. The stand is being built by Phoenix Construction here in East Tennessee. It will be furniture caliber when it's done because this is going in my wife's house.



(This is the tank when it was set up in the basement of a house in Toledo. I hired movers to go down and get it out of there.)

I have a Jebao Sine Wave DCP 15000 that's a couple of years old by still new in the box. I also have a two year old Fluval Sea SP6 that came with the tank. I got a rebuild kit for that pump too. Haven't decided if I'm gonna use one of those or get something else. I could use some advice here.
Jebao DCP Sine Wave Fluval SEA SP6

I haven't decided on my sump yet. Right now I'm leaning towards a 180 gallon Tuff Stuff stock tank as my sump. I'll run fluidized media in the and connect a couple of Eheim 2260s.
Sump

This is basically my light using strips of 10,000k and 50/50. I've bought all the supplies, just haven't put it all together yet.

I've got several hundred pounds of Carib Sea Special Grade Reef Sand for substrate.

Decor is a lot of base rock and coral that I've been buying up as people crash their reefs and get rid of everything. Rock has been "cured" using BRS method.





As of now, this is my planned stock list:
Saulosi
Maingano
Acei
Rusties
Perlmutt

I'd like to hear others thoughts on these fish, what elese I should consider adding and what the right number of fish is for this stocking list.

I'm open to all thoughts on equipment etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

Watching! No experience with african cichlids but this definitely looks like it's going to be cool!

 

That tank offers a huge amount of swimming space. You might consider stocking male Haps, open water African Cichlids.
Look at Nimbochomis Fusco, Venustus & Livingstoni. Malawi Eye Biter,, Red Empress, Tiawan Reef, Virginalis & Borleyi.
Mbuna are okay if you don't mind dealing with constant territorial aggression, injury, death & multitudes of unwanted fry.
Here's some pics of Haps I once kept.

 

wonder what it'd look like to have a single female betta in there!

 

watching!!!! I live in Nashville sooo super cool to see this go down

 

Congrats on nice new to you tank!
I really like my jebao pump.
I use the 155 and 20 I think on my two tanks.
The 20 pumps from my basement to my living room to the 180.
Look forward to seeing the build.

 

So which Jebao would you recommend for my tank?


TIA

 

I’m sorry and I looked this up on here and still don’t really have an answer—don’t want to derail this but for those who don’t know (like me)— what is a sump? Is it a separate tank underneath that the filter sits in? Like a full tank of water where the filter runs from? I really have no idea (clearly!)

 

The sump holds additional water and a ton of media and you return the water to your display tank with a pump inside the sump, in my case, or in line.

 

The sump holds additional water and a ton of media and you return the water to your display tank with a pump inside the sump, in my case, or in line.

So it in itself is a filter. Cool! I want to do that with my new 65 and an old 20 long but not sure how to cut holes in glass and acrylic Lolol! Anyway can’t Wait to see this tank develop! How many fish are you thinking? I can’t even imagine bc I know African cichlids are often supposed to be overstocked and the tank is so large. Would you keep like 500? I cleatly have no idea.

 

I would get the largest Jeboa since you can digitally control the flow and your electric use.
I also strongly recommend the Crossflow gyre Jeboa sells. https://www.amazon.com/Jebao-CP-120-Cross-Maker-Controller/dp/B07B68CD8H
Even though your tank only has one return you can still split your return and have a second one that you feed over the rim.

 

I’ve wanted to buy the cross flow but my acrylic is 1”. Will the magnet for that thing hold? I’ve bought a few pond sponge filters that will go inside the aquarium and be run with power heads.

 

I can't say for 1 inch.
I know you can get stronger magnets.
The gyre moves water steady for me 24/7 like a river.
The flow is so strong there is no substrate on the glass on the other end if tank and it is piled up, rather naturally to 6-8 inches under the gyre. That is on a 6' tank with 2 returns only 24 inches wide.
I loaded my sump with Poret sponges from Swiss tropicals and have never looked back.
Nothing but the gyre in tank.
My marine tank has smaller gyres on each end.
I have replacement pumps for all my sumps waiting for the day.
When they fail I will buy Jeboa again.

 

Not to hop on again and if this is too nosy please ignore, but how much was an acrylic 400?