Jean Pierre Wenselaers, Belgium
Jean Pierre Wenselaers, Belgium
Written by Sunday, 25 April 2004 00:00
This aquarium is submitted by ourselves, of course with the complete cooperation 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 set-up. 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 rostratus, 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 sand dwellers, a few large rocks are placed scattered in the tank and a sand substrate completes the set-up. 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 occurring 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 are 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 set-up they need. I hope all those "hobbyists" who keep groups (!!) of species like N. venustus and C.moorii in 200 litre tanks spend some good time here. This kind of set-up 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 colour which focuses the attention on the fish. Thoroughly deserved rating.
Overall rating by MCH : 83/100
Photos by Jean Pierre Wenselaers.
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