75g Mbuna Tank

[nikelodeon79]

Materials/cost:
75g aquarium and glass top: FREE (thanks betsyann07)
Wood stand: FREE (thanks, dad!)
Rena XP3 filter: $120.00 (great sale at Big Als awhile back)
Multiple Duetto100 and 50 filters: $15-$20 each (Drs. Foster & Smith)
50 lbs Black Blasting Sand: $6.99 (Menards)
4'x2' eggcrate: $11.4 (Menards)
Two boxes of slate tile: $15.90 (Menards)
Plants: $20 (Aquabid, Planted Aquariums Central, PT swap n shop)
Jager 300w heater: $22.50 (Drs. Foster & Smith)
Grapevine: ~$15 (Petco)
Digital Thermometer: $7 (Drs. Foster Smith)
*items in green are newly purchased, everything else I already had)

First, I rinsed out the tank. Since it came from a trusted source and she'd done a great job cleaning it up, this didn't take too long.

Then, I cut the eggcrate to fit perfectly in the bottom of my tank and put it in. After rinsing the sand (black blasting sand is a PAIN to wash and since the particles are sharp, injuries are possible), I put that in the bottom, completely covering the eggcrate.

I then filled the tank with water, hooked up the filter, and was done for the first day. I put a bit of fish food since I hadn't been able to find pure ammonia to feed the filter.

The second day, I managed to find pure ammonia. Dumped in WAY too much.

The third day, I did a large water change to reduce the ammonia.

Next, I cut a small piece of eggcrate and put the roots of my vals through it:


After that, I put it in the tank, weighed down with some grapevine (this has been sitting in another tank for years, so it's waterlogged. It took A LONG TIME to get the grapevine waterlogged):


Next, I covered up the eggcrate with sand:


And here's where I stand:


Next, I plan on building the slate caves and putting them in. Additional plants should be here this week or next week, and the mbuna are arriving on February 15th!

[Fishin Phil]

Great use of egg crate! I'm not the biggest mbuna fan in the world, but I think this is gonna be a cool tank.

[nikelodeon79]

Thanks! I've set up mbuna tanks before, but always regretted not being able to use live plants. I'm going to attempt it... we'll see how it goes!

I will also be putting a black background on the tank using black wrapping paper. Gotta cut costs where I can.. the fish weren't cheap!

[ldoerr]

Why did you put egg crate down on the bottom of the tank? Just wondering and I have never seen egg crate like that. The egg crate that I am used to comes with a dozen chicken eggs inside at the grocery store. Should be a cool tank.

[nikelodeon79]

I'm not sure why its called egg crate... It actually has something to do with lighting fixtures. It's commonly used in tanks with lots of rockwork, both to evenly distribute the weight and to cushion a blow if the rocks fall.

[ldoerr]

That is cool. Thank you for letting me know about this :)