PICS! The new Moba town!

[aquabee]

Hey all! Been working for the past 5 weeks on a new 125g fronts tank with Zephyr... New to the (African) cichlid world. Hope you enjoy the pics and the vid! Sorry in advance about the poor quality and blurriness... obviously need to get a better camera. Would love to get some opinions and feedback (and encouragement ). Got 16 Moba juvies from Ron, whose setup is absolutely brilliant. They were pale at first but then darkened up within a minute of being introduced to the tank. They look a lot bigger in the pics but are anywhere from 1.5" to 3". Enjoy! P.S.-- YES I KNOW, there is a bubbler in the tank. Leave it alone!

Oh and please ignore the bags of crushed coral and filter media hangin in the tank... I did a substrate change 2-3 days before getting the little guys, so I wanted to make sure I kept the cycle. Those'll probably come out in the next few days.

Most beautiful sight ever after weeks of waiting! --
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On the way home--
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Finally in the new crib--
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Trying to capture those amazing colors--
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Strike a pose--
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Yawn--
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This is closer to their small size--
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Natural predator!! --
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Vid--

[sunkenmetal]

Nice looking fish...

Nothing wrong with bubble wands...

[SunnyHouTX]

Whoa, nice looking moba fry! Congrats!

Scaling looks spot on too. The dark scape sets off those fish very nicely. You might have to go lighter on the scape to find the fish if they get any darker like Ron's is.

[aquabee]

Thanks y'all. Ron has really high quality Mobas, so I have him to thank for the beautiful fish. I haven't stopped watching them since we got 'em. It's esp fun to see them stealing food from each other and to see them play in the sand.

[supadave]

Congrats !! I see you went ahead and changed the substrate to black . I told the black is awesome !! If you think they look good now...wait about seven to eight months when they get about 5 to 6 inches . They will blow your socks off !!

[SunnyHouTX]

I think there's mobas in my future... distant future. Someday.

[danielp]

Very nice.

[aquabee]

Congrats !! I see you went ahead and changed the substrate to black . I told the black is awesome !! If you think they look good now...wait about seven to eight months when they get about 5 to 6 inches . They will blow your socks off !!

You were so right. Anytime they get near the crushed coral bags I have in there or near one of the lighter rocks, they seem to get a little pale. But when they're on the substrate, they look really dark. You were absolutely right. The substrate overhaul was a lotta work but SO worth it! Can't wait to see 'em grow up!

And Sunny-- come on over to the dark side, buddy.

[danielp]

I to will add a second tank of fronts one day.

We need more people to come over to our side.

[specialone0812]

what kind of substrate is that? and how much does it cost to fill it in that tank. i have the same tank with fronts and i am thinking to change from white sand to dark substrate like that with holey rock.

[aquabee]

what kind of substrate is that? and how much does it cost to fill it in that tank. i have the same tank with fronts and i am thinking to change from white sand to dark substrate like that with holey rock.

That is Tahitian moon sand, made by CaribSea. It has a really nice shimmer to it and is not so fine that it'll get into your filter intake. We have 80 lbs in the 125g/6ft tank but are adding another 20 lbs. I rinsed each 10 lbs seven times in a bucket before adding it and then put a whole bunch of filter floss in my filters. It cleared up within an hour or two. Make sure your water level is as low as possible when you're adding it.

The sand comes in 20 lb bags, anywhere from 20 to 30 bucks per bag. City Pets has it for about $21 per bag, Aquarium World for $28 per bag. You can get it online too but I imagine shipping would be expensive cuz it's so heavy. It packs really tightly too BTW.

What kind of frontosa do you have? How old/big are they? Would love to see pics of your tank!

[ohmar606]

dr fosters and smith has that tahitian moon sand on sale, i think for 14.99
i just got 2 and some other stuff and it was sent with free shipping but you have to be willing to waite about a week for it to arrive.

[aquabee]

dr fosters and smith has that tahitian moon sand on sale, i think for 14.99
i just got 2 and some other stuff and it was sent with free shipping but you have to be willing to waite about a week for it to arrive.

That's true! They're having their summer sale right now.

Also, Fish Ranch can get you black blasting sand as well.

[mikeb144]

Did not mean to be the last one to jump in and say how great ya"lls tank looks with those beautiful Mobas form Ron. I do not think you could have made a better choice. You will have years of enjoyment watching them grow. I hope to one day have the chance to see them inperson. Congrat. I am very happy to have another Frontosa keeper on the Box If I can be of any help, please let me know. Mikeb144 P.S. I love the T. moon sand

[aquabee]

Did not mean to be the last one to jump in and say how great ya"lls tank looks with those beautiful Mobas form Ron. I do not think you could have made a better choice. You will have years of enjoyment watching them grow. I hope to one day have the chance to see them inperson. Congrat. I am very happy to have another Frontosa keeper on the Box If I can be of any help, please let me know. Mikeb144 P.S. I love the T. moon sand

Me too! I'm thinking the substrate is right on. We'll see how it does over some time though. :)

Thanks for helpin me out Mike. You were the first person I talked to in depth about keeping frontosa! Stop by any time you're in the area.