Dimensions 130 × 130 × 65 cm

Title Likoma Island’s rocky areas, near Chizulumu lsland, Southeast of Lake Malawi, Mozambique waters

Volume 1100L

Background l used Black sticker.

Lighting There are Stage Lightning:4x30 watt Sylvania Aquastar 1x38 watt Philips 865 and 2x75 watt Sun light sconce made by me.

Filtration l used 2 × Tetra Tec Ex 1200 with some purigen, siporax, biological rings, fibers,biological sponges and 2x Seio m1100 for flow.

Plants I raised aufwuchs and algaes using the light's help so that the fish can be nourished by natural feed.

Animals 1 male 3 female Metriaclima sp. “Msobo”, 1 male 3 female Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos “Mangano”, 1 male 2 female Pseudotropheus sp. “Elongatus Ruarwe”, 1 male 3 female Pseudotropheus sp. “Elongatus Mphanga”, 1 male 5 female Labidochromis Caeruleus, 1 male 4 female Pseudotropheus sp. “Demasoni”, 1 male 2 female Cynotilapia Afra “Cobue”, 1 male 2 female Cynotilapia Afra “Hara”, 1 male 2 female Labeotropheus fuelleborni (Maison Reef), and mixed youngs.

Materials l used 500 kg of natural mountain rocks and 60kg silica sand.My Biotope setup is a simulation of Likoma Island's deep reefs. I tried to imitate holes crevices and cracks between the rocks just like in nature in Lake Malawi. I made the placement of the rocks and their shapes tread in complete line. While l was making all this design, l use the golden mean and the rules of perspective.

Additional Information Likoma Island is located in southeast of Lake Malawi and is the larger of two inhabited islands, the smaller being nearby Chizulmulu. Likoma and Chizulmulu both belong to Malawi, and together they make up the Likoma District. Both islands lie just a few kilometers from Mozambique, and are entirely surrounded by Mozambican territorial waters. This region has got relatively clear waters and mostly rocky habitats. Common Mbuna species seen there are Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos, Cynotilapia zebrodies (Likoma), Labeotropheus fuelleborni (Likoma), Labeotropheus fuelleborni (Maison Reef), Labeotropheus trewavasa, and Cynotilapia afra, but you can see also all other mbuna species found in Lake Malawi. Mbunas inhabit the rocky shallow areas. They are commonly found over small and medium sized rocks at depths between 10-33 feet (3-10m). They feed zooplankton, epibenthic invertebrates, and aufwuchs. Large rocks provide shelter and a place for the mbunas’ main diet to grow. Aufwuchs in the algae includes microfauna such as small invertebrates. They stick close to the rockwork to avoid the open water piscivores commonly referred to as the haps. Water parameters of Likoma Islands are similar the other regions. Electrical conductivity (μmho = microsiemens): 210-220, Total solids (mg/L) average: 134.4-140.0, Sum of cations (meg/L): 2.45, Sum of anions (meq/L): 2.5-2.59, Total hardness as calcium carbonate CaCO3 (mg/L): 60.8-85.60, Total calcium as calcium carbonate CaCO3 (mg/L): 41.0-49.0, Total magnesium as calcium carbonate CaCO3 (mg/L): 19.58-36.60, pH: 7.9-8.5, Na (sodium) (mg/L): 21.0, K (potassium) (mg/L): 6.4, Ca (calcium) (mg/L): 16.4-20.7, Mg (magnesium) (mg/L): 4.7-8.8, Alkalinity as calcium carbonat CaCO3 (mg/L): 118.0-129.0, HCO3+CO3 (bicarbonate, carbonate) (meq/L): 2.36-2.58, Alkalinity as HCO3+CO3 (bicarbonate, carbonate ions) (mg/L): 71.98-78.69, Cl (chloride) (mg/L): 3.57-4.3, SO4 (sulfate) (mg/L) (using ion-exchange resins): 5.5, SiO2 (dissolved silica) (mg/L): 1.1-4 ,PO4· P (phosphate)(μg/L): <7-30 Temperatures: 23°C-28°C


Biotope information sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnt536xpfVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0KjJi6LszAhttp://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cichlid_maps_list.php
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lakes_east_africa.php
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/haps_vs_mbuna.php
http://malawicichlids.com/mw01011.htm
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/cichlid/Maingano.php
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/mbuna.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Likoma_Island
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Malawi#Tanzania.E2.80.93Malawi_dispute