My Man Cave

caveman
BTW man caves are for cave man

I’m 42 now (2015), and it’s time for either a sports car, silicone chicks or a Man Cave. Since my wife is not giving me any money for a car, and I’m too lazy to fuck silicone chicks (with duck faces), the only solution for the middle age crisis is a Man Cave. Actually my Man Cave is about three things, a space for my friends, where we can yell, be loud and behave improperly, a movies room and last, but in this case, the most important thing a Tanganyika Cichlid Aquarium. Ok, so there’s going to be something to sit on, a projector and surround sound speakers for a theater like enjoyment and the apple of my eye, the 3t aquarium. It’s located in our basement, with all the hidden pleasures that the underground level brings 🙂

 

 

First things first, what are Tanganyika and Cichlids and why do I love them so much? Tanganyika is a rift lake in Africa, one of the largest lakes in the world. Cichlids are a family of fishes, characterized by their enormous adaptability and incredible genetic variations and of course endless aggressiveness. Lake Tanganyika cichlids are in my opinion, the most interesting group of cichlids, as they are probably the oldest and most diverse.

Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika from the space (1985) – source Wikipedia and NASA

 

Future inhabitants of the aquarium:

Tropheus sp. Ikola
Tropheus sp. Ikola by africancichlids-bg.com
  • Tropheus sp. Ikola aka The Kaiser – the love of my aquaristic life, the psycho of cichlid world, the Sponge Bob of Tanganyika

 

 

Cyphotilapia sp. frontosa
Cyphotilapia sp. frontosa by taachan123456789
  • Cyphotilapia frontosa sp. (maybe even a cusin Cyphotilapia gibberosa sp. depending on the availability) – with a huge bump on the forehead just like a penis 🙂

 

 

Neolamprologus similis
Neolamprologus similis by Javier Millán Luengo
  • Neolamprologus similis – a shell dweller and one of the smallest cichlids is the world and ultra aggressive interaspecific

 

 

Julidochromis marlieri
Julidochromis marlieri sp. by cichliden-forum.de
  • Julidochromis marlieri sp. – one of the cichlids that doesn’t need any medications to stay calm

 

 

Altolamprologus calvus
Altolamprologus calvus by nevertebrate.ro

Altolamprologus calvus sp. Black –  the crevice occupator, latteraly compressed cichlid, that fits in the tiniest cracks in wood or stone

 

 

Cyprichromis sp.
Cyprichromis sp. by Malcolm McEvoy

Cyprichromis sp. – the sardine of the Lake Tanganyika, this cichlid resembles other “stupid” non-cichlid fishes by it’s body shape, but when you see it’s spawning technique and fighting you know it’s a real cichlid

 

Aquarium creation phases:

  • Floor and leveling
  • Stand
  • Glass
  • Canopy
  • Substrate
  • Lights
  • Filtration
  • Heating
  • Continuous water changing
  • Waving
  • Rocks & Interior
  • Feeding

 

 

How it looks after heating pipes have been installed on 15.10.2015.

 


Cabling is finished on 17.10.2015


Continous water changing pipes and floor leveling is done on 30.10.2015


Thermal insulation (graphite styrofoam) 20.11.2015.


Smooth coating thermal insulation 26.11.2015.


Drywall and fan-coil installation 21.01.2016.


Smoothing and drywall rack 31.01.2016.


Laminate and painting (whitewashing) 13.02.2016.