African Cichlid Questions

[fishmanbrady]

Hi, I am planning to buy some African Cichlids for my 55 gallon freshwater aquarium. What fish do you recommend? How many? Can most African Cichlids live and get along together? What water temperature should my tank be at? Generally what pH level should my tank be at? Thanks folks!

 

[CameronCade]

Hi, I am planning to buy some African Cichlids for my 55 gallon freshwater aquarium. What fish do you recommend? How many? Can most African Cichlids live and get along together? What water temperature should my tank be at? Generally what pH level should my tank be at? Thanks folks!

There is 3 main african cichlids. Haps Peacocks and mbuna. Peacocks and haps can live together but tend to get bigger than mbuna. Mbuna max out at 5 inches. And people say you need at least a 55 gallon tank to home cichlids. I house 10 mbuna South Africa cichlids in a 55. Mbunas maybe smaller but much meaner. Its wise not to house them With peacocks and haps because mbunas will harass them. I can definitely add more but I prefer to be under stock. Your more than likely going to need two filters for cichlids. They are dirty fish. The ph should be around 7.5 to 8.3. Mines barely 7.5 but people say you can go lower and get away with it just don't fluctuate the ph. Hope this helps. Here's my 55 gallon

 

[CameronCade]

Oh and almost all fish live in temps between 75-82. I keep mine at 78

 

[Convict2161]

Here's a great article by one of our own! Check it out!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/lake-malawi-mbuna-stocking-dcor-hardware/

 

[Rare]

Look at the link that Convict posted.... it's great!



I went with Andrew McFadden 55 Gallon fish guide foot print on fish and stock numbers, but got the Jalo reef instead of Cynotilapia Afra..still in the same family. I'm new to the hobby & in total I have 21 cichlids. I went with 18, but some places that ship fish direct add extra for fish for insurance. I'm glad I have a good filter for these guys. Good luck & keep us posted....

 

[CameronCade]

Look at the link that Convict posted.... it's great!

I went with Andrew McFadden 55 Gallon fish guide foot print on fish and stock numbers, but got the Jalo reef instead of Cynotilapia Afra..still in the same family. I'm new to the hobby & in total I have 21 cichlids. I went with 18, but some places that ship fish direct add extra for fish for insurance. I'm glad I have a good filter for these guys. Good luck & keep us posted....

I didn't even realize Andrew wrote that. I read that article when I was getting into cichlids. Very good article.