Cichlids!!

[salmon]

Hi- I've had aquariums for a while, but i'm looking to get into cichlids. I have a good working knowledge of them already, but can anyone give me some advice on:
1. What are the best types of fish?
2. What type of filtration system?
3. What should I feed them?
4. What should my water quality and changes be like?
Thanks

 

[Endgame319]

Well there's south american cichlids and africans, both types can be very aggressive. If you have a large enough tank (55g+) then I reccomend south americans, they are full of personality, colorful, and intelligent. Otherwise look at aftricans. (55g is good for a malawi mbuna setup, and a 29g is good for lake tang cichlids. With Cichlids you should shoot for a 10x turnover rate (if you have a 75 gallon tank, you want 750 gph of filtration) as cichlids are messy fish. I feed mine hikari cichlid pellets and the occasional live or frozen food(avoid buying feeder fish at pet stores, breed your own). You should do weekly water changes of 15-50%, depending on how stocked your tank is. Make sure Nitrates never go over 20-30.

 

[powderbluetang]

a good hearty cycled is the south american tiger oscar. they are omneveriouse so you want to feed them a very diverse diet. when they get bigger (about 1 1/2 feet)they will start to rearrange their tank. movening small rocks to most of your bigger plants swords and things like that. they can be aggressive towards other smaller fish. but as long as the fish will fight back if the oscar picks on it you can put it in with the oscar. they are very messy eaters when they eat most of the food is expelled through the gills. so what i did is got a few clown loachs but had a place for they to hide if nessary. and the loachs would sift through the gravel and pick out the old food and dead plant matter. a good thing you could do for the water is add big pieces of driftwood as it will lower the ph of the tank. oscars like to have a lower ph in their water. as it is in their native water. and one important thing NEVER MIX AFRICAN CICLIDS WITH SOUTH AMERICAN!!!

 

[salmon]

Thanks for the reply. Another couple of questions: what kind of decor can I use? I'm assuming I would stay away from rocks in a South American tank as it would increase the hardness and pH of the water, but would things like granite and slate (common around my area) be ok for Africans? Also, how do you usually do your water changes, and what kind of treatments should I use?
Salmon

 

[salmon]

What kind of filtration system should I use? I'm thinking of using an undergravel system with a powerhead filter unit.

 

[Maillis]

How big is your tank? Anything smaller than 55 gallons i'd suggest a HOB like the bio-wheel filters or the aquaclears. Stay away from undergravel, they are more trouble than they are worth and they don't do a very good job of filtering.

 

[salmon]

My tank is 33 gal, and how do you usually do your water changes and do you treat it with anything?

 

[krap101]

i usually treat it with stress coat. it helps the stress coat, it gets harmful metals out and dechlorinates the water even though i dont have any chlorine in my water.

you do that with a siphon. you can get a small one for like 4-6$ and the large one for like 8$ at walmart.

for filter id suggest penguin 330 or emperor 280 or 400. personally id go for one of the emperors. the 400 is 37$ at bigals now. at petco, and petsmart thats how much the 280 is. so its a pretty good deal.

there are the good prices ones for a lil while.

280
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22137;category_id=1721;pcid1=2885;pcid2=

400
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22135;category_id=1721;pcid1=2885;pcid2=

330
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22153;category_id=1721;pcid1=2885;pcid2=

here is why their such a good deal

280 and 400
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...older_id=2534374302030560&bmUID=1086454475813

330
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...older_id=2534374302030560&bmUID=1086454500677


see the 400 is just as much as the 280 on petsmart and not that good but the 330 is 1$ less. and the 400 is only 3$ less then the 400 at normal price (at bigals) and you save 2$ on the 400. to me the 280 is the best deal right now but still the 330 is cheaper

dont tell me ity doesnt make sense because i already know

 

[Menagerie]

I have three cichlid tanks going right now, plus dwarfs cichlids in my community tank--love them all.
Weekly water changes of 25% is recommended for all fish and only treat the tank with dechlor. Personally, I use canister filters on all my tanks 29 gals and over. HOBs such as Aqua Clear and biowheels also work great, but I like the ability of adding whatever media I choose.
33 gal is on the small size to house semi-aggressives and aggressives. This is a great link with all sorts of fish info--scroll down for cichlids:
http://www.mongabay.com/fish/species_index
I suggest brichardi, Julidochromis, kribs, Acaras, rams, or Apistogrammas--NOT ALL IN THE SAME TANK! For a 33 gal, you could have a nice species tank with the acaras, a great mix of dwarfs or a nice assortment of Lake Tanganyika cichlids--including the brichardi and Julidochromis. Shell dwellers are tons of fun too!

You will want to stock your tank with fish from the same origin. All cichlids that I have run into like to excavate, so smaller gravel or sand are good substrate choices.
The key to successful cichlid keeping is research!!

 

[krap101]

go brichardi w00t

 

[Menagerie]

dont tell me ity doesnt make sense because i already know

Okay then!

Salmon, keep in mind when looking for a filter to compare gph and not just size. (Although, there is no industry standard on how to measure gph.)

 

[poppab02]

Good advice from everybody. I might add to do a water test on the water you will use for your tank. It's alot easier to keep cichlids if you pick species that are fit for your water without adding alot of chemicals to adjust the ph and everything else.

also the cichlid forum has some cookie cutter tanks to help out beginners
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_29g.php
make sure you check out the link to all the 20 gallon recommendations as well.

As far as fish, stay away from the "assorted african cichlid tank" if at all possible. And stay away from the popular south americans like oscars and dempseys in a tank that small. Do research on your species before buying it, it's a pain when all your cichlids start killing each other, and if they are incompatible they definitely will. There will be a strong urge to buy alot of different colored and pretty cichlids, Fight That Urge!

Good Luck

 

[Menagerie]

There will be a strong urge to buy alot of different colored and pretty cichlids, Fight That Urge!

AGREED!!

I also recommend testing your water for pH and hardness because different cichlids require different water parameters. There are natural ways to adjust the water, but it is best to stick with what you've got! Calgary has hard water, so my Mbuna and Lake Tang tanks require little maintance. My community tank has two three foot pieces of driftwood to soften the water.

 

[salmon]

What about using granite and slate found locally (like in local quarries)?

 

[salmon]

Can anyone name me some common shell-dwellers?

 

[salmon]

Can anyone name me some common shell-dwellers?

 

[Menagerie]

Do a google search for shell dwelling cichlids. I have Neolamprologus multifasciatus, which are on the dull side. There are others that are more active and a bit agressive. If you are thinking of shellies, check this out:
http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/shellweb/shell_care.htm

Granite and slate--someone will know the answer. I am not good at this. I know basalt is okay. Lace rock, Texas Holey Rock and shells will increase water hardness and raise the pH.

 

[salmon]

Anybody know anything about granite and slate for cichlid tanks?

 

[Endgame319]

Slate wont affect your pH, but I dont know about granite. Another shell-dweller is Lamprologus Ocellatus. I believe someone on this forum keeps them and they look neat.

 

[salmon]

O.K. now everyone gave me a good run-down. I'm thinking canister filter or HOB, and slate is O.K. Can anyone...
1. Name me at least 5 species?
2. Please tell me about granite?
3. What about gravel and plant considerations?
3. Other rocks and shells that would make good decor for a cichlid tank.
Thanks...more questions to come!!