New Cichlid tank, 55 gal.

[Leader of Men]

My friend and I are looking to start a cichlid 55 gallon over the summer that would be mostly for breeding, but we of course want it to look nice.

I am leaning towards a sand bottom but I would think that would be more expensive. What do you guys think? What's more economical and what's better for plants like swords and such and what's best for cichlids?

Also, what plants are best for cichlids and are there any other suggestions you guys have for breeding cichlids, or cheap ways to get tanks? We were looking on craigslist and we're willing to do plenty of work to clean anything up if it'll save us money.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Zagz]

Pool filter sand is great for cichlids. It is also extremely inexpensive. What kind of cichlids do you want to have? Africans do not always do well with plants.

As for tanks, craigslist is good, also check with your local aquarium society, members quite frequently get rid of or trade tanks.

 

[Leader of Men]

Great news on the sand!!

As far as cichlids, probably lake malawi of different types.

 

[Zagz]

Then you should try to start them out as juvies with plants. If they become accustomed to plants in the tank when they are juvies, they are less likely to mow them down. Check out the planted tank section for ideas on plants for cichlids.

 

[Leader of Men]

Would it be wise to just forget about plants for a while?

We'll have a ton of rocks but is there a specific type that would be good for breeding? Flat rocks, rocks with holes, round rocks.

 

[mattrox]

Have a look through the picture gallery and look at what others have done with their Malawi tanks. There are some really great looking rock formations that people have done.

Travis Simonson's planted Malawi tank is outstanding.

 

[Leader of Men]

There certainly are some beautiful cichlid fish tanks out there.

So if I'm understanding correctly, if cleaned correctly beach sand would work?

 

[mattrox]

It would work, but for all that effort, pool filter sand will be less work and not expensive.

 

[Leader of Men]

Where is a place I can get pool filter sand and do you have an estimate as to how much it would cost to fill a 55 gallon's bottom with it?

 

[Gillie]

You can get a fifty pound bag of pool filter sand for around ten bucks which gives you a depth of roughly an inch and a half. I put a bag and a half in my 55 gal to give them as much as they needed for rescaping to their liking. I also used alot of lace rock most peices come with caves already built in and are easy to stack so they won't fall, all the while keeping the ph where the fish like it.

 

[Leader of Men]

Wow, that's a great deal! Do they sell that at fish stores or where would I have to go to get it?

 

[Andos99]

I have a 55 gal Tanganyikan tank myself with pool filter sand. Just pick it up an any local pool supply store. I put in about 75 pounds myself which left me with about 2"+ all the way around. When you do get the sand make sure you wash it thoroughly. When I originally set up this tank I washed it in chunks of roughly 15-20 pounds in a 5 gallon bucket to remove all the dust. It took several years but I currently have a breeding pair of brichardi and a breeding pair of orange leleupi. Good luck to you.

 

[Leader of Men]

Are those pairs both in the 55gal together?

Thanks for the advice and help and well wishes!

 

[Andos99]

Yeah....they have staked out areas at opposite ends of the tank. The Brichardi are especially protective and don't allow anyone near the nest. It's pretty cool to see how the two families share the space.

 

[Leader of Men]

Are these the only 4 in the tank in a normal (non-fry) period?

If not, what tank mates do they have? What do you have in there besides the sand?

We're probably going to have real rocks as opposed to flower pots (unless for some reason you think flower pots are better.) and maybe even a few plants that are a bit tougher. If they get picked at we could move them to another tank so that's not a big deal.

 

[Andos99]

I also have a Neolamprologus cylindricus, 2 wild caught Altolamprologus calvus, one Lepidiolamprologus Nkambae, a yoyo botia loach and a boat load of MTS. This tank is well established and all tank mates have been together for almost three years. The only decor I have is rock and a couple of bamboo plants which have held up extremely well. I would guess I have around 150 lbs of rock which is strategically setup and the fish have all taken a liking to specific areas throughout the tank. If you decide to go the Tanganyikan route, best of luck....I certainly find them to be less aggressive and easier to maintain then some of the other types. [FONT=&quot]
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[Leader of Men]

Thanks for all the very helpful advice!

Any chance you have a picture of your tank? It'd be great to see how it's setup since you basically have the exact setup we're looking for!

 

[pitt420dude]

I'm thinkin of moving my 55 gal community tank into a Rift lake cichlid tank. I'm kind of scared to do it though b/c i don't feel like changing the substrate to sand. Is this necessary or will normal gravel work?

My ph is always around 7.5 (alkaline) and pretty hard so I'm sure they'll like the water, but I really dont feel like getting rid of my yoyo botia loach, my two kribs, and my gold gourami. There is no way african cichs will be compatible with these guys right?

 

[Bert B]

Great question. I am also moving and will do a complete restart of my 100 Gallon. The tap water here is at least 7.9 PH so africans will be the fish i will raise. Now, to get aquascaping ideas