Possible new tank

[MissSmish]

I've been offered a 2ft cichlid set up for $130, with everything, I just don't know what's involved with cichlid care?

I know there are four peacocks in the tank and that's about it.

Is there anything different with cichlids that I need to know from a standard tropical community tank?

 

[Jacobsal91]

Basically african cichlids are cery aggresive and u have to be careful mixing them with other fish, And water conditions are a bit different, Ph for community tropical fish is usually 6.8-7.0, Where africans are 7.8-8.2. And they are technically classed
As Omnivores but their main diet is plant life, They are not to be mixed with other cichlids from different areas, such as south america. It IS possible but its high maintenance and no guarantee that it will be sucessful. Peacocks are beautiful fish they come from lake malawi, they go good with plenty of other cichlids u can look up aratus, zebras, afras, johannis ect. Just dont introduce new fish one at a time, do it in groups, they will gain up on the single new comer and will probably kill it. And when you say 2ft, Sounds kinda small but they usually do better overstocked so they cant claim so much territory and kill new fish u may want and even old ones. Just dont over do it with a small tank i dont recommend gettin an insane amount of fish. Just take it slow and im sure you will do fine.

Basically, higher PH levels,
They are aggresive, (dont mix with south american cichlids)
90% of their diet should be plant based,


Tip: if the tank doesnt already have it; use crushed coral or coral/shell based sand/gravel, It helps maintain the proper PH

that pretty much covers the basics

 

[MissSmish]

From what I've been told I may have to rehome a few - I've been told there's 15 in the tank total! That's way too many for me anyway, but I still think its a good deal for the setup?

My tap ph is 7.4, is that close enough to be ok for cichlids? I wouldn't mind having just a pair or maybe two pairs in there, but I don't think I'm ready for a lot of them!

 

[Jacobsal91]

Well starting slow might be a good idea for a beginner with these animals, Rehoming a few is really up to you, And 7.4 is do-able i guess but if you can at least get it to 7.8 i would, 8.2 being ideal... Thats why you would want crushed coral instead of standard gravel, the coral skelatons are calcium based and that every so slowly
Dissolves in the water and raises the PH naturally. Also baking soda works if you
Put a little in the water it should also raise it. Look up the proper measurments because im not
Entirely sure how much to use. There are also solutions that raise it such as 'ph up' and 'proper ph'

Sounds like a good deal, most full packages like that can sell for a lot more to be honest. Personally if i had room for another tank in my house i would probably buy it

 

[MissSmish]

Okie dokie! Raising ph should be ok - would I need to dose the water when I do a change too? Or do you Only have to do it once to make it work?

Is putting plants in there a good idea for their health?

 

[jetajockey]

I'd just keep aragonite or crushed coral in the tank. Don't bother with baking soda or ph chems.

 

[Jacobsal91]

New water should always be at least slightly treated. The crushed coral substrate will help, also sea shells and even dead corals (make sure they are clean)
Plants an sometimes be difficult keeping with them, besides the fact that they eat plant life and could potentally eat your plants dependent on the type, They also like to dig holes and they can dig the plants out and u will wake up almost everymorning replanting everything... At least thats how mine were. Pain in my behind

 

[MissSmish]

Lol! I meant put plants in for them to eat occasionally!

I have till Saturday to make up my mind, I think I might go for it and lean on you guys for help!

Thank you both heaps, I'd definitely rather avoid the ph up chemicals but baking soda and crushed coral substrate I can handle.

Plus worst case scenario if I feel I'm in over my head I can see about rehoming them to someone who is qualified go look after them.

 

[BillD]

A pH of 7.4 is fine for rift lake cichlids, especially Malawis. Not all Malawis are vegetarians, only the mbuna.
What concerns me is the title of this thread, "2 ft cichlid setup" What does that mean? Is the tank only 2 ft long? If so it is too small for all but a few of the smaller species of cichlid.

 

[MissSmish]

As I said, it's not my tank, I haven't even seen it before.

And yes, as far as I know it's 2ft long. I know there will be far too many fish in there at the moment, and I know that they will need to be rehomed.

Honestly, I've only just begun learning about cichlids, heck, I'm still learning about basic tropicals!

I do feel bad for the poor fishes and I want what is best for them IF I wind up taking the setup. I'm going to look at it and possibly take it on Saturday, and I'm trying to do at least a little research (what I can with what little I know) so I can do the best for them.

So, on that note, could you be more specific about what would be suitable for a tank that size? Ie: tell me what type of cichlid to look for/at?

 

[Labenator65000]

I've been offered a 2ft cichlid set up for $130, with everything, I just don't know what's involved with cichlid care?

I know there are four peacocks in the tank and that's about it.

Is there anything different with cichlids that I need to know from a standard tropical community tank?

Find out it's capacity first. Really a 55 gallon is the minimum recommended size for most Peacocks.

 

[BillD]

if the tank is a 15 or 20 gallon, which is most likely, it is way over priced. A tank of that size would be suitable for some shell dwellers, small West African cichlids of the Pelvicachromis or similar group, or small south American cihlids such as a pair of rams.

 

[gman42]

look on craigslist, and pick uo a 55 gallon tank fir like $60. its way cheaper, and you will have alot more fun with the larger tank.

 

[Jacobsal91]

Lol! I meant put plants in for them to eat occasionally!

I have till Saturday to make up my mind, I think I might go for it and lean on you guys for help!

Thank you both heaps, I'd definitely rather avoid the ph up chemicals but baking soda and crushed coral substrate I can handle.

Plus worst case scenario if I feel I'm in over my head I can see about rehoming them to someone who is qualified go look after them.

Ohhh! Well personally i just feed them veggie flakes, ocationally
I will feed them meat for extra
Protein. Dont do that too often maybe once a month or even less. And the person a fee posts aboce me os correct, the mbuna is the only vegitarian and the mbuna is the more
Common species that people own anyway. If you have pictures of what they are we can help you further based on diet

 

[Labenator65000]

look on craigslist, and pick uo a 55 gallon tank fir like $60. its way cheaper, and you will have alot more fun with the larger tank.

Yeah. If I were you I would price out all of the components (tank, stand, substrate, heater(s), filter(s), decor, fish) and compare it to the $130 that you were quoted. Here's why:

- That tank is not long enough for Peacocks
- The tank probably does not have the capacity for 15 5"+ peacocks, or any other 5"+ fish.
~so~
- If you were to keep the fish, you would need to buy a bigger tank, and so bigger filtration, bigger heater, more substrate.
~or~
- You would have to get rid of all of those fish and start over with more appropriate fish for a tank of that size

Here are a couple of options to consider:

- Buy the package at a lower price (maybe $100), sell off the Peacocks, and get appropriate stock for that tank.

- Get a look at the stock. If you really like the fish, offer him $50 for the fish, and maybe a few extra dollars to keep them for a few weeks while while you cycle a new appropriately sized tank, heater, decor, etc. Be warned that cycling a new tank can take a few weeks.

- Again, if you like the stock, buy the whole package, but at a lower price. Pick up a larger tank, heater, decor, etc and cycle it for a few weeks. Rehome the peacocks to the new larger tank. Sell off the smaller tank and the equipment that goes with it. Better yet, repurpose the old tank as a nice community tank, or for some Dwarf Cichlids, Shell Dwellers, Rams, etc.

 

[MissSmish]

I am in Australia, we don't have Craigslist here, and most of the time it's easier to buy a new tank from a store than try to find one second hand. My 26gal for example, cost $400 as a package with a stand ($350 without the stand) from the lfs. The equivalent tank second hand here is usually around $300 without a stand. Sounds like I have some thinking to do still.