Ok so even though I love planted tanks, soft water fish, and that entire part if the hobby, I just don't have the time or commitment level to keep another 46 gallons of that. I am hoping that African cichlids offer a less complicated route for this tank, and even if I end up being wrong and spend just as much time on it as the planted tanks, it's something new! So I know all of the basics. Cycling a tank, checking/monitoring water parameters, etc etc etc. So I don't really need a review on that. I also know the basics of African cichlids (I've done some research 
). I use reconstituted RO on all of my tanks. So I plan on using equilibrium, and the substrate be crushed coral aragonite whatever. That way I've got some nice hard, buffered water. As for the scape ill pick up a bunch of rocks at the lfs and that'll do it. The tank has a canister filter, so that should cover filtration. For the livestock here is what I am thinking (this is the part I'm not very sharp on). 5 zebras, 5 peacocks, and 5 yellow labs. I know it's rough, but I feel its a start. Is 15 fish too much? I've heard that its best to overstock a bit, but I'm unsure where to draw the line. I'll probably end up rearing fry from the fish, and that will probably lead to an empty 20 long being full of cichlid fry. For when that time comes, are there any good ways to keep them from interbreeding? I don't want that.
So all I want is guidance. I don't want to fall into any roadblocks and that's why I posted. Hopefully you guys can help me out and keep me from making mistakes. Feel free to ask questions about what I am planning and any tips/advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
). I use reconstituted RO on all of my tanks. So I plan on using equilibrium, and the substrate be crushed coral aragonite whatever. That way I've got some nice hard, buffered water. As for the scape ill pick up a bunch of rocks at the lfs and that'll do it. The tank has a canister filter, so that should cover filtration. For the livestock here is what I am thinking (this is the part I'm not very sharp on). 5 zebras, 5 peacocks, and 5 yellow labs. I know it's rough, but I feel its a start. Is 15 fish too much? I've heard that its best to overstock a bit, but I'm unsure where to draw the line. I'll probably end up rearing fry from the fish, and that will probably lead to an empty 20 long being full of cichlid fry. For when that time comes, are there any good ways to keep them from interbreeding? I don't want that. So all I want is guidance. I don't want to fall into any roadblocks and that's why I posted. Hopefully you guys can help me out and keep me from making mistakes. Feel free to ask questions about what I am planning and any tips/advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
