Adding new tank mates

[ThatNewGuy]

Hello all, I have a 55g cichlid tank, I just wanted to know how I can go about adding new cichlids to the already established tank, the biggest cichlid in there is a 3" electric blue. I was also wandering how people go about algae in cichlid tanks, I heard you can put plecos in is this true? If so what's the best way to introduce one in?


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[garfy]

I think your best bet would be a bristlenosed Pleco and float him for about 20 mins then take a little water from his bag and add a little tank water.Repeat every 5 mins for a further 30 mins then just put him in the tank.


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[sliderfish]

When ever I wanted to introduce a new African I re arranged the decor and added the new fish while there was confusion. It usually helps.

As far as adding another fish to get rid of algae I'd advise against that. A pleco will actually add more waste to the tank than it get rid of. Bristlenose's can be the exception, but it isn't wise to add one to an mbuna tank. I tried it once a long time ago and ended up with a pleco that was pinned down hiding from the Africans.

In my experience, I have noticed that some algae growth is great for Mbuna. They graze on it as it is their natural food source in the wild. Clean the glass with a pad or your item of choice, keep the water clean and if some algae grows on rocks and decor let the fish pick at it. I've always kept them with large rocks that actually looked good with the growth...more natural. If you have them with sponge bob decor and you want that pineapple shiny, then you may disagree

 

[ThatNewGuy]

@sliderfish I don't think they graze on it. I will admit that I do like the look of the decor with the algae but it's that same algae that covers the glass and I can't look at it anymore /: so I'm looking for a way to get rid of it, I'd rather not have to add Chems to the tank.
@garfy and @sliderfish I'm probably going to try a combination of the two methods, thank you both for replying


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[mikem691]

@sliderfish I don't think they graze on it. I will admit that I do like the look of the decor with the algae but it's that same algae that covers the glass and I can't look at it anymore /: so I'm looking for a way to get rid of it, I'd rather not have to add Chems to the tank.
@garfy and @sliderfish I'm probably going to try a combination of the two methods, thank you both for replying


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Manual removal is the best bet. I clean the glass weekly with large water changes.