Cichlid Ph's

[Guest]

hey guys,


how do i get the pH for cichlids to be about 8.5-9.4? do i just use crushed coral as a substrate? if so do i have to rinse the coral?

if not do i just buy the pH buffers from my LFS and that will make it in between there?


i plan on making the future 55 gal into an oscar tank.... for now

 

[RoK]

Oscars are South American cichlids and don't need a high pH. The african cichlids are the ones that need it. The oscar will do just fine in lower pH. Anywhere from 6.0-8.0 is fine as long as it's constant.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

rok is right. sa cichlids don't need a high ph. but if you wanted to do an african tank, I would chose either a cichlid substrate or just add some cc to your filter. In my shell dweller tank i have a bunch of shells, so that takes care of it for me. Plus my ph is about 8.0-8.2 out of the tap.

 

[mattrox]

Oscars are indeed South American and would come from softer waters.

However, it pays to remember, some Central American cichlids come from high pH waterways. Pays to double check. I have seen Centrals been lumped in with S.A. and it leads to confusion.

 

[Guest]

ok thats what i want to do, i thought that oscars were african


are the african cichlids much more aggressive?

if so are Jewels and Pikes african?

 

[Guest]

nevermind i found out what pikes are, can i get 2 pikes and an oscar in the same tank?

and i decided im not going african i would end the poll, but i cant

 

[krap101]

sometimes home depot sells 50 lbs for 5$ (aragnite)

 

[severum mama]

You can NOT fit 2 pikes and an oscar in a 55 gallon tank. Seriously. You really shouldn't even keep one oscar in less than a 75 gallon tank IMO. I posted about this in your other thread I believe.

 

[Guest]

ok back on topic about these african cichlids... what are the meanest ones?

 

[severum mama]

Well, since you were posting about Oscars and pikes, then I was obviously not off topic to begin with, as these are South American fish. Jewels, I believe, are African cichlids that don't require as high of a pH as the rift lake cichlids. May be wrong about that though. Anyway, aren't the meanest African cichlids the Malawi mbuna? I suggested these to you in your other thread, as you could have a very interesting Malawi setup in a 55 gallon tank. They don't get huge though, so I'm sure you'll have a problem with that. Problem is, huge fish simply don't belong in a 55 gallon tank. Period.

 

[Guest]

how do you pronounce the Mbuna?? and yes i think i want to go with some Malawi or Mbuna cichlids

gonna go find some that i like on live aquaria


*EDIT* how about the Tanganyikan Cichlids?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Lake Tanganyikan Cichlids require a higher pH than Lake Malawi's. A really mean aggressive Malawi Cichlid would be the Male Auratus. It's pretty much a hit or miss with the female though. Mbuna's are generally more colorful than the hap's and generally more aggressive.

 

[Guest]

do the Mbuna require higher pH? and also whats the meanest Mbuna and the most colorful?

 

[mattrox]

http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/cichlidrecipe/crp22.htm

Try that link to help you.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Rudy- Mbuna is a species in Lake Malawi. The meanest I have seen is the Male Auratus. They do require a higher pH, like all Malawi cichlids.

Just a question, but why do you want the meanest one? When you pick the "meanest" fish, your options for stocking is limited. Plus, when it comes to African Cichlids, it varies by each fish. There may be a Johanni that is off the charts aggressive, and an Auratus who is very docile (my female was harassed by a yellow lab).

 

[mattrox]

To keep mbunas you will need a lot of rock work in your tank. Put down a thick base of sand. Get the biggest and most gnaled, crevise filled rocks you can find. Place them on the sand if you need to stack rocks, then silicone the rocks together, you don't want them to fall when stacked. Chose heaps of filtration, get a canister that you can put curshed coral into.

Then fill the tank and cycle. Add 6 juvenile fish of eash species you want to keep, making sure they are the same colour morph, of course. Add one specied at a time over the next few weeks. Make sure the tank is slightly overstocked. As the fish grow remove the males that get picked on. You want to keep 1 (maybe 2 males0 and atleast 3 females of each species. They will display aggression but if you have plenty of hiding spots you will be ok. You can see some fights, but it will just be the pecking order establishing. It will occur each time you add new fish. If it gets too violent on one fish, take it out. Make sure you talk this over with your LFS so you can return fish as they grow.

Don't mix mbuna with haps unless you are very experienced and know what you are doing. Don't let the LFS talk you into buying a "Peacock" when you have an electric blue either.

http://malawicichlids.com/mw07000.htm

Choose your fish from this list. A 150 Gal tank with these will look awesome. Remember, let all the algae you can grow on the rocks, the mbuna will eat it.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Mattrox- I have mbuna's and Peacock's together in the same tank and have not encountered any problems.

You could also just have 1 of each different type of fish.

 

[lukepghpa]

i have a johanni mbuna and they aren't any more agressive than my other cichlids

 

[Guest]

ok i figured what i am going to do, i think i am going to go with like 10-12 yellow labs and some nice blue color cichlids, the aggressiveness i really dont care about

if i really do want a mean fish, i will start off with 4 small oscars about2-4" each

 

[Guest]

so i can the the

Trio of Protomelas
Trio of Aulonocara
Trio of Copadichromis
Trio of Yellow Labs
4 Neolamprologus Cygnus(juveniles)
2 Julies
1 Syno. Cat
1 Pleco

all in a 55 gal? thats good cause i looked at the pics on google and they are beautiful!