Messy Messy Chichlids!!

[ctanke]

Hello all,
Just introduced 8 juvenile Malawi cichlids to my 90 gallon tank yesterday.
While they're exhibiting fine social graces with one another so far, come feeding my tank exploded into a cloud of messy left overs. Boy do these guys lack table manners! Munch, chomp, spit it back out, suck it back in, munch and chomp and do it all over again.

Here's two questions that I hope your all can answer for me. . .
1. I have a Fluval 404 underneath my 90 tank. Been great in the past - but will it be able to keep up with these fish? Might I need to hang a cartridge filter on the back? I sure hope not.
2. Weekly water changes have now moved from luxury (when angels and guppies were my occupants) to necessity! I use a Python, and haven't worried much about reintroducing water right from the tap into the tank when changing 25%. I understand cichlids may be more sensitive to the chlorine. What are some of they ways you guys deal with this?
Thanks for your help in advance!
Regards,
Chris

 

[krap101]

you could keep a bucket right by the tank and fil it up put sum chems in there and then keep doing that...

you could try getting like a cory or sumtin. i dun kno how they do with chichlids prolly wont work.. or you would try breaking up the pieces of food a bit smaller. imo they do that because they needa break it up b4 they eat it gl and hf

 

[grimlock3000]

-1. I have a Fluval 404 underneath my 90 tank. Been great in the past - but will it be able to keep up with these fish? Might I need to hang a cartridge filter on the back? I sure hope not.

I would say it is not enough with Cichlids. One of my friends has a 55g Cichlid tank and he has two Fluvals 304s running on the tank, and they get pretty dirty fairly fast. I would definitely reccomend adding a high flowrate HOB filter or another canister.

-2. Weekly water changes have now moved from luxury (when angels and guppies were my occupants) to necessity! I use a Python, and haven't worried much about reintroducing water right from the tap into the tank when changing 25%. I understand cichlids may be more sensitive to the chlorine. What are some of they ways you guys deal with this?

You _need_ to use a water conditioner when you put new water in the tank. Otherwise, you are just poisoning your fish until the Chlorine evaporates. If you have Chloramine in your tap water, it does not evaporate at all.

-you could try getting like a cory or sumtin. i dun kno how they do with chichlids prolly wont work.

Do NOT put Cories in with Cichlids

 

[Menagerie]

Hi ctanke! I have 14 Mbuna cichlids in an 80 gal plus a pleco and two catfish. What are you feeding your cichlids? For the most part, mine get fed cichlid pellets once a day, or once every other day. I also toss in algae wafers for everyone. Your cichlids will like veggie matter. My cichlilds also eat peeled peas and zucchini.
I have a ViaAqua canister filter and it keeps up with the mess, but I take care to not over feed. Having the bottom feeders take care of extra food, but they make up for it with their own waste
When I add water, I simply put the dechlor/water conditioner straight into the tank and add tap water.

What types of cichlids did you get? Do you have lots of hiding places for them?

[center:7d040b0958] Welcome to Aquarium Advice!! [/center:7d040b0958]

 

[ctanke]

Hi there Menagerie type person,
Thanks for your interest.
Here's what I have in the tank;
2 flying foxes
4 asian alge eaters
2 green corys
4 yellow labs (1.5")
2 nibochromis venustus (2.5")
1 Red Fin Copandichrimis Kandango (2")
1 Electric blue hap
To be honest, I got these fish 2 for 1 price. I understand that some may be carnivores others vegetarian some rock huggers others free swimming. I took the advice of the saleperson regarding temperaments and , well, for the price felt I couldn't go wrong. I have more research to do on compatability - so we'll see. Also to be honest, in this one area of my life in which I'm not going to be a "purest". This is an official "Pretty Fish Family Tank". So be it.
I only feed them once and that with a Wardley mix veggie/protein sinking pellet (small size). I too would rather under than over feed. Yes, I have tons of hiding places for them! Would you comment on the water change/chlorine deal?
Thanks again!
Chris

 

[grimlock3000]

This is an official "Pretty Fish Family Tank". So be it.

You might want to look into compatiblity and take some of those fish back unless you want your family to be looking at dead fish.

 

[bungle]

Menagerie, when you feed your fish peas and zucchini, are the veggies raw?

 

[Menagerie]

When I add water, I simply put the dechlor/water conditioner straight into the tank and add tap water.

My fish are "happy," healthy and spawning

Veggies--my crew just got a ton of peas tonight. I use frozen peas, nuke them for 20 seconds, pop them out of their skins and serve. The first time I tried it, the fish would not eat them and there was green peas all over the tank! By the next morning, not a pea could be found 8O
As for zucchini, I peel it, cut it into strips and clip the strips into a veggie clip (bought at the LFS) and attached to the side of the glass. You could also rubber band the strip to a rock, but my tank is deep and I'm not going in after the rock If I am making tea, then I use some boiling water to soften the zucc, but after it has been in the water for an hour, the fish start ripping at it. It is great to see the pleco hanging off the zucc!!