When our basement is finished I will be putting a large aquarium down there and would really like to make it an african cichlid tank. My issue is I am not that familiar with cichlid personalities and requirements which is making it hard to do proper research. My main concern is limiting aggression since cichlids are notoriously territorial. I'm thinking Lake Malawi cichilds but am not set on it yet. My main goal is a large active and colorful tank with limited bullying.
Things I have learned so far:
- provide lots of rock/caves for them
- 55 gallon minimum (75+ is much better)
- slightly overstocking can help spread out aggression
- compensate in filtration if overstocking (also requires more frequent water changes).
- feeding more frequently throughout the day may also calm some aggression
- adding all fish as babies and at once can help avoid disputes. If adding a new adult it is a good idea to rearrange all the rocks in the tank so that everyone has to find new territory all over again.
I would really like some suggestions on species I should look into first so that I can start learning about them and finding suitable tank mates. Please correct me if I am wrong with any of the above things I mentioned, and I would be grateful for any other tips you may have. I am familiar with freshwater fish keeping in general. Thanks in advance.
Things I have learned so far:
- provide lots of rock/caves for them
- 55 gallon minimum (75+ is much better)
- slightly overstocking can help spread out aggression
- compensate in filtration if overstocking (also requires more frequent water changes).
- feeding more frequently throughout the day may also calm some aggression
- adding all fish as babies and at once can help avoid disputes. If adding a new adult it is a good idea to rearrange all the rocks in the tank so that everyone has to find new territory all over again.
I would really like some suggestions on species I should look into first so that I can start learning about them and finding suitable tank mates. Please correct me if I am wrong with any of the above things I mentioned, and I would be grateful for any other tips you may have. I am familiar with freshwater fish keeping in general. Thanks in advance.