Am I on the right track?

[jo060]

Hi!
I've been around fish/Aquariums for years, but this is my first Cichlid tank and I want to make sure I'm doing this correctly.

The tank I'm using is a 72g bowfront. I just finished a homemade 3D background.
I'm going the Mbuna route due to their smaller size and bright colors.

For filtration, I'm using two Canister filters with a total of almost 800gph. That should be enough, right?

I'm still deciding on lighting. I'm using a Fluval LED light bar for my community tank, but have realized that I rarely use all the fancy colors that it has. Any suggestions?

For stocking, I've heard many different theories on this. What is your input for a 72g? I feel that 25ish should suffice..

The heater I've got covered.

I'm thinking of getting two wave makers to move the water in a circular motion to help the filter pick up debris and to minimize settling.

I'll be using sand substrate

I have plenty of hiding spots made of stone.

Am I missing anything? Any tips or anything to add?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Hi!
I've been around fish/Aquariums for years, but this is my first Cichlid tank and I want to make sure I'm doing this correctly.

The tank I'm using is a 72g bowfront. I just finished a homemade 3D background.
I'm going the Mbuna route due to their smaller size and bright colors.

For filtration, I'm using two Canister filters with a total of almost 800gph. That should be enough, right?

I'm still deciding on lighting. I'm using a Fluval LED light bar for my community tank, but have realized that I rarely use all the fancy colors that it has. Any suggestions?

For stocking, I've heard many different theories on this. What is your input for a 72g? I feel that 25ish should suffice..

The heater I've got covered.

I'm thinking of getting two wave makers to move the water in a circular motion to help the filter pick up debris and to minimize settling.

I'll be using sand substrate

I have plenty of hiding spots made of stone.

Am I missing anything? Any tips or anything to add?

Sounds good

Stocking may vary depending on the species you select, as even amongst mbuna size varies by species.

Don't really know that a wave maker is necessary as you should get plenty of movement/circulation just from the canisters and you may find that adding both is actually counter productive as the movement may cancel out.

In regards to lighting, anything will do, even a cheap LED lightbar from a box store. With Mbuna however, sometimes the different color LEDs are nice as it makes their colors pop, but its not necessary.

 

[jo060]

Sounds good

Stocking may vary depending on the species you select, as even amongst mbuna size varies by species.

Don't really know that a wave maker is necessary as you should get plenty of movement/circulation just from the canisters and you may find that adding both is actually counter productive as the movement may cancel out.

In regards to lighting, anything will do, even a cheap LED lightbar from a box store. With Mbuna however, sometimes the different color LEDs are nice as it makes their colors pop, but its not necessary.

Thanks!
I think I'm a bit confused about the species as there are so many of them. My local stores stock tons of cichlids, but a majority just say "Cichlid". I may be better off ordering online. What's a good way to keep track of which ones can easily coexist? (Mbuna/ Lake M)

 

[Wy Renegade]

You might want to do some checking over on the cichlid forum. I've not been there in a while, so not sure if their species pages show compatibility or not. You might also check the species profiles on this site, as I'm not sure what has been done and what hasn't. The general rule of thumb that I go by is to check size and color. You don't want species that are significantly different in size and you don't want species where the colors are the same. Beyond that, there are a few that I would most definitely avoid altogether.

 

[coralbandit]

Cheap good LED is Beamsworks DA FSPEC
I use a $5 ebay dimmer on most of mine..