Moving, want to re-start 100 g as african cichlid tank

[Bert B]

Hi everyone, I have had my 100 Gallon F/W aquarium for almost 18 years and have restarted it 4 times due to moving. We rented here for almost 5 years and we have finally bought our first home. So once again I am re-starting my Aquarium. For the last 5 years, I have raised tetras, Gouramies cardinal tetras etc. The water here is 7.9 out of the tap and I have always had to ajust my PH HOWEVER, with this move into a home of our own, I don't have to worry about having to move again so I can really do a nice tank setup & i am thinking about re-starting my tank as an African cichlid tank, the water PH is perfect. I have a few questions i need some answers on regarding African cichlids and I will list them here.
I know africans come from a few different areas AND I want to keep my tank species specific.

1- what and where are the different regions for african cichlids ( A C )

2-What are the pros & cons of the fish from each of these different regions ? such as temperment, heartiness etc.

3-I want my fish to stay a maximum size of 4 maybe 5 inches.

4-I want the most colorful fish as possible which region is best ?

5- SUBSTRATE- sand or gravel, I really want to use a good sand for once because I really like how sand looks, so any great advice on sand choices will be greatly appreciated, What IS the best sand to use ? I see the pre-packaged sand at the fish dealers store that says it already contains the much needed bacteria, wether it does or not, i do not know.I also read here about pool sand, what does THAT look like color wise and whats the difference between that and the sand from the fish dealer ?

6-Never having used sand before what do I need to be careful of in regards to routine tank maintenance, and power filters ( Magnum 350 ) & water changes with my python ?

7- I have some nice seasoned malaysian driftwood that i could use in my aquascaping unless the wood is not good for an A C tank.
I REALLY want to take my time and make the most stunning, aquascaped 100 Gallon A C tank that matches the region my fish came from with lots of caves & rockwork that provides plenty of hiding places for each fish, But has open swimming areas as well. I want my tank to look as nice as a marine tank looks with the sand & colorful fish, & attractive rockwork without looking "overcrowded"

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL PICTURES OF AFRICAN CICHLID TANK SETUPS so that I can get some Aquascapoing ideas. I plan on getting a permanate aquascape done BEFORE i add any water but want to make sure it is aquascaped the very BEST that I can do, so please post some pictures of aquascaped African Cichlid tanks PLEASE !! click the links to see what my tank looked like before the teardown !

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...d.php?t=129211

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...ad.php?t=98772

Thanks !!!
Bert

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

look into pool filter sand as its cheap and OK to use the color will vary depending on where you get it(some are white some more brown). I think the sand your talking about is "live sand" that is for salt water aquariums, and most for SW say its not worth it as regular sand will become "live" in time and no one knows how long has been sitting there so its prob not very "live" after all. Most sand will be "lite" when you get it, meaning it will create a cloudy tank easily, after awhile in the tank it will become heavier and not stir as easily due to bacteria and things growing on it.

 

[Bert B]

Thanks SpeedEuphoria , I heard that the pool sand is much cheaper at the pool supply stores than sand at an aquarium store, and that it is heavier than regular sand so it stays settled on the bottom better.

 

[emtbmike]

There are 3 different lakes that are comsidered african cichlids. Lake malawi, lake victoria and lake tangynika (spelling). I like demasoni from lake malwai. They have a great personality. The only problem is they are aggressive towards each other so you have to keep at least 8 of them. They only get 3.5 inches long