TanganYika Cichlid Setup with lots of dead coral

[vega]

In lfs, i saw the tanganyika cichlid's tank that been setup with crushed coral as substrate and a wall of dead coral as backdrop.

It was the most amazingly beautiful salt water mimic tank i ever seen.

Now i am thinking to setup 1 as well.Is it advisable to fill a tanganyika cichlid tank with full of coral? Anyone tried this type of setup and have no problem with the fish?

 

[ferret]

The coral acts as a buffering agent to raise the ph to 8.0+ .. which is the natural ph of Lake Tang. These fish prefer such high ph. You don't necessarily need coral as backdrop though, just the substrate should do it.

 

[Fruitbat]

Coral will work fine in your Rift Valley tank but try to avoid stuff that's TOO rough and make sure that you clean it thoroughly before you use it.

 

[vega]

tqs (dif to type cause Pringles in another hand)

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I'm not a fan of crushed coral in Rift Lake aquariums for the simple reason that so many African species are substrate sifters- which can lead to injury when they begin sifting through a substrate full of sharp pieces of coral and shells. The same thing applies to the coral background. As nice as it may look, there is a huge potential for injury when a fish brushes against a piece of it.

In my experience with African species, sand is the best substrate. Caribsea makes a type called "Sahara Sand" that is specifically made for African cichlids- and it looks great! It's supposed to help maintain a high pH, but since my water is liquid concrete- I couldn't speak on those capabilities. Plus, all those rocks, shells, etc. you add to the tank will also help keep the pH high.