Tank make over.

[Jimmyjamjam]

Hey all,
I am currently in the process of changing my 200lt tank over to a cichlid tank. Its currently drained and will post my progress here and maybe get some good advice along the way. Here was my tank up to last week and tank to date.

So my thoughts are to have a tank with a slate wall to house the fish,some drift wood and just a few plants.
Ive ordered a powerhead to keep the water moving around the rock structure I plan to erect and Im going to collect slate from a local beach tomorrow and boil it. Ill keep you updated but please stop me if you feel you can offer any advice.
Cheers
James

 

[molliwopp]

Cichlids are messy fish, looking at your filtration, it will need upgrading down the line. It might be ok for a few months while younfiah are juvi, unless you fully stock the tank quickly.
What cichlids are you wanting to keep?

 

[Jimmyjamjam]

My filter is a fluval U4 and i reckon it should be enough for a 200lt tank... am I wrong??. The filter is just at an angle in the picture so you cannot see the overall size of it.
As for cichlids im just going to start with L. caeruleus and slowly add the variations over time. At the moment im concentrating on creating a comfortable enviroment for malawi cichlids and havent thought past my initial fish selection. maybe this is my first mistake..

 

[Sharpchick]

What molliwopp is saying is that cichlids are much messier than slim, streamlined tropical fish.

Your filter is rated for a 34-65 gallon tank, so at 200 liters (about 52 US gallons), you're approaching the upper limits of it if you were using it on a community tropical tank.

The same observation would be made if you were going to use this tank and filter with 3 fancy goldfish. They are poop machines and spew part of everything they eat out when they take a bite. (So much for removing uneaten food afterward.)

With the rock work needed for a Malawi tank, you also have to consider how much debris will be hidden in the caves.

I'd go ahead and get another filter, too.