Brand new...looking to get start

[Crippldogg]

I'm finally going to get an aquarium i've been wanting for a long time now. anyways, I need some advise on what I need to get to get started. I'm looking at ~28 gal corner aquarium and looking to put some african chiclids in it. I know a little about aquariums (I had one in my apartment but my roomate took care of it) but have never had to care for one myself. What do I need to get started as far as filters, heaters, etc???

Thanks

 

[TankGirl]

Welcome to AA, Crippldogg, and fellow Virginian!

You are going to be somewhat limited in the choices for African cichlids in a tank that size. You could definitely do a pair of N. brichardi, from Lake Tan, and they will spawn and allow their fry to remain with them for a good while. One of my favorites. You could not have anything else in there with them, really, other than perhaps a tough dwarf pleco.

Mbuna are going to be tough to keep in there - it is just too small for these aggressive fish, and though many people overstock mbuna to control aggression you just won't be able to get away with it in that tank. You definitely could do shelldweller cichlids, as they stay small and are extremely entertaining and feisty.

There are some new world cichlids you might consider, but let us know what you have in mind.

Maybe someone else has an idea or two, but I keep them in a 44gal and it is really pushing it - a 55 is a much better place to start when it comes to Africans, with the brichardi being the exception.

 

[couplescaddy]

get an eclipse system, theyre awsome, very managable, and no outside filters and stuff to be noisy, its all contained in itself.

 

[BrianNY]

Hi Crippldog . As far as equipment, I always believe in starting with the best you can afford. That's especially true with heaters and filters. You'll want 5 watts per gallon for your heater, so a 75 or 100w is fine. I'd also suggest a good cannister filter like the fluval 204 for that tank. Bigalsonline has the best price on equipment like that. Usually half of what you'll pay in your lfs.

 

[madasafish]

African cichlids are my favorite cichlids, but def. consider the possibility of stocking some of the beautiful Apistogramma species of South America. These can be really stunning, esp. when selectively bred to bring out certain characteristics (e.g. color, fin length). Cockatoo Apistos come to mind. There are many options on Aquabid.com for reference, or for bidding:

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1089221413
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1089470926
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1089475023
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1089420904
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1089420832

Also consider the Microgeophagus species (the "rams"): Blue Rams, Gold rams (same species), Bolivian Rams.

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1090282517
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1089760773
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwcichlids&1090283712

WOW, these guys on Aquabid really, really can't take good pictures... so you might want to look the same up on google images etc.

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I'll do two bits of research for you there. Here's a good picture of a German Blue Ram:
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/ram2.jpg

And here's a Bolivian Ram:
http://apisto.bravepages.com/library/M.altispinosa.JPG

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BUT, don't forget the dwarf cichlids of Lake Tanganyika...

Neolamprologus similis:
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/N-similis.jpg

Neolamprologus ocellatus:
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...eolamprologus+ocellatus%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8 (what a little beauty!)

There are others, but those are the ones that come to mind first. They only grow to 2-3", so would be perfect for a 28 corner.

HTH!

 

[poppab02]

Here's the first rule of choosing a tank for cichlids
Bigger=Better for the fish and easier to take care of
even the most peaceful have some aggressive tendencies and they are extremely messy fish and thus the bigger the tank the less maintenance is necessary

Unless you have your heart set on that 28 gallon corner aquarium or have no more room for a larger aquarium in your place then seriously think about something bigger---you can find great deals on large tanks in your local classified ads

as far as the fish selection--most every type of cichlid you see in petco or other stores like that are going to be too large for a 28 gallon tank thus your looking at finding a specialty fish store to get your fish---the other responses have given good suggestions on small cichlid species

as for filters---you don't have to go with the canister filters for a 28 gallon. I would suggest a Penguin 330 HOB filter with biowheel

 

[poppab02]

I guess I didn't fully answer your question fully

The bare necessities needed for an african cichlid tank are: tank, light, filter, heater, water testing kit, gravel or sand substrate, decorations
The decorations are rather important to the cichlids and can be rather costly in some circumstances---definitely do your research on the environment you'll need to set up for your cichlids

BTW i would not recommend an eclipse system for cichlids---IMO they do not provide enough filtration for the cichlids

 

[Crippldogg]

Thanks for the info.

I ended up with a 36 gal tank and got the equipment for it last night.

I was looking at the some of the dwarf species to put in at the end of the week.
Guy at the petstore recommended putting some aquarium salt in the tank for the cichilds. The box of salt says to put in a tablespoon per 5 gal, is this correct or is it too much??

Thanks

 

[poppab02]

read up on cycling your tank. There is some great info on this site and sometimes it can take quit awhile to accomplish

I would recommend doing a fishless cycle

Salt is fine to use with cichlids, I usually just dump a little in when I'm changing the water. I doubt I use a teaspoon per 5 gallons and often I don't use any salt. But it's better for the cichlids to keep at least a little salinity in the water. IMO you don't really have to be that exact with the salt measurement as long as you don't go overboard and add like a box of salt all at once you should be fine.