Correct preparation?

[Fehyd]

Ok, I have a 55 gal that I am cycling right now. I'm planning on creating a cichlid tank, but all this fancy shmancy chemical talk has got me baffled.

ok.. substrate.. I understand.. I am using plain old (dark) gravel for that. would sand be better for the cichlids?

Filter - I have a Whisper 60 and 2 maxi-jet 400 powerheads I was planning to use to move the water around. This presents my first problem... I have been researching, and most places I have read that cichlids do NOT like moving water, and that it is best to try to keep it as still as possible... help?

My plan was to put a powerhead on each side of the tank, with a small sponge filter attatched. I think I will get good enough filtration with my whisper, but I figured since I have the two powerheads in there, I may as well put them to work as well.

So.. First question.. Do I have adequate filtration for a cichlid community (15-20 fish, including pleco and maybe a snail)

Ok.. next area of concern.. In my experiences, I have only used test strips to monitor PH and ammonia... I have learned from these forums that this is a big ole no-no. So what do I use? can someone direct me to a kit that has everything I will need to test for?

any help would be great! Here are some pics of my tank as-is.. no fish planned for at least another week or so while I cycle and finish setting up.
My tank

 

[zero2dash]

You seem to be in the same boat as me; ie wondering about substrates and overall just setting up/finishing touches on a tank before adding the fish.

I also have a 55gal that I decided to switch out substrate in; I think sand works ok but (apparently) it can clog up filters if it gets sucked up far enough. I don't know if cichlids have a preference, I'd say probably they don't care. Use what works for you I guess; if your substrate works and you're happy with it, then keep it. If you are putting in new substrate (and you follow the guide under the "articles" section of this site), you should swap out 1/2 of your substrate for 2 weeks and then swap out the remaining 1/2 in order to build up nutrients in the new substrate and cause as little stress on the aquarium's "system" as possible. Figure if you want a new substrate, you're adding a month before you can buy fish (again, assuming you do it the "safe" way). Keep that in mind.

Filter wise - I think I have the same filter you have and it works perfect for my tank. I have an airline tube under the gravel to throw up bubbles throughout the rear of the tank but otherwise, the filter alone is pretty good. You may be doing overkill with the powerheads (not to mention the extra noise you'll have) but that's up to you. With my filter and air tube, my tank's water moves around pretty constant and even.

As for test strips and testing supplies...I need to pick up a test kit myself to check for nitrates etc cause right now all I have is a pH kit. My pH kit has a small glass tube you fill with water, put drops into and it changes color. I'd probably opt for test kit(s) that offer this sort of thing rather than using test strips (which probably aren't as reliable, at least I'd guess that).

The only other thing I'd mention to you is you may want to lower your # of fish you plan on having; the general consensus rule is 1" of fish (don't count the tail though) per 1 gal of water so you (ideally) should be looking at no more than 55" of fish in your tank. I'm not saying "don't buy fish" but be wary of possibly overcrowding it. Figure at least 3"-4" for each cichlid if you're getting smaller ones; I probably wouldn't get more than 10-12 at most especially cause you're losing 6" minimum to the pleco by itself. Just a heads up.

 

[jsoong]

A liquid test kit is far more accurate, something like this:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=3233;pcid1=;pcid2=

 

[Fehyd]

jsoong, thanks. that is exactly what I was looking for!!!


zero2dash:
Thanks for the tips! I'm not too worried about the substrate issue, as I am not switching anything out or anything. This is a fresh, first-time-set-up. As for the fish... I am totally baffled as to which cichlids to get. I'll figure that out later though, as I have at least 2-3 weeks before I start worrying about that part. I am setting up for cichlids, hence the dark rock/background and lots of nooks and crannies, I just dont know what kind or how many.


Filtration:
Did you see the pics of my tank? My intake for my Whisper is partially blocked off by the background, so I am really worried about water movement. I was figuring at least one powerhead to create some kind of current along the front of top of the tank... I would aim it at the bottom, keeping the debris from settling, but i dont think that would make the cichlids very happy. Here is a close up of how I have the filter set up:

so... with the filter restricted like that... would it be better to add some water circulation with a powerhead, or is it just not worth it?

TIA

 

[zero2dash]

Yeah, I'd probably use a powerhead (or an air stone at a minimum) to move the water around more so the filter pickup will get to it. That's an interesting setup/ "wall of rock" you've got there. Very unique

I picked up an all-in-one test kit last night at Petsmart for $20 (you get $5 if you're a member of their free buyers club like Petco pals, otherwise it's $25). Comes with 4 tubes and a multitude of tests -
pH
Extreme pH (very high or very low)
Nitrate
Nitrite
Ammonia
here it is, they sell it for $15 online

I tested my water last night before switching out my substrate; the girl at the store told me she thought I'd be ok switching it all out at once as long as I keep everything else the same (keep the water, plants, decorations, filter bags etc) so I did. So far so good...I'm gonna put up pictures later.

Good luck with your tank

 

[TomK2]

My intake for my Whisper is partially blocked off by the background

Looks like the intake will be fine for sucking in water. Use gravel vacs to keep the gravel clean. With the power heads near the surface you will get good surface agitations for gas exchange while the currents on the bottom of the tank will be a
lot less, very tolerable for the fish. If you decide you need more filtration later, swap a power head for a canister filter - you will keep the circulation and add filtration.

Nice backdrop!

 

[BASSNMAN]

Welcome to AA. You might want to check the ph and hardness of your local water to assist you in selecting cichlids. African lake cichlids like very hard, high ph water. African river fish and central american cichlids like medium hard and ph in the low 7s. South americans like soft to medium hard with a ph in the high 6s to low 7s. Most of them can be aclimated to different water ranges but may not spawn. I like dwarfs like rams. They are not nearly as violent and dont get as big. Some cichlids can get over a foot long . There are several good sites on the web to help you out. Just search for cichlids. Good luck.