120 Gal New Cichlid Tank Advice

[sjsuper76]

Hello

I am currently setting up a new 120 gallon tank at my office in the hospital. So far I have two 75 gal HOB filters, and 2 undergravel filters (1140's I think?)

Using two 60 gal heaters as well.

I filled the tank and treated for chlorine, and got the water up to 80 degrees. Placed my plants and lots of large river stones in the tank.

I put a couple of gold fish in there for now to help cycle the tank. is this right?


How will I know when I can put in my cichlids?

I plan on putting in 10 cichlids, 1 large pleco and maybe a couple other fish? any suggestions for tankmates?

I am not sure about the species, but the dealer I am getting them from has them all in the same tank and they are doing fine. (bright yellow ones, bright orange ones, blue ones, some electric blue ones and some white (albino?) ones....)

I will post pictures very soon. I appreciate any input thank you!

 

[the_fish_man]

Well some chiclids can be very agressive so it depends which ones you want. The goldfish will help a little although one things with the fish you want to get avoid oscars they can get very agressive and even eat smaller fish idk if that was the albino one you were talking bout but if so unless you want a oscar tank dont get it. But ya from the ones you are describing you can definetly fit 10 and a pleco in there. When your water parameters are good you can put chiclids in there so if you dont have a test kit yet you will have to get one.

 

[sjsuper76]

thank you. no oscars for this tank. all the cichlids I looked at where kind of the same shape, but with very different colors.

is it okay to put 2 of each in the tank? for instance, 2 bright yellows, 2 orange, 2 blue, 2 electric blue, and 2 white ones? Or am I better off putting one of each variety/color in the tank?

besides a pleco, what else can be in the tank with the cichlids? Frog? loach? knife?

thank you for your input!

 

[spoonman]

With cichlids it is better to worry about male to female ratio than how many of what color. You need a ratio of 1m to 3f to keep the aggression down in the tank. I would recommend 4 of each color. The 120 would be plenty big. Also lots of rocks to make caves and hiding places out of. That will also keep the aggression down. Also the filters are usually way underrated. I would get filters rated for the size of the tank (2 rated at 120 gallons). Cichlids will do better with more filtration. They tend to be kinda dirty.

 

[sjsuper76]

wow, I thought between 2 75 HOB filters and 2 1140 powerhead UG filters I would have plenty of filtration. I have a 100 GPH Marineland canister filter, but it leaks, so I am afraid to use it since this is in a hospital (messes might make them decide to remove it).

How do I know if the cichlids are male or female?

I do have lots of plants, river rocks/caves and big driftwood in the tank for hiding spots and crevices! =)

 

[tyspot1000]

It depends on the GPH of each HOB filters, by the way, how much do they carry out an hour?

Your best bet was to do a fishless cycle by feeding the tank with Pure ammonia, flakes, or a raw shrimp in a media bag. The goldfish will give off ammonia if feed right and cared for properly. As far as I see, the goldfish will help the cycle (by producing ammonia).

You will need to test either every weekend or every day. Once your tank is cycled, you final readings will be: Ammonia 0 , Nitrites 0 , and Nitrates 5-20. When adding fish (especially cichlids) only add 1-3 at a time, not all at once. If all put in there at once, the bio-load on the tank could mess up and result in a mini-cycle.

About the UG filters, Its not recommended to use them because they are known to collect waste at the bottom of the gravel and giving off ammonia (from the waste build up).

Are the plants in the tank real? If so, I would recommend to remove them before adding the cichlids. African cichlids are known to rip up live plants and/or dig them up, leaving you with a mess.

 

[sjsuper76]

should i do the raw shrimp AND the two little goldfish? Seems like two tiny fish wont do much in a 120 gallon!

How do I tell if the cichlids are MALE vs. FEMALE?

thank you for advising not to put all 10 in at once. others led me to believe all 10 should be introduced at once to avoid territory disputes?

I agree that would be to heavy of a bioload all at once.

i am using fake plants because of the cichlids.

Any idea how long it might take to cycle the tank?

 

[tyspot1000]

I wouldnt put the shrimp in the tank with the fish, It is toxic enough for them. But If you think they are not doing much to the tank, over feed them a little, put more food in the aquarium than you usually do.

As for the gender differences, I have no clue when It comes to african cichlids.

As long as you have enough hiding spots/ caves, The territorial disputes should be at a low.

Most of the time, a tank will take 1-2 months to cycle, just depends. If you add an bacteria additive to the tank (With the exception of adding fish so that the bottled bacteria wont die off) or cycled filter media (Same excerption for this one also) It could take possibly 1-2 weeks to cycle

 

[sjsuper76]

can you recommend any bacteria additive?

thank you for the advice!! =)

 

[tyspot1000]

TTS (Tetra Safe Start) is a Great bacteria additive and I would recommend it. Its one of the best Ive used yet.

 

[johmartz]

should i do the raw shrimp AND the two little goldfish? Seems like two tiny fish wont do much in a 120 gallon!

How do I tell if the cichlids are MALE vs. FEMALE?

thank you for advising not to put all 10 in at once. others led me to believe all 10 should be introduced at once to avoid territory disputes?

I agree that would be to heavy of a bioload all at once.

i am using fake plants because of the cichlids.

Any idea how long it might take to cycle the tank?

Here is a link to a good tip on cycling your aquarium.

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Having all 10 cichlids at once shouldn't be a problem due to the size of your tank as long as you have lots of hiding places for them. Overstocking is one of the recommendations to lessen the aggression between cichlids. I have 25 cichlids in my 75 gallon tank and so far I don't have any problem with aggression. They chase each other around and it's natural for them and it makes watching them more fun. As for sexing I have a thread in this forum where one of the members sent me an info on venting which is very informative. Also most males are more colorful and usually have egg spots on their anal fins. As for your filters, I suggest using ones rated for twice your tank size. Cichlids are very messy and produce quite a lot of bio load. I have two rated for 125 gallons. Good luck on your new tank!

 

[cichlidmania26]

Hey there,
Oh yeah most male cichlids are more colorful than females and have egg spots on there anal fin. But all species are different.