Cichlid tank advice

[Mloyko]

Hi all,

My friend wants me to help him create a nice looking cichlid tank. My whole life I really only dealt with normal tropical fish, only ever had one Blue Ram Cichlid. I'm thinking sandy bottom and rocky structures but I am very open to suggestions. He also wants to incorporate live plants? Like I said I am not experienced with cichlids and am eager to hear from anyone,

thanks,
Matt

 

[Sillyfishies]

Hi all,

My friend wants me to help him create a nice looking cichlid tank. My whole life I really only dealt with normal tropical fish, only ever had one Blue Ram Cichlid. I'm thinking sandy bottom and rocky structures but I am very open to suggestions. He also wants to incorporate live plants? Like I said I am not experienced with cichlids and am eager to hear from anyone,

thanks,
Matt

Sand is good because they like to dig. They are rock dwellers so the rock is also good. But plants are no good. Most cichlids will tear up plants. Moss might cut it though. Make sure the tank is at least 55 gallons and the longer, the better.

 

[Mloyko]

Thank you, I will pass on the word about the plants. His tank is 55 gal as well.

 

[Lucas82]

Cichlid 55 gallon setup

This was my dillema a couple of weeks ago. I was starting up my new 55 gallon tank that houses African Cichlids and I knew I wanted live rock and sand substrate. I went online and just googled "55 Gallon Cichlid tank" and clicked 'images' and got a lot of great ideas from many people that had posted images of their tanks. I posted a pic of my tank (still may change this background, not crazy about the purple look). The centerpiece is a fake rock decoration I got at a pet store but the rest is real rocks I purchased at various pet stores. The Cichlids seem to enjoy the tank a lot, good look on your 55 gallon. Decorating the tank is always the most enjoyable part for me.

 

[bud29]

What kind of cichlids are you looking to keep? Mbuna, peacocks, shell-dwellers, dwarf cichlids, SA/CA cichlids? Different cichlids prefer different tank setups, so you need to know which kind you want first.

 

[Mloyko]

Nice tank Lucas. Bud I'm not sure as I'm just helping my buddy set his up but I will find out what type he was planning on keeping and I'll post again once I know. Thanks for the heads up.