capekate

Im trying to figure out what kind of fish I want to put in my new 55 gal tank ( when its cycled). I really love discus fish the most, but also like the idea of starting a cichlid tank. My pH is always at 6.4 Im wondering if the cichlids or the discus can deal with that number? If I get the cichlids, can someone tell me what they like in their tank? plants? caves? rocks.. driftwood?
Also... I live at the beach and able to find nice sized rocks. can anyone tell me if the rocks, if boiled would be ok to put in the tank with either the discus or the cichlids? How much weight of rocks can a tank hold without the chance of cracking?
thanks so much for your help! ~ kate

Butterfly

Most Cichlids like lots of rocks, wood and hiding places, depending on the cichlids(angels and discus like plants) you get. Rocks need to be boiled and washed really well before going into the tank. Do your research and then decide which you like best.
Carol

Trpimp147

african cichlids would need a higher ph level like 7.8-8.2 put about 1-1/2" of gravel on the bottem of the tank and buy some texas holey rocks from this site http://www.txholeyrocks.com/home this rock will help raise the ph level its made of lime stone. for every one cichlid you should have 6 hiding spots. i would go with a 55gal tank and about 18 cichlids, 1 or 2 common plecos, a peice of drift wood. the come in many colors and shapes and sizes keep africans witha africans and discus with discus. some times it works and other times it dont mostly dont haha. also if you want alot more info try www.africancichlid.net one of the best sites i have found with many nice people that keep tons of african cichlids they all know alot about these fish and are always willing to answer any questions whether you think its stupid or hard if they dont know they will find out for you and help identafy the fish. good luck i wold say go with the african cichlids vary easy to take care of once you read up on them and under stand them. i own a few my self and love them just this week end i baught 6 more.

Thomas.

Butterfly

All good information. Since common Pleco can get 12-14 inches long and like most pleco are huge waste producers I wouldn't put them in anything under 100g tank.
Carol

capekate

thank you all for your advice! I really do love the discus fish... and like that they are a peaceful group that can be with small schooling fish as well. they are colorful and beautiful. I have read that they are not easy to keep tho. I also read not to keep both types of cichilds, africans and SA cichilds together, that its best to go with either SA OR African cichlids. I have been watching alot of youtube videos to get some ideas for the tank. We may end up going with the cichlids as they are more common at my LFS with a good variety. And being smaller than the discus I can get more in the tank. I will not be getting any pleco, thanks for that advice on the waste producers they are. But may go with some more of the bumblebee cats or another type that may go with the cichlids. Will be doing more research as the tank cycles so I have plenty of time to figure out which type of fish to go with. I know that once I make the decision I will have to stick with the species and what is compatible with it. So will take the time for research...

Thanks for the advice on the hose and will take the care needed. My husband said it looks like hes going to be hauling alot of buckets of water!!!

Trpimp147

try that web site i gave you will give you all the info you need wont need to ask questions.

capekate

Thanks again! for the advice.. as I noted in the above post, im doing my research before buying the fish......Personally.. I like asking questions here, as Ive come to know and respect alot of the folks here at this site.
And as far as I know.. they dont mind me asking questions here!

Butterfly

Nope questions are never a problem here ask away.
carol

Trpimp147

i see.... just tryin to help. not trying to push it on you. i just think there is plenty of info for ya just to read through to get a really really good idea of these fish and many pics and such.

Butterfly

We understand that but want everyone to feel free to ask questions
Carol

capekate

Thank you Carol...and good morning!
I know that sometimes the questions I ask may be dumb..or that they have already been asked. I do read up on the species posts to find my answers before asking them. Or more than that I like to ask the questions to those that have had similar experiences and that you just cant get enough of by reading an article. There is so much to learn.. and first hand experience is the best teacher. I appreciate all the replies that I get to my questions. ON another note.

I have read up on the fish that I was interested in..The jack Dempsey cichlid likes a PH between 6-8; The Krib, between 6-8; The Convict, 7-8. My normal PH of the water is 6.4. I dont think that I want to tamper, chemically the PH on a continual basis. Also everything I have read on these cichilds are that its a game of chance on who is going to get along with whom and that they are pretty aggressive. Ive read that once bought, so many have had to be separated or put in their own tanks because of this. Also read how getting a pair of these fish would bring on more aggression. Ive already experienced the death of tankmates due to my cichlid angel fish and now that the two of them are in their own tanks, I have not had anymore deaths in the community tank. Only way I can do the cichlid tank is if I get only one of each species and hope to cut down on the aggression. But not sure that I want to go through that again and worry about loosing fish to fighting in the tank.
The Discus fish are a peaceful group that can live with other tankmates such as a school of cardinal tetras, cory cats. And Im sure there are a few more that can go in with them, still researching that question.
The water perimeters have to be perfect,Ive read on keeping Discus, but they do prefer a PH between 5-7, which makes my normal PH here ideal for them. They are colorful.. and beautiful fish and so I think that I will be going with the Discus in the 55g tank. I have been checking out the Discus section of the forum and reading up on their needs. Will do more research as Ive got time as the tank cycles. Which brings me to another question on the cycling fishless but will go to the right forum to venture into that.
again.. thanks for all the help~

Butterfly

If you buy Discus locally they have probably already acclimated to your water parameters. check to see if there is an aquarium club close by, maybe they have a member who is a discus breeder. They could most likely give you invaluable information on raising them and most club members LOVE to talk about their fish just like we do.
carol

Butterfly

Heres a list
http://fins.actwin.com/dir/clubs.php?c=1&r=1
Carol

capekate

thanks Carol. I have saved the link and there is a club just two towns away from me and I know where that one is held. I will email them. thanks so much!

Butterfly

Welcome! I love aquarium clubs and am member of the atlanta aquarium club. Their auctions are so much fun and you can pick up great stuff at great prices. Have also been to one at the charlotte Club
Carol

capekate

Excellent! sounds like alot of fun! Will definitely have to check it out.

nicole

Hi, how is your tank coming along? Did u stick with discus? Just been reading your posts and i agree your water is ideal.Good luck with your new tank and look forward to hearing all about it.

capekate

g'morning Nicole, I have not stocked the tank yet. started the cycle on June 18th and it is no where near ready for fish yet. Ive been researching Discus and found a LFS that does have them and can order me the type that I would like when the time comes. I'm getting a little leery of all the posts and articles i have read on how sensitive they are to water perimeters etc and constant water changes like every other day needs about a 25% water change in their tank. At a 55 gal tank that is ALOT of water to change constantly. Tho I take care of my 29 with regular water changes, water testing etc and all my fish are doing fine there, the thought of maintaining such a lager tank has me a little intimidated right now. Are they really as sensitive as I have read and difficult to take care of? At the price of them that i will have to pay and thought that if I brought such a beauty home and have it die worries me. I still have time to decide on either the Discus tank or cichlid tank as the way to go. Tho I have my heart set on the Discus...
thanks for asking, ~ kate

nicole

I can relate to all your reservations and they are all justified and I dont want to influence you in any way so I will say to go with whatever feels right for you.I will say though it can get very confusing reading up on Discus care ,I personally learn't through advice from people that own them and of course reading through articles, books ect but I found it so much easier to learn from experienced owners.Saying all that I dont believe they are as hard to look after as it seems, there are a few people here that own discus that I'm sure will help you with any questions you have.On another note I also have a cichlid tank which brings me as much joy as discus and there are some beautiful species out there, so whatever you choose I'm sure you will have a fantastic tank.Gee I don't think I've helped you much with all this rambling.BTW simply discus.com have some good articles for beginners.

simpleton

I went through a gradual tank conversion a few months ago and began to introduce Cichlids into my tank. Did alot of research and asked alot of questions about compatibility issues. I still have a few community fish that I'm quite fond of and have grown attached to. I started with a couple of Kribs...had to take one back as the larger of the two got extremely aggressive once in my tank. I've also added a few African Kenyi's. One male and two females...the smaller female died after about 3 weeks due to stress from the other female. I never really saw that coming as to take some pre-emptive action. The Kenyi's really rule the tank...especially the male. Evryone else kind of keeps their distance but there is harmony in the tank. My pH is at 8 and I have hard water...really good for my fish. Best of luck with your future Cichlid tank. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

capekate

good morning Nicole, and thank you for your insight. It is a big decision to decide which species to go with. I agree with you that the two, the Discus and the cichlids both have some wonderful looking fish. I really do enjoy looking at the many different types of cichlids out there and have enjoyed watching videos of them on youtube as well. Of course there are some fantastic videos of Discus tanks there too that are amazing! If the cichlids weren't so aggressive with each other I wouldn't mind going with them. I hear that some of the cichlids for instance, the German blue ram which is a beautiful fish, is not as aggressive, and yet I read every day about the aggression in the cichlid tank and how many are killed, stressed, moved to other tanks, or brought back to the LFS. I dont want to have to go through that, and yet I really do like the cichlids. A question that is repeated many times here in the forums is, "which cichlid is the most peaceful"? I would love to know, but most answers are varied and it really depends on the amount of fish in the tank. the size of the tank and ratio of male to female. So it sounds like it would have to be a hands on experience to really find out.
I believe at this point I will be going with the Discus tank. And will start out with two, a few silver dollars and a herd of cardinal tetras. See how the two Discus do and will add two more at a later date and hope to finish with 4 Discus, 3 silver dollars and at least 10 cardinal tetras.
Thank you for the website suggestion and I will check it out.

capekate

the Kribs are really nice looking fish and one of my favorite Cichlid and one that I would have liked to introduce to the tank. On hearing they were pretty peaceful and compatible with others it sounded like a good addition. Its a shame to loose fish to aggression. I know, of all fish one of my Angel fish took down one by one at least 5 fish til I realized what was going on and gave the Angels their own tank. I read that if you were going to do a cichlid tank that its not a good idea to mix African cichlids with SA cichlids. So that was something else on my mind. I have a community tank too and they are all doing fine and thought it would be nice to have a cichlid tank, but have decided that the aggression issues that come with this species just wont work with what I want. Of course, I heard how the tiger barb was a aggressive fish that you shouldn't put in the community tank and my four tiger barbs are fine and no trouble at all. I just don't want to have to start separating cichlids, finding another tank for the aggressive ones etc etc if needed. Ive decided to go with the Discus instead.
Good luck with your cichlids, have you tried the different rams in your cichlid tank yet? they really are gorgeous!

Butterfly

capekate your Discus tank is sounding great. The Silver dollars did get my attention though, since they are majorly vegetarian they will eat your plants. They also move a lot faster than Discus so may out compete them for food. Heres a profile on them
http://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-SilverDollar.htm
A friend who has a beautiful Discus tank has neons and bristlenose in his tank.
carol

capekate

Hi Carol
thank you for the link. I thought of the silver dollars because at a Discus site they mentioned that the silver dollar fish was compatible with the Discus and did well in that tank and temps. Also heard that the cardinal tetra was good as well because they tolerated the higher temps. A bristlenose may be kind of neat to have in the tank tho, have to check them out when the time comes. My tank is still very slowly cycling.. think im going to have to invest some more time to find the pure ammonia otherwise I dont see this cycling for another three to four weeks the way its going if that! As far as the plants go.. well I better be careful of that, as I do like a planted tank. My amazon sword that I put in just last saturday is slowly dying in the tank anyway.. what a shame! May have to end up with silk aquarium plants in there if the live plants dont work out. Tho they are doing fine and growing in the 29g tank, but I have no swords there. ohh welll.. just have to wait and see!
thanks , ~ kate

nicole

Good for you , it really isn't as hard as it may seem to keep discus. I personally would not put silverdollars with them though, but that is just my opinion.I keep tetras and bristlenose catfish and a ghost knife in my discus tank. There are also hatchetfish and others that don't come to mind right now. Your plant could be dyeing for a lot of reasons, so dont be put of there, I'm sure once your tank is cycled and you get your tank up and running it will work out.BTW I am envious of your ph levels straight out of your tap mine is allways around 7.6.Keep us all posted

simpleton

the Kribs are really nice looking fish and one of my favorite Cichlid and one that I would have liked to introduce to the tank. On hearing they were pretty peaceful and compatible with others it sounded like a good addition. Its a shame to loose fish to aggression. I know, of all fish one of my Angel fish took down one by one at least 5 fish til I realized what was going on and gave the Angels their own tank. I read that if you were going to do a cichlid tank that its not a good idea to mix African cichlids with SA cichlids. So that was something else on my mind. I have a community tank too and they are all doing fine and thought it would be nice to have a cichlid tank, but have decided that the aggression issues that come with this species just wont work with what I want. Of course, I heard how the tiger barb was a aggressive fish that you shouldn't put in the community tank and my four tiger barbs are fine and no trouble at all. I just don't want to have to start separating cichlids, finding another tank for the aggressive ones etc etc if needed. Ive decided to go with the Discus instead.
Good luck with your cichlids, have you tried the different rams in your cichlid tank yet? they really are gorgeous!

I've stayed away from Rams only because they appear to be a higher maintenance Cichlid. I do agree that they are beautiful. They require a lower pH thus making them "high maintenance" for me. I have naturally hard water and a very high pH (8) which is very suitable for the Kenyi's. As for the aggression issues, you're right. You do need to keep a watchful eye on your tank. I've had to return fish for that reason but y LFS is very good and they have no problem with returns. I'd like to start a second tank but I'm dealing with a bit of a cost issue right now thus not making that an option. The thing about Cichlids is that you need to do your homework when it comes to compatibility issues. I don't believe in taking a fish back to the LFS to accomodate any new fish. So, that having been said, my tank is a bit of a work in progress with the Cichlids. The Rosy Barbs are just fine in my tank as they are rather large and very hearty.

capekate

thank you Butterfly and Nicole for your advice on the silver dollars. So I wont be adding them to the tank and can then double up on the amount of cardinal tetras. Having ALOT of those tetras swimming around in a large school should look very nice with the Discus. We are going to the LFS tomorrow to pick up some otos for our 29g tank and will again look at the cichlids, cuz they are so pretty. BUT another lFS does have the Discus in stock, but they are closed tomorrow. We were going to take a ride over there and have my husband be able to take a look at these beautiful fish. I have showed him some Youtube videos of the Discus, but it would be nice to see them in a live tank. he will then be convinced that these are the ones for our tank.

Simpleton
I agree that the cichlid tank would be so nice. But I think due to the aggresion I will stick with the Discus. BUT some day down the road.. who knows? Maybe a 29 with a few would be nice to try. Those Angelfish can be pretty aggresive!! They dont live up to their namesake! lol... But by themselves in their own tank, the two are very happy now. I wish you luck on your cichlid tank venture!!

Callum The Cat

capekate

Hi Callum
even tho I have heard that some folks have had discus with angels, its not really recommanded. Anyway I have two angels that I enjoy already and they are in another tank, so I wont be adding any to this tank. Angels, as any other cichlid can be pretty aggressive as Ive found out. These two are destined to be in the 29g tank by themselves! lol..
Ive decided to go with just Discus and cardinal tetras in this tank. I will be picking up two tomorrow and if the store owner wants to work with me on a deal, we will be bringing home the three that he has had in his tank for over a month now. If not, we start with the two and eventually I would like at least 4 if not 6.

Callum The Cat