simplestoryvile

in the future will will be buying a 55gal tank for african cichlids. Ive read alot of articles on it and still i have unaswered questions.
1. Should i go with sand or gravel, will the sand affect my hang on filter?
2. would one hang on power filter be enough water movement for my tank?
3. would the catfish i get be affected by the sand?
I have got a list of what i might put in it
2- angelfish=12 inch
3 eletric yellow= 15
3 electric blue = 15
What should my clean up crew be?
could i add a discus? do you like the setup? suggestions for what fish to have in it?

mathas

If you use a very fine sand that stays suspended in the water column, it might cause filter issues. Pool filter sand does not have this problem.

As for whether you should use sand or gravel for an African tank, I don't know, but we have quite a few people on here who keep Africans that can probably answer that.

One hang-on-back filter might be sufficient water movement, but it would depend on which one you're looking at.

I would not mix angelfish with African cichlids, as they come from different continents and have very different needs. Same goes for discus and Africans.

edit: If you're looking for stocking ideas, cichlid-forum has a great list of suggested setups for that tank size:
http://cichlidforum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_55g.php

Nick Goody

I'll agree with Mathas here. I definatly wouldn't mix Angels with Africans.

simplestoryvile

If i didnt make it africans would angel fish and discus work well?

Nick Goody

Discus require very specific water parameters and high temperature to keep successfully. I'm not sure if you could mix them with Angels or not.

Angela_96

in the future will will be buying a 55gal tank for african cichlids. Ive read alot of articles on it and still i have unaswered questions.
1. Should i go with sand or gravel, will the sand affect my hang on filter?
2. would one hang on power filter be enough water movement for my tank?
3. would the catfish i get be affected by the sand?
I have got a list of what i might put in it
2- angelfish=12 inch
3 eletric yellow= 15
3 electric blue = 15
What should my clean up crew be?
could i add a discus? do you like the setup? suggestions for what fish to have in it?


For your tank if you go w/ the africans the discus and angels will not be compatable, they require different water pH/hardness and food.

Sand and c rushed coral is great for africans (it raises the ph and hardness), if you go w/ discus find a substrate that will do the opposite or be neutral.

A biowheel and a canister on opp sides is what I put on my cichild tanks.

Catfish are fine w/ sand. Just be careful of the pleco/fish you choose some need low ph, some are more compatable w/ africans than others.

For africans they are their own clean up crew, they eat algae off the rocks and back grass (they are veggie eaters).

For the discus and angel any type of pleco suited for your size tank that eats algae is great.

If you do a 55 african you can put in 15 total fish (inches per gallon rule doesn't apply w/ africans, you need to overstock for aggression)

The electric yellow are peaceful, the blues are aggressive I wouldn't mix them..

the cookie cutter info is great above on Mathas post.

Discus really aren't for a begainer, they have to have prestine water conditions, warmer water than most fish.

NUMB3RS

Discus and Angels can be compatible but please be aware that angels can carry diseases in them so if you are planning to do this i would QT them for along time I would QT for 2 months just to be sure because Discus are a bit pricy and you dont want them dying..

Fullofit343

Well i think you pretty much got your answers above. the Only thing with a Discus and african cichlids is that the cichlids you want to get require a higher pH (the 8.5 range) while a discus would require a normal ph of around 7.0. The point of adding the sand is really in order to keep the high pH required. i personally like the look better but there are other ways of keeping the high ph ( i.e. mixing you're substrate with crushed shells or through the type of rocks you use in the tank such as sandstone) I'm not positive about the catfish but i think as long as you provide a rocky enviornment which the african cichlids (well the ones from lake malawi which are the ones you listed above) require anyway you should be fine.