African Cichlid Plan

HI All,

I'm planning on custom building a new tank, and I would like to house African Cichlids in it. I've got nothing prepared yet so I've got no constraints. Size isn't really an issue either as it will be installed by a 13 foot wall. I plan to build a sump filtration for this tank. This will be my first custom build, I currently have a 300 litre community tank.

I've never had cichlids and wanted to ask on how I should plan it. What kind of substrate and decorations should be used. Which species should I look at and size and amount of fish/tank. Sump size in relation to tank size.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Is this thread in the right place?

 

I've come up with the size I'm going to aI'm for

72x17x20 inch - 401.6 liters - 106.0 U.S. gallons
48x17x18 inch sump - 241.0 liters - 63.6 U.S. gallons

Will probably go with white fine sand as a substrate and I'm leaning towards Mbuna Cichlids

Unsure about doing the build myself or getting professionals. The overflow weir is putting me off doing it myself.

 

I'll guess you have a budget of sorts. Go online, and hit a specialty aquarium bookstore. Aquarium books are becoming relics, but for a vast group like African Lakes Cichlids, you need a "catalogue" overview.
I see pretty bad advice online when it comes to these fish. I could shout out my favourites, but how would you know if I had had a tank for a week, or ten years?
If you choose a Melanochromis, you must get all super aggressive mbunas.
If you choose a Labidochromis, you must avoid the aggressive (relatively) species, and consider the milder ones, and peacocks.
If someone tells you to put them together, smile politely, nod, and don't do it.
Don't mix Tanganyikans and Malawis.
Use a substrate that releases minerals.
That's what I'll say as a starter.
But above all, get an overview before you trust the net, with its sales pitches and narrow focus. I love the internet and this isn't one of those "it's all lies" posts. But when you have many choices, the web shows you the ones you know how to find. A good book with species descriptions shows you things you never heard of before - a more intriguing starting point.

 

HI , a good starting book is Lake MalawI Cichlids , a complete pet owners manual , by Barrons , you can pick them up cheap on Amazon or eBay .

 

I'll guess you have a budget of sorts. Go online, and hit a specialty aquarium bookstore. Aquarium books are becoming relics, but for a vast group like African Lakes Cichlids, you need a "catalogue" overview.
I see pretty bad advice online when it comes to these fish. I could shout out my favourites, but how would you know if I had had a tank for a week, or ten years?
If you choose a Melanochromis, you must get all super aggressive mbunas.
If you choose a Labidochromis, you must avoid the aggressive (relatively) species, and consider the milder ones, and peacocks.
If someone tells you to put them together, smile politely, nod, and don't do it.
Don't mix Tanganyikans and Malawis.
Use a substrate that releases minerals.
That's what I'll say as a starter.
But above all, get an overview before you trust the net, with its sales pitches and narrow focus. I love the internet and this isn't one of those "it's all lies" posts. But when you have many choices, the web shows you the ones you know how to find. A good book with species descriptions shows you things you never heard of before - a more intriguing starting point.

Not set the budget yet as I'm still planning and researching.

What do you mean by "releases minerals"?

I'll definitely look for some books. Thanks

HI , a good starting book is Lake MalawI Cichlids , a complete pet owners manual , by Barrons , you can pick them up cheap on Amazon or eBay .

Thank you

 

Some rocks are chemically inert. Put them in water, and they don't affect anything but the look of the tank. Others, like limestone, release minerals into the water, hardening it. I don't know what your tap is like (you should find out), but Lake MalawI is mineral rich.
Fish have huge kidneys, as they fight to keep water out. Each species is adapted to different mineral levels, and in effect, a different density of water. A Mexican swordtail from limestone habitats will get 'the shimmies', a neurological symptom of kidney breakdown, if the water lacks minerals. Malawis will sicken and die. Hardwater evolved species have a terrible time with soft water.
Softwater species can usually handle harder water, although they may lose colour and/or be unable to reproduce.
So at the end of all this, pick rocks and gravel that actively add to the hardness for an Mbuna tank.

 

Some rocks are chemically inert. Put them in water, and they don't affect anything but the look of the tank. Others, like limestone, release minerals into the water, hardening it. I don't know what your tap is like (you should find out), but Lake MalawI is mineral rich.
Fish have huge kidneys, as they fight to keep water out. Each species is adapted to different mineral levels, and in effect, a different density of water. A Mexican swordtail from limestone habitats will get 'the shimmies', a neurological symptom of kidney breakdown, if the water lacks minerals. Malawis will sicken and die. Hardwater evolved species have a terrible time with soft water.
Softwater species can usually handle harder water, although they may lose colour and/or be unable to reproduce.
So at the end of all this, pick rocks and gravel that actively add to the hardness for an Mbuna tank.

Ah yes, I didn't realise that you were talking about water hardness. I need to test my tap water and decide on what I need depending on the results. Thanks for the clarification

 

I know I mentioned that I'm moving towards mbunas but I'm still undecided. Apart from temperament, what other characteristics should I look for between peacocks, haps and mbunas? If I read correctly mbunas are more active which is mostly why I was looking to get them. I'm aiming to get a colourful set of fish, but there are so many species, I'm getting rather lost in which species is which.

I may need to get fish from abroad as stocks are limited in my area, but I did find a new shop and they seem to know their stuff.

Regarding water hardness, I've an endless supply of lime stone rock of all shapes and sizes. I was considering using it as rock decoration. I believe it should help with the hardness of the water. If it does, what kind of preparation should I do in order for it to be safe for the fish?

I forgot to mention. The tank will be replacing the 300 litre community tank I've got running.

I'm considering restocking the current one and rehoming my current stock now instead of waiting until the tank is ready. Then moving the cichlid stock into the new tank once finished (I think the new tank will take a while as I don't want to spend too much in one go, nor do I want to compromise anything because I'm too eager to just get it running.

 

Gathered a list of Peacocks and Haps that I liked aesthetically. Anyone see any red flags? The list is a bit big on purpose as my local shop won't be able to get me all that I ask for. I'm probably going to go ahead with switching from the community to african cichlid in my current 75gal so size of species is an issue, I tried to choose them based on this. Also, if anyone is able to help me out regarding my question on limestone, I would greatly appreciated. My current water hardness is around 6DH

Haps
Haplochromis chrysonotus
Blood Spot
Red Fin
Quads
Blue Dolphin
Roundtooth hap
Kalingo
Electra Bright Blackfin
Taiwan Reef
Red Empress
Electric Blue
Red Flush

Peacocks
OB Peacock
German Red Peacock
Ruby Red Peacock
Benga Peacock, New Yellow Regal
Aulonocara Blue Gold Sand
Eureka Peacock
MalawI Butterfly
Aulonocara Blue Gold
Mason's Peacock
Sulfur Head Peacock
Blue Neon
Aulonocara hansbaenschi, Red Shoulder
Flametail Peacock
Flavescent Peacock
Sunshine Peacock
Orange Peacock
Yellow Regal

I'm not sure about quantities either. Should I get one of each compatible species or groups and reduce the number of species instead?

Apologies for asking a lot of questions but I've always went for non aggressive community fish in the past and I want to do this right.

 

Short list of species based on aggressiveness and compatibility chart.

Peacocks
German Red Peacock
Ruby Red Peacock
Aulonocara Blue Gold
Mason's Peacock
Sulfur Head Peacock
Blue Neon
Flametail Peacock
Flavescent Peacock
Sunshine Peacock
Orange Peacock
Yellow Regal

Haps
Blood Spot
Red Fin
Quads
Electra Bright Blackfin
Red Empress/Taiwan Reef
Red Flush


This also depends heavily on the answer I get from my LFS regarding availability. But there are some local hobbyists which breed cichlids which I'd be able to connect with through facebook if I need anything.

From the research I'm doing, this is the quite a peaceful (for cichlids) list, bar the Red Empress. I looked at genus compatibility, and there are quite a bit in there with "use caution" listed in the chart.

 

I would have a crushed coral substrate and add whatever type rock you want. Your species look fine, you never know for sure who will decide to be the boss and be the most aggressive. The "overstocking" technique should keep aggression in check. Is this going to be an all male tank?

 

I'd prefer it to be all male. But I may not be able to find adults so some may end up being female. I'll probably rehome females, though I'll be trying to avoid them from the start.

How do I decide on the number of fish for my 75 gal?

 

I have 16 male peacocks in my 75 gallon and they are fine. I wouldn't want to have fewer than that and I plan on adding 6 more this summer. Looking at your species, I would GUESS around 25 for the max. I am not familiar with all the haps you mentioned, but I would avoid any that are 10"+ for a 75 gallon. There are other strategies out there for dealing aggression if you have problems, but overstocking the main thing.

 

I was thinking of adding gradually, but I've been reading that it's easier to handle aggression when the fish grow together before any territories are established. Ignoring the haps. Will any peacock from my list work?

 

If I was building an African tank bigger is better. 100 gallons is OK but if you want a real good looking display you should be building a 200 to 300 gallon. Another factor is what PH does the water come out of the tap at? You need lots of rocks, filtering and water changes. And crowd them, that's the whole trick to Africans. You can mix mbuna, haps and peacocks as long as your careful about which ones. They do really well on dry vegI based foods. I think my African tank is the easiest tank I have. Here's a few pictures of my 360 gallon.

 

All the peacocks will work. I would avoid getting 2 of any kind. Go 1 or 3+ as they will target a rival of the same species, esp. with ones that stand out from the crowd, like the sunshine. That bright yellow really stands out. In an all male tank you want overstocked and as many different looking species as possible. (If you want female you have to stock 2 female to every male. You cannot just throw in a few female. So that is an entirely different tank.) Add 4-6 at a time. If you add a single fish it will be targeted and most likely killed. Sumps can provide a lot of filtration so you are good there. I lost of a lot of expensive fish because I started as a beginner with a full grown male peacock tank. So do your research on feeding, medicating, etc. and you will be prepared. At one point, all the fish in the tank had Malawian bloat. Luckly, I only lost one in that incident, because I researched the treatment and the correct way to feed.

I hope this helps.

 

It's beautiful. My current tank is 75. And I'm planning on a 105 soon. Can't house a much bigger one.

My current tank's pH is 7.2. But I have a large piece of driftwood which I'll be removing once my butterfly and clown plecos are rehomed as the water colour gets on my nerves. I'll also be using limestone for rocks.

I have a hydor cannister filter with a 840 l/hr output. I've connected it to the tank's built in overhead filtration. I've set up both filters as if they were running by themselves, so I I'd say I have close to twice the filtration suggested for the size of the tank

 

You can mix in mbuna, but it will increase the difficulty with aggression and feeding. So, I would only recommend that for experts who are prepared to handle that. I'm all about simplicity and increasing my chances of success.

 

All the peacocks will work. I would avoid getting 2 of any kind. Go 1 or 3+ as they will target a rival of the same species, esp. with ones that stand out from the crowd, like the sunshine. That bright yellow really stands out. In an all male tank you want overstocked and as many different looking species as possible. (If you want female you have to stock 2 female to every male. You cannot just throw in a few female. So that is an entirely different tank.) Add 4-6 at a time. If you add a single fish it will be targeted and most likely killed. Sumps can provide a lot of filtration so you are good there. I lost of a lot of expensive fish because I started as a beginner with a full grown male peacock tank. So do your research on feeding, medicating, etc. and you will be prepared. At one point, all the fish in the tank had Malawian bloat. Luckly, I only lost one in that incident, because I researched the treatment and the correct way to feed.

I hope this helps.

If I start off with my current tank I won't have the sump. But I believe I'm good with filtration needs, as mentioned above. My target is an all male tank. I don't have an interest in breeding at all and males tend to look better anyway

You can mix in mbuna, but it will increase the difficulty with aggression and feeding. So, I would only recommend that for experts who are prepared to handle that. I'm all about simplicity and increasing my chances of success.

Going to leave out mbuna for now because of that

 

What is the PH of the tap water? You need to figure out what PH your starting with. 7.6 is minimum, 7.8 to 8. 2 is a real good ph. My tank is 7.8 and I have about 25 to 30 females that are holding, so I guess they like it. As far as mixing mbuna, get the mellower haps, and the more aggressive peacocks. I don't get crazy about feeding, everybody gets vegI based pellets and flakes. I've grown most of the fish from 1 1/2" so that seems to work.

 

Went through a pile of limestone rocks we've got from when we dug out a water reservoir in my in-laws' farm. And found some nice loose balustrades

What is the PH of the tap water? You need to figure out what PH your starting with. 7.6 is minimum, 7.8 to 8. 2 is a real good ph. My tank is 7.8 and I have about 25 to 30 females that are holding, so I guess they like it. As far as mixing mbuna, get the mellower haps, and the more aggressive peacocks. I don't get crazy about feeding, everybody gets vegI based pellets and flakes. I've grown most of the fish from 1 1/2" so that seems to work.

Tap water:
NO3 50mg/l
NO2 0mg/l
GH >16d
KH 6d
pH 7.6

Tank:
NO3 50-100mg/l
NO2 0mg/l
GH >16d
KH 6d
pH 7.2

Water change every Saturday. I used strips just now so not sure of accuracy as I prefer the proper test kits

 

limestone would help, get the drift wood out. you don't need to do crushed coral, you can put some in the filter if needed. Also ouster shell works well in the filter for raising PH. The fish well do fine at 7'6 but if you can get it a little higher that would be better. I try to keep it simple, where a water change is all you need.

 

I can never get my no3 down to good levels. My tap water is already pretty high in no3.

The drift wood will be out the moment the plecos are out. I'll probably take my current fish to my LFS on Saturday and start with replacing the gravel I have with sand if they manage to get the sand I ordered by tomorrow morning

I'm always reading that over stocking helps. And I look at videos and think, that's too much. Am I wrong? For example I think this tanks is way over stocked

 

Wow 50 nitrate out of the tap is high. I don't have that problem, so I'm not sure how to lower it. Maybe someone on the site can help.
CindiL or Aquaphobia might be able to help out.

Africans are happier when they're over stocked. If you see pictures of the lake they hung out in a crowd by choice. The fish in the video look great, what does that tell you. I have around 175 fish in a 360, and they're all happy and breeding.

I'm always reading that over stocking helps. And I look at videos and think, that's too much. Am I wrong? For example I think this tanks is way over stocked

Sorry, I did it backwards.

 

I saw a tank with AC, 55 gallon with 60+ fish. So yes, it is possible to have too many. But, in general an african tank is going to look like something you shouldn't do in a regular community tank. If you look at fissh's awesome pictures they look so crowded, but the first pic has the full tank and you can see that there are not that many fish on the right hand side. Plus, that is a 360 gallon. My 75 doesn't look anything like that.

 

So I should aI'm for around 25? Max size being 9"

I looked past anything 10 or over without even researching to be honest

 

That's what I would do. Add six into a fully cycled tank, wait a a couple weeks and add 6 six more, repeat. stop at anywhere from 20 to 30. Add the most biggest/aggressive last.

 

That's what I would do. Add six into a fully cycled tank, wait a a couple weeks and add 6 six more, repeat. stop at anywhere from 20 to 30. Add the most biggest/aggressive last.

Was hoping I wouldn't need to do that as I'm probably going to end up ordering fish from abroad through my LFS as I rarely see a variety in stores. Some of them just label their aquarium as "Malawi". I sent a list to my LFS owner to check on what he can get from his suppliers.

FYI. I live in Malta, a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean

 

Yeah, those "Malawi" labeled fish are most likely hybrids of who knows what.

 

Got the sand. Half washed tonight half tomorrow as I ran out of buckets

Ordered some fish from my lfs, they'll be here mid February

5 Red Empress
5 Yellow Regal Peacock
5 Mason's Peacock
5 German Red Peacock

Alternative:
5 Electra Bright Blackfin
5 Ruby Red Peacock
5 Red Fin
5 Red Flush

The last list is a fall back. Ordered 7cm length and male only

 

It's clearing up. Rescaping was tiring

 

Watch for any spikes when you add your fish, if you are adding them all at once. Since they are small, it will be fine, but be prepared to prime and water changes if you need until the BB catch up with the new load.