Help me with my african cichlid tank!

I am soon going to set up my first African Cichlid tank, and I need your help and opinions before I go all out and buy supplies/completely set up the tank! I have a few questions and this post might be a bit lengthy (like always) so please bare with me.

I have a 55 gallon tank that I just recently cleared out. It has a marineland c-220 canister filter along with a HOB 60 gallon filter. Both of them have been running for 6+ months now, so there's definitely BB on the media. I am planning to put around 16-20 African Cichlids the tank.

I've been doing a lot of research about African Cichlids and their requirements, so allow me to present you with my "plan" for my 55 gallon.

First of all I'm going to buy play sand from home depot, and some sort of stone for them to be able to claim territory. I might buy stone from home depot, or use the rocks that are in the pond that I live next to. If I decide to use the pond rocks, I'll post pictures of them to make sure that they're okay to use, but I'm still thinking about it. Whether I use stone from home depot or from my local pond, should I worry about the stone breaking through the tank? I've seen people on youtube and other sites that are worried about the stones being to heavy and they say they could break the bottom of the tank.

After the sand and rocks are in the tank, I'm going to add the water. Questions regarding water parameters:

I know African Cichlids like high pH levels, around 7.6-8.4 right? The pH of my water straight from my faucet is between 7.4-7.6, and I'd like it to be higher. I know of two things that higher and maintain pH levels:
1) Products such as Cichlid Buffers that come in a bottle that you put in the water
2) Aragonite/Crushed Coral

In your opinion and from your experience, which is better out of the two for making pH levels suitable for African Cichlids? (and why)

Also, I've been to various sites to research about water parameters for African Cichlids, and some mention putting salt in the water and others do not. What is the purpose of salt in African Cichlid tanks, and is it even necessary to have? I'm on a tight budget here (typical unemployed highschool student) and I want to know if my Cichlids need the salt, or if it's okay to not have any at all.

After I've arranged the rocks, substrate, and gotten the water perfect, how long should I wait to add the fish? Remember, I already have plenty of filtration and filter media with beneficial bacteria on it.

Once I'm ready to add fish, I'm going to add around 5-6 for the first week or two. After that, I am going to add another 5-6, then wait another couple weeks. Then, I'm going to add my final 5-6 Cichlids. The last time I checked, my LFS doesn't have that much of a variety of African Cichlids. I am planning to put:
2 electric yellow lab
1 auratus
1/2 kenyi
1/2 acei
for my first 6 that I will put in my tank. Another problem that I'm having is the Cichlids that they have are around 1-1.5 inches long, so It'll be hard to vent them and be able to tell which is male or female. Still having trouble with the ratios as you can tell.

If there are any missing steps in my plan, things that I missed or did not metnion, or anything that I am doing completely wrong, tell me! I want your feedback

Thanks for reading :;hurryb

 

For the stone(s) wither you buy them or get them from the pond I would boil them for a couple hours or soak them in bleach. If you pick the bleach method rise them off ver very well after. For the weight as long as you don't need a tractor or more then your self to pick it up you should be fine.
For the play sand rise that very very well also and I would mix it with crushed coral to keep the ph up a little, But it is not necessary fish will get use to the ph of your faust as long as you acclimate them slowly. I would NOT use any cichlid buffers it can be very dangerous if you do not watch it very very closely so why bother. And salt is not necessary unless you have a Saltwater tank haha.
For cycling the tank wait a week test the water. I recommend getting an apI freshwater master kit. If your water parameters are good buy some fish!
I would not buy the kenyI they should be in a tank by them self (personal experience) they will try and kill your other fish.
the yellow labs are good but I would buy 1 male to 3 females. Same for the aceis. I would look into rustys, and zebras as well
One more thing make sure there is lots of rocks I mean lots. That is the natural environment for mubuna

hope this helps!

 

When stocking the tank I would recommend adding the fish by getting a group of 1 species at a time starting with the least aggressive then working up to the most aggressive. I also wouldn't recommend putting the auratus or kenyI with the yellow labs or acei's due to the difference in aggression.

 

I'm about to go outside and look at the pond stones and decide if I'm going to use them or not.
I don't really feel like mixing crushed coral with play sand because I already hate gravel vaccing sand, and a mix of sand and gravel would be a pain. Would it be okay to just use the crushed coral as the substrate? I heard it's advised to use sand as the substrate since they like to dig though... So bottom line is, if I had to only pick one substrate, should I pick sand or crushed coral?
I already have an API freshwater master kit Love it!
I've seen many many mixed African Cichlid tanks with Cichlids from both Lake MalawI and Lake Tanganyika, and all the owners say its fine. I went to my LFS today and they have way more Cichlids than I thought. I'm planning to only put 1 species of each type. So, by the time I'm done stocking the tank I'll have around 10 different species of cichlids from Lake MalawI and 5 different species from Lake Tanganyika. For my first 5 that I am adding, they are all around 1 inch long. Very small. So I doubt the aggression level will be that high if I add plenty of rocks, and since they're growing up together they should be fine. I WILL remove any fish if I think they're too aggressive.

I'm a little confused about diet though. I am definitely buying New Life Spectrum pellets, and I have some algae wafers as well; but I've gotten mixed answers about other food. Some people say to just stick to one food like the pellets, and others say it's good to give them a varied diet of different flakes/pellets. Help? And if you were wondering, I am NOT going to feed them blood worms. I am aware of what MalawI Bloat is.

 

All I can say is a 55 gallon tank weighs 500 pounds plus the only way you could break the tank is if you dropped them in their

 

Haha you're right.. I was told 700lbs but yeah I'm no longer worried about the rocks lol!

 

I'm about to go outside and look at the pond stones and decide if I'm going to use them or not.
I don't really feel like mixing crushed coral with play sand because I already hate gravel vaccing sand, and a mix of sand and gravel would be a pain. Would it be okay to just use the crushed coral as the substrate? I heard it's advised to use sand as the substrate since they like to dig though... So bottom line is, if I had to only pick one substrate, should I pick sand or crushed coral?
I already have an API freshwater master kit Love it!
I've seen many many mixed African Cichlid tanks with Cichlids from both Lake MalawI and Lake Tanganyika, and all the owners say its fine. I went to my LFS today and they have way more Cichlids than I thought. I'm planning to only put 1 species of each type. So, by the time I'm done stocking the tank I'll have around 10 different species of cichlids from Lake MalawI and 5 different species from Lake Tanganyika. For my first 5 that I am adding, they are all around 1 inch long. Very small. So I doubt the aggression level will be that high if I add plenty of rocks, and since they're growing up together they should be fine. I WILL remove any fish if I think they're too aggressive.

I'm a little confused about diet though. I am definitely buying New Life Spectrum pellets, and I have some algae wafers as well; but I've gotten mixed answers about other food. Some people say to just stick to one food like the pellets, and others say it's good to give them a varied diet of different flakes/pellets. Help? And if you were wondering, I am NOT going to feed them blood worms. I am aware of what MalawI Bloat is.

HI Stiglitz,
here is my 2 cents, although PH is important as it is with most fish, a consistent PH is more important than an exact. if you start trying to influence the PH that is where a lot of the trouble happens, you get swings that can cause a crash of the tank. I have had Mbunas for some time and my PH is 7.6-7.8 and I use nothing but play sand.
play sand is very enjoyable, as it allows you to watch them move the sand around just like to do in their natural habitat.
I would also be interested to hear how long some folks have kept the 2 lakes of fish together. are they saying this after having them in their tank after a couple of months. that would not be a problem, the problem will come further down the road as they become Adults. that is not to say it can't work. it very well can and does. But, it is controlled and supervised
much more, you have to know which particular fish from each lake can co-exist. you can't just pick ( IMO ) a fish from each lake and hope for the best. A lot of the recommendations I do are as a "first time " african keeper you should stick to one lake. as you learn and become more knowledgeable then you could try different lakes.
Rocks are one of the biggest keys to keeping Mbunas ( which should always be a species only tank IMO) 2/3 of the tank can and should be full of rocks. it is not a matter of having one hiding place per fish but rather several. they will chase each other to death if they can not find relief somewhere. as juvies you will have no issues, the fighting (the serious kind) happens when they become 4-6 inches. I use aquarium silicone to hold some of the rocks together and rocks go in first, right on the tank floor, then the sand. ( you already mentioned how the fish move the sand around, they will and can cause the rocks to shift if just sitting on top of sand.
for food, stay away from Bloodworms or any meaty foods. it will cause Bloat. now on occasion ( like once a month or so) I might drop a cube of bloodworms in.
Variety is good for an fish. answer yourself a simple question, how would you like it if you only had ham and cheese sandwichs. yes, you would survive ( and so would the fish) but you would not be happy. our goal should always be to try and make our fishes happy. I do highly recommend NLS and use it as my staple, other foods I give for treats are vegetables,
cucumbers, zuchinni,lettuce, etc. I here some blanch them and do different things with them. I cut the outer cover off and slice in qtr then put it in the tank before I go to work, take it out when I get home.
I like your fish choices other than I would not include the KenyI and would have the Red Zebra, I also agree with starting out with least aggressive sub-species like the lab and add all of them, then go on to the next one.
I am not sure, maybe I missed it, but I did not see you mention a powerhead. highly recommend one, attach to side panel on either side towards the top of tank and have the water shooting across to the other side. Mbun like to have a current and will swim and play in it as well.
As for how long before putting your fish in, IMO, right away. set up your tank they way you like it, put your ESTABLISHED filters in placed and you're ready.
Well, I tried to cover everything you mentioned, sorry for such a long post, honestly you have the right idea and well on your way, if I could encourage at all it would be stay with one lake.
HAve fun, and keep us posted, you know we have to get pictures now, don't you?

 

Well, I tried to cover everything you mentioned, sorry for such a long post, honestly you have the right idea and well on your way, if I could encourage at all it would be stay with one lake.
HAve fun, and keep us posted, you know we have to get pictures now, don't you?

Oh, yay! Pictures! I would also suggest sticking to one lake

 

HI Stiglitz,
A lot of the recommendations I do are as a "first time " african keeper you should stick to one lake. as you learn and become more knowledgeable then you could try different lakes.

I am not sure, maybe I missed it, but I did not see you mention a powerhead. highly recommend one, attach to side panel on either side towards the top of tank and have the water shooting across to the other side. Mbun like to have a current and will swim and play in it as well.

if I could encourage at all it would be stay with one lake.
HAve fun, and keep us posted, you know we have to get pictures now, don't you?

Yes, I forgot to say that I am only going to add the fish from Lake Tanganyika when I have all of my Malawi's in the tank and they're fully grown; IF I'm comfortable and confident enough to do so. We'll see.

I do not have a powerhead, although both my HOB filter and my Canister create a current.. Would this be enough for the fish?

I'll post picture as soon as I get them Probably by next week.. Cheers!

P.S if you guys were wondering, here are all the species of African Cichlids that are in my LFS. If you guys have the time to look at all the species listed, it'd really help if you could give me your opinion on which fish would work well together. This is my most anticipated tank and I really want to do it right.

LAKE TANGANYIKA
Brichardi
Frontosa
Tropheus Moorii

LAKE MALAWI
Bumblebee
Jewel
JacobfreibergI peacock
KenyI
Auratus
DemasonI
AceI
Yellow lab
Afra
Ahli
Zebra (not sure if LFS has in stock yet)

(Italicized means I have crossed them off the list because after further research I do not believe they are compatible.)

 

I don't think I would get any from lake tanganyika, as the species you listed have different diets and wouldn't mix well with the lake malawI cichlids. I definitely wouldn't get the bumblebees (very aggressive) or the jewels (should be in species-only tank). Since you decided not to go with peacocks, I think that one's out. Hopefully other members will be able to come up with a stock from the rest of the list

 

Understood! Lake Tanganyika, bumblebee, jewel, and jake peacock crossed off the list n_n at first I was planning on doing 1 of each. like, 1 kenyI 1 auratus 1 demasonI etc, but I would only have around 6 in the tank which would be no good so I guess I'll start out with 3 labs, 3 aceis and 3 zebras, then in about a month or maybe two months I'll work my way up to the more aggressive ones... only problem is I'm buying the labs aceis and zebras young, so I won't be able to tell they're gender... does the 1:3 ratio only apply to when they're adults and want to breed, or will the males still harass the females even if they were juvenile? because I was planning on buying the labs aceis and zebras as juveniles, and then in a month when they grow I will determine their sex...

 

I'd wait to see what other members have to say about stocking...

When you get that figured out, if you can, buy 5 or 6 of each species, then when you're able to sex them, return all but one male. Chances are you'll have at least 2-3 females. The males won't harass the females as much when they're young.

By the way, if you don't want babies, you can just leave a female with babies in the tank (do nothing), and most babies, if not all, will be eaten by the other fish.

 

I would start with 4 of each. Getting juveniles can be tricky getting the correct ratio's. You might have to return or trade in extra males until you get the right numbers.

 

try cichlid forum

Ken

 

Yes, I forgot to say that I am only going to add the fish from Lake Tanganyika when I have all of my Malawi's in the tank and they're fully grown; IF I'm comfortable and confident enough to do so. We'll see.

I do not have a powerhead, although both my HOB filter and my Canister create a current.. Would this be enough for the fish?

I'll post picture as soon as I get them Probably by next week.. Cheers!

P.S if you guys were wondering, here are all the species of African Cichlids that are in my LFS. If you guys have the time to look at all the species listed, it'd really help if you could give me your opinion on which fish would work well together. This is my most anticipated tank and I really want to do it right.

LAKE TANGANYIKA
Brichardi
Frontosa
Tropheus Moorii

LAKE MALAWI
Bumblebee
Jewel
JacobfreibergI peacock
KenyI
Auratus
DemasonI
AceI
Yellow lab
Afra
Ahli
Zebra (not sure if LFS has in stock yet)

(Italicized means I have crossed them off the list because after further research I do not believe they are compatible.)

I always use a powerhead as well and I have 2 HOB's , but it is really up to you.
as already mentioned, I would cross off Bumble bee,jewel, peacock I would also cross off Kenyi.
I like you choice of Labs, AceI and Zebra but would bump to 4 of each, then you could add the DemasonI or afra later.
you should always start using the ratio from the beginning.
good luck

 

Alright. Thanks guys, I'll keep you updated. Before this thread comes to a close, I have one final question.

Above, CichlidSWAGA recommended that before I add rocks to my tank, I should either boil them or put them in bleach. I'd rather do the boil method, but I have no pots that I could put the rocks in because my parents use all of them for cooking. So, if I just put the rocks in a bucket and boiled water in a pot, then transferred the boiled water from the pot to the bucket, do you think it'd still do the job? And if I did it this way, obviously the water will cool off quick, so how many times would I have to do this until the rocks would be safe to put in my aquarium?

I'll post a picture of the rocks tomorrow so you guys can see if the rocks are too big, too heavy, and if I'll need more or less of them. I still have to test if there's any base in it like calcium by using vinegar though.