New Cichlid Tank!?

I'm restocking my 75 gallon tank and 99% sure that I want African Cichlids (Lake MalawI and Peacocks) but I'm fairly new to African Cichlids although I do own a 12" Oscar. In saying that I still have a lot more to learn and ask about.

Firstly I know I want black sand which is crushed quartz at my pet store and for now I'm going to use a few rocks and pots with holes until I find rocks I'm happy with.

So now I start to question what helps raise the ph? How many fish should I keep? What's the perfect temperature and flow? And lastly can I add a "clean up crew" that the cichlids won't harm?

Any tips or information will be appreciated.

Thanks, Jett.

 

Try to avoid stocking mbunas with other species like peacocks and haps, as the mbunas are far more aggressive than non-mbuna species. I ended up trading in all my mbuna as they were terrorizing my haps and peacocks as well as my catfish and pleco. The tank is far more peaceful w/o them. If you want mbunas then make it a tank dedicated to only mbunas.

What is your pH at right now? Crushed coral is good at raising pH and there are special cichlid subtrates that act as buffers too so you should do some looking into that. My African tank has black and white sand and I don't have to worry about the pH as it is naturally about 7.8.

IMO the best temp is around 75-76. The warmer the water the more aggressive they seem to get but it also means they will breed more readily.

The number of fish you keep depends on the species you plan to get. You can keep a lot of fish (around 25-35 depending on species) in a 75gal so long as you have great filtration and keep up on water changes. Canister filters are the best for African cichlid tanks, or so I believe.

Not much in the clean up crew here. Synodontis catfish and plecos are the only ones I would (and do) have.

Be prepared for fry, unless you get all males. Cross breeding is a pretty controversial issue here, as many hardcore African keeps say to destroy all cross breeds and/or avoid mixing species that are likely to cross. I could honestly care less. If you get cross breeds by accident and are willing to raise them up as a hobby rather than to make money then all the power to you. I have several cross breeds of my own.

 

Angels are in the tank rn and the ph is at 7.5. Also could I put a bag of crushed coral into my canister filter to raise the ph, not a big fan of it. But thanks a lot for your advice I appreciate it

 

Demeter

 

I've never tried adding coral to the filter, but I have heard it being done and working. I would do a trial run first and see how much it changes the pH.

I don't know if you are interested but I found a possible alternative to the crushed quarts. It's black sand aimed towards African tanks that also has a buffering effect.

 

I've mixed Mbuna and peacocks with no issues, I know some people have had terrible experiences with it but it can be done. As for ph I use a MalawI salt from my lfs