Turning A Tetra Tank To A Cichlid Tank

[SpeedyFish]

Next month I will be moving and decided to turn my tetra tank into an African cichlid tank. Right now I have a 46 gallon tank with a 406 fluval canister filter. I will get some rock for decorations later.

This will be my first time getting African Cichlids after having tetras for many years. I'm afraid that the size of my tank i'm limited on the type and the amount of fish i can have. For example yellow lab cichlids I will only be able to get a small amount like 3 or 4.

With the current setup will I be able to setup an african cichlid tank? I'm unable to get a larger tank because the setup f the new apartment.

What other small colorful cichlids should I look at?

Regards,

 

[Bradley Moles]

You could look at a more peaceful tank and maybe go with dwarf cichlids and bottom feeders. I have a breeding pair of electric blue ram cichlids in my tank. They are beautiful but only grow to about 2.5 inches.

 

[Jellibeen]

What about shell dwellers? They are small and African. It’s pretty adorable that they live in shells.

 

[Bradley Moles]

I’ve never had them but that would be a good option as well

 

[SpeedyFish]

Shell Dwellers are cute little guys, my first time seeing them. Many times I been to different LFS and never seen those fish before.

 

[NavyChief20]

So look at mbunas. That's the rock/shell dwelling cichlids of lake malawi. I think you will like them. Cichlid keeping is a rewarding headache they get territorial even with the peaceful ones. Numbers are important as well as genders and numbers.

 

[Jellibeen]

I’ve never had them either, but i have thought about it. I went the apistogramma route. I adore them. They are also a good consideration if you are not set on cichlids from Africa.

 

[SpeedyFish]

I was at a restaurant picking up some food and I seen some cichlids some were yellow, some were blue, and some were multi colored. I noticed they had a bunch of them in there.

I was possibly looking at either yellow lab cichlids or Pseudotropheus saulosi. I would like the Pseudotropheus saulosi better because atleast the males are different color. Would either work for my tank? If so how many can I have?

 

[SpeedyFish]

Will 2 males and 10 females Pseudotrpheus saulosi work with my setup? Or do I need to decrease the number?

 

[Bradley Moles]

That number would follow the inch per gallon rule but 12 3-4 inch fish in a 46 gallon is quite a bit. It’s your call honestly. You can always over stock the tank and as they grow out the tank you could make plans to upgrade to a larger one

 

[NavyChief20]

I'm not a huge supporter of the inch per gallon legend. But @Bradley Moles is right 14 good sized cichlids in a 46 is gonna be tight, not to mention the filtration system.

 

[SpeedyFish]

I'm not a huge supporter of the inch per gallon legend. But @Bradley Moles is right 14 good sized cichlids in a 46 is gonna be tight, not to mention the filtration system.

I was thinking about upgrading my Fluval 406 to the Fluval FX4. Would that be overkill?

 

[NavyChief20]

I was thinking about upgrading my Fluval 406 to the Fluval FX4. Would that be overkill?

@AquaticJ is good with canisters. I'm a sump guy myself. Im a cichlid keeper and I engineer my filtration systems to 170% of tank capacity

 

[SpeedyFish]

I was worried if I get a FX4 whatever cichlid I get will get tossed around the 46 gallon tank.

 

[NavyChief20]

No the discharge isnt that crazy. If it's too much turbulence then you can diffuse it

 

[AquaticJ]

Agreed, the FX4 would be fine!

 

[SpeedyFish]

Cool. I'll get like a sponge diffuser or something that will soften the flow. Wish I could get a larger tank, but unfortunately I can't at this point of time. Maybe later in the future.