Anyone know were to get info on how to make a africa cichlid tank

[idle0095]

how can i make a africa cichlid tank? were do i find info and what to buy?

[Obsidian]

I can give one piece of advice about this... get a big tank

They get big and need space. But that is all I know. There are some small cichlids, but I believe those are American.

[frogman5]

some info i know is they like a high ph like rock formations i believe im not sure though i think u can keep a few in a 55 gallon but im not possitive so ask around good luck with them

[bomb-]

Cichlids are very hardy, you'll enjoy them. But you have to know what you're getting yourself into before you buy these fellas. Most of them get huge, and I'm not sure a 75 gallon would be big enough. It would be decent if you only got a couple.

They like a pH around 7.0 if I recall. I know that Plecos and Clown Loaches are compatible with them, although I would not recommend this because all of them are going to get too big.

http://www.aquariumlife.net/articles...cal-fish/8.asp This is a good site for basic info on Cichlids. My brother used to keep a huge tank with about 10-15 Cichlids in it, but they all got too big and had to be given away, which is a common problem with Cichlids.

Cichlids like many-branched driftwood pieces, long leaves to hide under, Java Fern, long wavy plants to hide in when small, etc.

I'm not an expert with Cichlid so I'll leave the rest to someone else who can help you.

[emc7]

The stereotypical "african cichlid" tank has a big pile of rocks and mouthbrooding cichlids from Lake Malawi (pH 7.5-8.5). But there are lots of others fish from Lake Tanginika (pH 8.5-9), Lake Victoria, assorted crater lakes and rivers (Jewels and Kribs) (pH 7-7.5). You need to be more specific. Whats your waters hardness and pH (you can easily buffer up, but down is harder)? what size tank do you have room for? Check out http://cichlidae.com/ and http://www.cichlid.org/. Please post where you are located as that affects where to buy. ACA's trading post is good for hard to find cichlids.

[Scuba Kid]

If you are looking for the typical Mbuna cichlids, not all of them get "huge." You can easily get away with a nice size group of smaller Mbuna cichlid in a 55 gallon.

[Dr_House]

Agreed. 55 gallons should give you ample space for a Mbuna setup. As said above, they need large amounts of rock to establish territory. They do prefer a higher pH, but through immense amounts of aquarium breeding, they have become adaptable to a wide range of pH. Anything about 7.0 should work fine for them. The rock will also help raise the hardness of the water, which is actually more important for the health of the fish than the pH. A lot of people use marine substrates to accomplish this.

I had an African Cichlid setup in my 55 gallon for a short time stocked with P. Demasoni and L. Caeruleus. The deep blues and bright yellows made for a stunning contrast and the aquarium got a lot of attention.

The most important thing when you're considering a fish is doing the research to determine it is the fish for you in terms of behavior, aesthetics and water conditions. Let us know what you find.

[Betta1]

I'm setting up a 55g African Tanganyikan myself and luckily theres a local group of breeders I can rely on. Most Tanganyikans get up to 5" at most and of the two breeders I've been to they use mostly 75g & 55g to house their cichlids. I don't know how many I'm getting yet though the inch per gallon says I can get about 10 and considering the tank is 12" deep I don't see a problem with that. Again I'll be relying on the breeder to let me know whats good and what isn't. Tap ph here is about 7.6 and thats what the breeders use for most of their tanks. I'll tell you one thing I learned about buffering, coral rock doesn't raise the ph when used as substrate, perhaps in a canister filter but it does nothing as substrate. Check out some cichlid forums and find out if you've got any local breeders. Search aquabid for sales located in your state, if you find someone selling alot of cichlids they may be a breeder, thats how I found mine.