cichlids? help please

[ryanhayes9]

i posted this on another board but not a lot of response
k,
i have an empty 55 gallon sitting around i was going to use for moray eels but i want cichlids instead. can you mix like lake malawai and lake tangynika(sp?) togeather?
How many could I have in a 55 gallon?
Is there anything general i need to know?
k ive decided to go with malawain cichlids. can I have
2 yellow cichlid ( 1 male 1 female)
2 Blue peacock cichlids( 1 male 1 female)
2 acei cichlid( 1 male 1 female)
Can I get more fish than this?
Should i add like 2 fish every two weeks for the bioload to adjust? is it like as sensitive as saltwater?
Should they have some salt in there water? Trace elements?
I have some Instant Ocean salt and some red sea coral pro salt laying around.... could I use that?
could I use some sand as the substrate?
what could I use as far as a clean up crew?
like cherry fire shrimp
(*posting links to other websites that are in direct compition of SWF is not allowed*)
or like freshwater clams
(*posting links to other websites that are in direct compition of SWF is not allowed*)
thanks for the help guys

 

[clsimons29]

Here is a website that deals with some of the species your interested in http://www.africancichlids.net/Malawi/index.html
I have not kept the species your are looking at but here is some info from my experience of keeping cichlids.
1) Almost all cichlids are aggressive & territorial, some more that others and how many you can keep will depend on this and also on how BIG they get. Most will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. I raised a butkoferi over 14". Tank demension will also matter as a taller tank my be required for some of the larger species and the longer the better to give more room to spread out and establish territory. Thing to note is that some cichlids will do fine together while small and once they hit a certain size or brood "poof" aggression goes into overdrive.
2) I would recommend purchasing Fresh Water aquarium salt for your tank as it is made for this.
3) Yes your tank does need to cycle just like salt water, amonia, and nitrites are just as deadly to freshwater as saltwater. Nitrate should be removed w/water changes, can have higher levels of Nitrates though than salt, but still good to keep them down.
4) I would not recommend sand as a substrate, use a bare bottom or natural pebble stone. For one, lots of Cichlids will "rearrange" the bottom of the tank, stacking your substrate up on one side and bare on the other. Also lots of cichlids are messy eaters and you will need to vaccum your substrate regularly. This is also why you may not be able to have "live" plants in your tank as they will pull them up and/or attack and shred them.
5) You need to have plenty of hiding places for your fish. Each cichild will establish a terrority in your tank and less aggressive fish will need a place to hide and to seek "protection" from there more dominant tank mates. Also as you add fish always rearrange your tank to
break down established territories to lessen the fighting time. Ledges, half buried pots, tree branches etc work well for this.
5) Clean up crew, may not be necassary with cichlids as vacuming your substrate will take care of most of the junk and you do not typically have an intense lighting need on these type of tanks. If I were to add something for algea control it would be a Japanese trapdoor snail. I keep this in my Koi pond and they do great. They do not lay eggs to reproduce so they won't overpopulate, will eat there body weight each day in algea, and can get very large, i.e to big for the fish to eat, have a few 1/2 $ size.
6) Supplements are not necessary in a fresh water tank, you may want to add some calcium to the water if you have the above snails but really just add some fresh water salt, keep your PH in the correct range, and your ammonia and nitrites at 0 and you should be good.
Lastly there are more species of cichlids than I can count and each one has it's own nuances. I would recommend researching your fish before you buy in paticular for these:
1) Mature size of fish
2) General aggression of fish
3) Ideal PH range for fish
4) How fish lives in it's wild habitat.
If you understand these things you will have a good idea how your fish will do together.
Good Luck!

 

[ryanhayes9]

Originally Posted by ryanhayes9
i posted this on another board but not a lot of response
k,
i have an empty 55 gallon sitting around i was going to use for moray eels but i want cichlids instead. can you mix like lake malawai and lake tangynika(sp?) togeather?
How many could I have in a 55 gallon?
Is there anything general i need to know?
k ive decided to go with malawain cichlids. can I have
2 yellow cichlid ( 1 male 1 female)
2 Blue peacock cichlids( 1 male 1 female)
2 acei cichlid( 1 male 1 female)
Can I get more fish than this?
Should i add like 2 fish every two weeks for the bioload to adjust? is it like as sensitive as saltwater?
Should they have some salt in there water? Trace elements?
I have some Instant Ocean salt and some red sea coral pro salt laying around.... could I use that?
could I use some sand as the substrate?
what could I use as far as a clean up crew?
like cherry fire shrimp
(*posting links to other websites that are in direct compition of SWF is not allowed*)
or like freshwater clams
(*posting links to other websites that are in direct compition of SWF is not allowed*)
thanks for the help guys
oh crap sorry bout that. just copy and pasted from another website which allows it

 

[pontius]

the 3 kinds of cichlids you mention CAN be kept together. pay attention to the fish's first name, like "pseudotropheus" or "melanochromis". if you have different fish of the same genus, they will hybridize and the hybrid offspring are generally frowned upon in the cichlid community.
they ARE VERY territorial, but when stocking them works in the opposite way that you'd think......due to their territoriality, they LOVE to be fairly packed together in large groups. this is so they can share the hate so that one particular fish doesn't get bullied to death. so when the tank is cycled, you're best to add ALL fish at once, or either large groups at 2 separate times. I have approximately 60 malawi cichlids in a 135 gallon tank.
no crustacean "clean up" crew will make it with malawi cichlids. synodontis catfish are the only cleanup crew you need. in fact, catfish are really the only other fish that malawi cichlids will tolerate.
salt has major benefits for these cichlids. I use a salt made specifically for them, but there is a recipe that you can make the salt out of sw salt and epson salt. but really, the bottle of liquid cichlid salt is only about $7 and should last you 6 months. also, they prefer a ph of 8.2, just like saltwater fish. but the salinity is NOT that of saltwater, it's barely more saline than regular water.
also, malawi bloat is a common problem and is fatal, and contagious. it's an intestinal desease brought on by feeding too much or feeding the wrong stuff. for this, you need metrozalone on hand....it cures bloat. I feed my cichlids mostly algae, and feed them brine/mysis once a week.
Malawi and Tanganyka are both lakes in Africa and have *roughly* the same chemistry, but the two kinds of fish are generally not kept together because of the different "languages".....they can't understand each other, and being territorial and unable to understand each other is a bad combo. I've seen them kept together in lfs, but that's just short term.

 

[sepulatian]

Dan, Cichlids are very easy to keep. You will get many opinions on what is best for them. I have been keeping cichlids for years and have rarely had problems. They are territorial. I find that it is best to either have enough hiding spots for all of them or none at all. Peacocks and yellow labs are more docile. Obliques are very beautifull as well. Stay away from electric blues, they are pretty agressive.