ok well, let me start off by saying this is a temporary hold for a 4 inch oscar, a 3 inch eye biter, a 4 inch albino cat, some kind of yellow colored pleco that is about 3 inch, and a out cast convict that the other convicts beat up. I am getting a 75 gall or larger tank in the next few weeks, ( thank goodness for tax returns!) where the oscar will go with the cat, and possibly the pleco. i am thinking of turnign the 55 in to a african cichlid tank. kinda like breeding stock just like the convicts. any way, is a gravelless tank better? or is gravel prefered? i do like lots of assortment in plastic plants. in either tank. i am just wondering. and i dont need any one yelling at me telling me that the tank aint big enough for the fish ect ect, cuz as i said they are moving to a bigger tank here soon. and all that i just need advice on a african tank setup, and graveless VS gravel
55 gal. setup. need advice?
- Thread starter theheffners
- Start date
I would use an african substrate, you can get it at drs. foster and smith, aquarium guyz etc. use rock like texas holey rock or lace rock, african cichlids prefer a rift lake type sand and rocks. Africans can be crowded (and they will be if you breed) with superior filtration something like a emperor 400 would be perfect. I think this will be a successful approach at keeping african cichlids. Also, even with the buffer from the african rift lake substrate I would still use 1 table spoon of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water, african cichlids should have a little salt.
i just switched to south americans from africans but i will tell you how i had mine set up..... first off they dont mind a little current but not much and only at the top.. i had an aquaclear 110 filter cruched coral the sand does not do well by itself and some people like to mix half and half.... if u want to keep gravel that is... if you keeping a community i would do gravel if u plan to breed keep the floor clean with just caves and u probably should throw a big sponge filter in their to... if your breeding africans in a 55 you need to outnumber your male 2/1 or 3/1 let them pair and remove the female.... in such a tight space i would suggest breeding aulonocara or peacock cichlids for there mild temperment i have actually had more success with a 1 1/2 inch deep crushed coral bottom.... do some research africans are a little harder than south americans especially in a 55