need help with cichlid tank setup..

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bill109

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 24, 2008
20
0
0
CT
hey!
i have decided to put together a african cichild tank in my 20 long.
a far as fish..
electric yellow
Orange Leleupi Cichlid
Demasoni Cichlid
Yellow Peacock Cichlid
seudotropheus Socolofi

for the tank..
substrate: Playsand mixed with aquarium pebbles.. and for rocks.. im not sure yet.. i need help here. can i jsut use base rock that you can get at ne lfs for a sw tank? not live rock, base rock. and i will find some fake plants.

willi have ph problems? my sink water comes out at about 8.0

my last concern.. an undergravel filter.. do i need one? i would put it under the sand.. will this work?
then if i need one.. i would need an airpump of some kind? would i want it rated for more or less gallons then the tank? and i need to attach a powerhead to it? i dont have any extra ones at the moment.. is it a must?

thanks again
anything you can give me would be greatly appreciated!
thanks for your time

--bill
 
whats up man where are you at In Ct have you checked out the Puppy Center in West Hartford? I work there and would highly reccomend it! haha
do you have an actual filter on your tanks because it doesnt seem like you have mentioned that? and undergravels are obsolete, reccomend a HOB aquaclear filter or small canister filter , also those fish will outgrow a 20 gallon tank the yellow labids and the Leupupis , Only shell dwelling species work well in a 30" long footprint, so unless you want to change your stock you would need to uprade to a 4' long tank in the future. you can use baserock, lava rock anything, thats good that your ph is 8.0 because that is natural for africans so your set on water params
 
20gl is way way waay to small. i guarantee it.
get at least a 3ftx15x18 or 4ftx?x? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

please they will kill eachother. maybe not in the first week but in the first month they will. i will place bets thats how confident i am of this.

in the 3ftx15x18 you can fit between 10-15 mbuna (no peacoks or haps they get huge)
and DONT get scofoli's, zebras or auratus they are way too aggresive for a 3fter or even 4fter.

a 20 gal is okay for 4-5 lelupis untill they pair off.

just say no or get a bigger tank.







dont get a undergravel filter. they do not work with sand. and they barely work with gravel lol. jsut get a cannister and a internal.
 
i have a hob.a emperor..
i was thikning a undergravel to keep the sand somewhat stirred..
a 20 long is to small?
for any africans?

what can i do with this tank?
i would liek something unique.. so i liked the africans.. they look cool witht he rocks and sand.. thts what i like the most.
i couldnt do a planted with sand could i?
i looked at the africans.. for color, and cus u never see them..
 
yes for africans you can do a lamprologous species aka shell dwellers, and you could have a nice sized harem in your current tank, come into puppy center and trade in your current africans for some better fish for the long run
 
voss345;1759608; said:
yes for africans you can do a lamprologous species aka shell dwellers, and you could have a nice sized harem in your current tank, come into puppy center and trade in your current africans for some better fish for the long run
Click to expand...

im in suffield CT.
for the shell dwellers.. they are not as good looking as the othet cichlids..
any suggestions?
or should i just go with a planted aquarium?
could i do sand with a planted?
how do i keep the rocks/sand substrate clean in the tank? i could use a powerhead.. but what other way is there?

i want a tank wheather is african cichlid or community with alot of activity.. and hope full a good amount of fish..
 
bill109;1759639; said:
im in suffield CT.
for the shell dwellers.. they are not as good looking as the othet cichlids..
any suggestions?
or should i just go with a planted aquarium?
could i do sand with a planted?
how do i keep the rocks/sand substrate clean in the tank? i could use a powerhead.. but what other way is there?

i want a tank wheather is african cichlid or community with alot of activity.. and hope full a good amount of fish..
Click to expand...

just get a 40 gallon at least, you will be happy you did. africans are way more fun to watch than a planted
 
no a planted tank in sand will not work, the sand disables and suffocates the roots on the plants and it wont be a very good planted tank, im suprised you dont like shell dwellers there are some very colorful ones
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/other/meleagris.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/other/lamprologus_meleagris.htm&h=312&w=555&sz=56&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=NEACQbm5VYzbNM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmeleagris%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
i have a harem of these and love them
 
addicted2cichlids;1759762; said:
the answer to all of your questions can be found here...

cichlid-forum.com

"reading is so fun and doing reasearch is great!" :popcorn:
Click to expand...

haha i would buy a 100 gal cichlid tank if i could. but i dont have room for it..nor will anybody in the house appreciate it lol
i have a 90 gal reef.. a 30 gal cichild and a 20 gal with an african tht i am probally going to do a planted..
with the shell dwellers..all i see is grays and blacks. i like the color varieties in the africans and some tetras and such. so i plan to pack some tetras and what not in a planted tank with some drift wood. but unless i can find a few good looking shel dwellers.*(like color such as reds,blues,yellows,) i will do a planted..
 
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