new african cichlid setup

[arowana man]

ok im new to african cichlids but i think i did good. you judge. i bought a 40 gallon breeder tank. some texas holey rock (expensive), some black sand, crushed coral, and a sponge filter. i got 2 test african cichlids. they have been alright for two days now. the water is 78 degrees, ph-8.1, and everything else is good. does this setup sound good. how many cichlids can i put in it. what about any sydontis cats. i also heard that africans should have atanic lighting-true or false. oh ya the 2 cichlids in there now are about 1/2''. i dont know what lake these are from, but the tank they were in said mixed african cichlids. any help would be great

 

[tarheels910]

Sounds like your off to a good start. Maybe post some pics of the 2 mixed africans and we can ID them for you.

 

[toehead11183]

i'd put up to 8-12 in there (depends of your filtration), no syno (they get really big) go with a 50/50 bult (half atlantic half 10,000k) mixed africans are usually malawi mbuna. post pics, good luck

 

[bdmonkey69]

I would love to see some pics of the cichlids. I may be able to help ID them and make a few recommendations on substraits etc.

 

[fsc46]

I'd like to see a tank shot as well!

 

[tarheels910]

i'd put up to 8-12 in there (depends of your filtration), no syno (they get really big) go with a 50/50 bult (half atlantic half 10,000k) mixed africans are usually malawi mbuna. post pics, good luck

I would say 10 mbuna max, just make sure they arent bumblebees, acei, and others that get large. You know there are different species of Synodontis. Some stay small and would be okay in a 40 gallon.

 

[arowana man]

when i find my camera i will post pics

 

[arowana man]

here is the tank plus the cichlid. ID please. im getting a backroud today.

 

[tarheels910]

Most likely a Red Zebra. Is it the only fish in the tank?

 

[mike dunagan]

when you get more fish you will need more rock than that...