New to African Cichlids

[Rayfishowner]

Hey all,

I will be getting a group of yellow lab and ob peocock hybrids tomorrow. This will be my first time caring for African Cichids so please let me know if there’s anything particularly different between their care and that of central and South American cichlids. Do I have to worry about their water parameters or will what I normally use work? It’s from a local hobbiest in my area. Additionally any experiences with them would be much appreciated! Below I’ve attached some pics ?

 

[dr exum]

what’s your ph?

im not an expert in this area .

i know m/f ratio is important- obviously more girls than boys -

i buffer my ph with african cichlid substrate-

i’ve only kept 2 species of victorians for a year... would not recommend these kind -

when i started i was given the advice to get mbuna- 1-2 males per 4-6 females -

GL!

 

[Rayfishowner]

My area has water ph around 6-8. I’m from NJ. If I don’t “buffer” will they die? I don’t have anything on hand and will be picking them up tomorrow morning.

 

[i Aqua]

ph is very important and do not feed them any kind of warms,

 

[DJRansome]

pH=6 would be bad and 8 would be good. Why not pick up a test kit and figure it out before you pick up the fish? It is possible for them to die if their current owner is keeping them at 8 and you put them in water with pH=6. The difference between 6 and 8 is night and day in the pH world.

Africans are very different than CA and SA. They are territorial and need a lot of space even though they are a smaller fish. Are you putting them in an aquarium that is 48x18 or larger?

 

[Rayfishowner]

pH=6 would be bad and 8 would be good. Why not pick up a test kit and figure it out before you pick up the fish? It is possible for them to die if their current owner is keeping them at 8 and you put them in water with pH=6. The difference between 6 and 8 is night and day in the pH world.

Africans are very different than CA and SA. They are territorial and need a lot of space even though they are a smaller fish. Are you putting them in an aquarium that is 48x18 or larger?

They will be quarantined in a 10 gallon for the time being but my plans are to add them into my free 30 gallon. Will that be large enough for a group of 5? I’ll do a test and let you guys know the results! Thanks again for the replies!

 

[Rayfishowner]

Okay so my ph is around 6.8. I’ll ask the person I’m getting them from if he adds anything. I have some crushed coral sitting in a bag, will that help? Also any quick ways to “raise ph” without having it crash down. I have ph up but I don’t want to use it and have it crash the tank and shock the fish.

 

[duanes]

Crushed coral should help, because a pH of 6.8 is not ideal for rift lake African cichlids, it can even be hard on some Central Americans.
The pH of the African rift lake is often above 8, and the water there is mineral rich, and very stable.
Your slightly below 7 water would be better for South American species.
Not that it can't be done, but it can be problematic over time.

 

[The Morning]

Personally I think a 30 gallon is too small for mbuna sand peacocks. They should have a larger footprint to swim.

 

[Rayfishowner]

Personally I think a 30 gallon is too small for mbuna sand peacocks. They should have a larger footprint to swim.

Sure I’ll upgrade once I get the chance!