New to keeping Cichlids, help with a few Q's

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Plecostomus
MFK Member
Nov 3, 2009
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Culpeper, VA
So I am about to pick up a 50 gallon tank and some things, free! I am hoping it is water tight. If it is, I will be stocking it with Cichlids. The link below is the fish I can choose from.
http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3970431&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F3970431&lmdn=Pet+Type&f=PAD%2FPet+Type+1%2FAfrican+Cichlids&fbc=1&fbn=Pet+Type+1|African+Cichlids&fbx=0

I cannot say that I can find or get 1M to 4F or that many of one kind at all. I am picky at which fish I get and can spend 15 minutes staring into the tank. So, which fish from that link can go together, how many of each kind and how many fish total in a 50 gallon tank? I know it should be overstocked to reduce aggression.

Do I need any of the following below? If so, when to I add it and why is it so important? Any other additives I need to purchase?
African Cichlid Conditioner
Nutrafin PH Stabilizer

What do I need to stock it with? Any alternative hide outs I can use? If so, any pictures of them in use?
Plants
Rocks
Wood
Substrate
 
if your shopping for fish at petsmart, you might as well give up on the whole harem pairing thing (1M4F).. ive never seen a female african cichlid at petsmart, plus its pretty tough to tell they're sex when theyre as little as they are there.
you could order a trio online maybe...
as for the fish
thhe kenyi are *******s
Yellow labs are nice--> one of my favorites
jewel cichlids are cool
electric blue (ahli) are awesome.. technically theyre haplochromines but i dk if a 50 gallon is big enough
red zebra are cool.
i dont like bumblebees.. or know anything about them
melanochromis auratus are mean
and the acei is pretty cool looking but dont know much about them either

look into some peacocks! theyre attractive fish

realistically, if you go for an all male tank, any of these fish would do fine together... you are gonna have aggression issues no matter what.. and i speak from experience when i say: if you take out the bully, its only a matter of time until another fish fills that place.

the trick to keeping africans is a denser than usual population, good flitration, and plenty of hidinng spots.

I dont use any special conditioner... just prime

as for pH, africans do well in a harder water environment.. I dont use pH adjusters i just have a crushed arognite )coral) substrate that always keeps the pH nice and high

ive been keeping them for about 2 years now and love it, theyre awesome fish and youll really enjoy them

ill attach a few pics of my fish and tank so you can get some ideas of what you want to do. the pics they have of the fish on petsmart.com are aweful..

what type of filter are you getting??
would you consider maybe 60-75 gallons? i recently upgraded from a 55 and it made the biggest difference in fish tempermant..

Photo0079.jpg

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All these fish would be fine together with the exeption of jewels. I would not suggest putting the ahili in with the africans. Also the auratus are very agressive so they need room. Your biggest problem is going to be space!
 
What's the footprint of a 50 gallon? Is it 4 feet? If it is then I would say pick 3 species you like and stick with those.
Have you considered ordering fish online?

I think if you only stick with Petsmart fish you'll be disappointed. Of the fish in the list I would stay away from autartus, bumblebee and Kenyi for sure. They are really aggressive and can kill other tankmates. I would also suggest not getting a jewel or ahli since they would be not be happy with mbuna. So that leaves you with yellow labs, acei and red zebras. Red zebras can be really nasty as well but it varies. They also may cross breed with the yellow labs. The acei I see at petsmart are almost a purple/gray color instead of the nice dark purple you can get elsewhere.
You'll have to buy more juvis and wait for them to grow. then you remove the extra males as needed. I've gotten many female mbuna from petsmart, including female acei and red zebras.
I would check around i your area to see if anyone is breeding some mbuna. You'll get them cheaper and they will be better quality that way.
 
If I do get a 75G, it's for my Pleco & his tank mates, not the Cichlids.
I believe it is 4ft, just shorter hieght.
The tank came with such awesome extras, I am so happy I found this. He said free, but I feel that I have to send him a check for some amount.
All I have to buy is a heater, It came with one-200watts(hydor theo-my fav), but I am using it in my 20 long.
Came with a master liquid test kit, several strip tests, fungus buddies-2 boxes, airline tubes gallor, air pump, air stones-etc, 2 light hoods, background, medicated foods, gravel vac, book and a few other things.
I have not stumbled across any breeders, would if they were near. I refuse to buy online, too risky for the fish and me.
 
Paying to ship it back makes it more. And then they might refuse to refund my money. So no, it isn't.
 
Your not suppose to ship them back. It is not as horrible as you think it is. A lot of members have bought online without problems. Sure things go bad from time to time, but not a common thing.
 
I bought some of my fish online and they were gorgeous and healthy. It widens the selection as well.
 
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