Hi everybody! I have a 46 gallon bow front tank that I am looking to stock with chiclids. I love bright colors to make my tank pop so I would like to have some that will be vibrant. Also do chiclids need a certain type of salt in the tank? A lady at my local fish store told me that I have to add in a chiclid type of salt two days before adding the fish. Any suggestions of types of chiclids would be great! thank you!
Stocking 46 gallon bow bowfront tank!
- Thread starter HDFish
- Start date
The fish you are talking about doesn't want any salt, fullstop. I would suggest sticking to an easier cichlid to keep if this is your first rodeo with them. Also please bear in mind cichlids can have some pretty crap personalities when they are asked to "get along" although this is often driven by the individual fish not just the whole "breed". Those fish that pop tend to enjoy a good fight too. spend every second you can reading before buying on this one mate
No, there is no need to add salt to an African Cichlid tank. The water does need an elevated PH of 7.8 - 8.4, which is easily obtainable by building a limestone hardscape or use a carbonate substrate material.
Some good colorful Mbuna to start with are Yellow Labs, Red or Blue Zebras or Kenyi.
Some good colorful Mbuna to start with are Yellow Labs, Red or Blue Zebras or Kenyi.
Mbuna for my vote. first timer looking for safe colours, should be good. Maybe a group of convicts? Not my thing, find them to have Jack Russel personalities :/
it really depends on tank dimensions. There are a few that work in smaller tanks, while others are highly aggressive and new large tanks.
I actually answered your other thread. I echo keep stable water parameters and not adding salt. Most importantly get a report on your local water service's parameters...it should be available...moreover, test your tap water. Take most LFS employees statements with a grain of salt; however, there are some LFS owners that are a wealth of knowledge. Most of the time they are trying to sell the dry goods on their shelves...it's a business.
Most people start with Mbuna. Go with a single dwarf Mbuna species (highly aggressive) in a 36" tank, a pretty decent amount of rockwork ( get river rock from a landscaping, or stone place). You could always get yellow labs or Saulosi (you could try two species, but your going to need a > 1m/3-4f ratio either way). My vote would probably be Saulosi. Real estate (tank footprint) is also a big factor being a 36" length. As stated, Mbuna are nasty little buggers so expect hyper-aggressive fish, warfare, and deaths until the colony stabilizes. D/t the rockwork with Mbuna, it can be cumbersome to remove the hyper-aggressive fish sometimes...or fry for that matter.
PS. Don't worry you will soon graduate from Mbuna in no time...then get a 4 footer and try peacocks, then Haps, then a group of Tropheus. Then most likely you will dive into SW and find its a PITA in the long run, & then get a 6 foot tank and try various setups. This is only the beginning. Watch out for Aqua-Piscis Neurosis or Multiple-Tank Syndrome. I hear it can be pretty absurd at times. Enjoy!
Most people start with Mbuna. Go with a single dwarf Mbuna species (highly aggressive) in a 36" tank, a pretty decent amount of rockwork ( get river rock from a landscaping, or stone place). You could always get yellow labs or Saulosi (you could try two species, but your going to need a > 1m/3-4f ratio either way). My vote would probably be Saulosi. Real estate (tank footprint) is also a big factor being a 36" length. As stated, Mbuna are nasty little buggers so expect hyper-aggressive fish, warfare, and deaths until the colony stabilizes. D/t the rockwork with Mbuna, it can be cumbersome to remove the hyper-aggressive fish sometimes...or fry for that matter.
PS. Don't worry you will soon graduate from Mbuna in no time...then get a 4 footer and try peacocks, then Haps, then a group of Tropheus. Then most likely you will dive into SW and find its a PITA in the long run, & then get a 6 foot tank and try various setups. This is only the beginning. Watch out for Aqua-Piscis Neurosis or Multiple-Tank Syndrome. I hear it can be pretty absurd at times. Enjoy!
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I agree since this is a 36" tank saulosi are the best choice among Lake Malawi cichlids. I would avoid kenyi and red or blue zebras unless you had a longer tank. Yellow labs could work instead of the saulosi.
How are you cycling the tank? That is a six week process which needs to be completed before adding fish.
How are you cycling the tank? That is a six week process which needs to be completed before adding fish.