I want to go African, need advice

J

jbn7474

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Nov 4, 2008
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Hi folks,
I currently have a south american cichlid setup and am bored with it. I am considering going african as the fish seem more colorful and dont get as big as their south american cousins do. The one ques I have is I should get crushed coral for the substrate right? What else should I do to make this tank haibitable. I have a regular 55 gallon. What species shold I get? I have about 600 gph filtration. Thanks for any and all responses.
 
Lots of filtration, lots of rockwork generally.

Its not so much what your GPH is - you want a solid high flow internal cannister plus one more filter as backup (the internals have far higher pressure and are much more effective than a HOB or similar).

Your first decision is do you want Malawis, Tangs, or Victorians. I'd say choose between the first two as a beginner. Do some research on Malawis & Tanganyikans and come back to us with what you reckon you like the look of.

I would generally reccomend Malawis to start with however, in a 55 Gallon say something like 4 groups of 4 or 5 fish.

You could also have a look around locally and see what fish are available - post back here with your options. No point in getting all worked up about fish you won't be able to source.
 
I just got a marineland 350 canister filter. I will use my aqua clear 50 and 30 filters too. How many days should I wait till I can add fish. The aqua clear filters have established bacteria as well as the thin gravel bed underneath the cichlid substrate I just got. Its pretty cloudy in the tank now from the cichlid sand. They said at the pet store it should clear up in a couple of days.
 
jbn7474 said:
I just got a marineland 350 canister filter. I will use my aqua clear 50 and 30 filters too. How many days should I wait till I can add fish. The aqua clear filters have established bacteria as well as the thin gravel bed underneath the cichlid substrate I just got. Its pretty cloudy in the tank now from the cichlid sand. They said at the pet store it should clear up in a couple of days.
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If your filters have established bacteria, I would get some fish in there asap as you need to feed the nitrfying bacteria. As a safety precaution, you could pick up some BIO-Goop (Tetra SafeStart) sized for your 55 gallon tank. Add your fish and insert the BIO-goop as indicated. It will work and will cycle your tank for you. If you do use the BIO-Goop, don't add any additional fish for a while. Keep your stock level consistent to add in establishing your nitrifying bacteria colony.

Did you pick some fish out at the Petstore? Maybe we can help you zoom in on which species to go with. I am thinking, maybe a Mbuna tank???
 
Hi there,
I finally finished setting up the tank. I have all filters running, I have some caves set up, there should be enough for now. The cloudyness is starting to go away. I have a question about the assorted africans I see at walmart and petco/petsmart, what groups do they belong too? I want to go with fish that dont get much bigger than 5-6 inches. Also does the cichlid sand adjust the ph quickly or do I have to wait for it to climb. I bought an API master test kit to today so I guess I should check all parameters before investing in fish.
 
I also just tested my water. PH looks like its around 7.4, zero ammonia and nitrite. The nitrate however seems high at around between 40-80 ppm. Should I be concerned about that. Just wanted to let you guys know. Thanks for any and all responses :)
 
jbn7474 said:
I also just tested my water. PH looks like its around 7.4, zero ammonia and nitrite. The nitrate however seems high at around between 40-80 ppm. Should I be concerned about that. Just wanted to let you guys know. Thanks for any and all responses :)
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The API Master test Kit is a good one.

Nitrates are high. Ideally you should try to keep them at or below 20ppm. After a water change, my frontosa tank is about 10ppm (which is kinda low). Do a water change, clean the filter media out and use the Tetra Safe Start to make sure you tank is cycled. For a 55 gallon tank, it shouldn't cost too much.
 
jbn7474 said:
...I have a question about the assorted africans I see at walmart and petco/petsmart, what groups do they belong too? Most likely Malwai. Write down the names (scientific names) of the ones you like and post it here and we can be more specific in our answers.

I want to go with fish that dont get much bigger than 5-6 inches. Should be OK with Malawai. Again, the names will help :)
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Good luck :)
 
jbn7474 said:
I have a question about the assorted africans I see at walmart and petco/petsmart, what groups do they belong too? I want to go with fish that dont get much bigger than 5-6 inches. Also does the cichlid sand adjust the ph quickly or do I have to wait for it to climb. I bought an API master test kit to today so I guess I should check all parameters before investing in fish.
Click to expand...

It is difficult to know specifically, what species they are selling. Most probably they may be from Malawi; but they can be purebred or hybrids if just identify as "assorted Africans". Buy only fishes identified by their scientific name. For an idea of Malawi cichlids of the Mbuna group that you can have in a 55gal, check "My tank setup" and my mbuna tank pics. As Coler said, 4 groups of 5 fishes should be OK.
If you bought the Eco-complete African cichlid sand, the pH will rise to around 8.0 in a few days. Remember to do a partial water change weekly and by now, do a good WC asap, to bring the nitrates below 20ppm.
Good luck and enjoy your tank.
 
I am using eco-complete sand and I just did a 50 percent change. hopefully that will bring down the nitrate levels. I will check again tomm. Should I also put crushed coral in a sleeve inside the filter for xtra buffering?
 
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