tinytawnykitten Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Hi all, this fish business is quite addictive isn't it. I have just bought my second tank (first is a 60L community tank in my son's room) which is hexagonal and about 100 litres and I would like to set it up as a cichlid tank but I don't really know where to start, whether to have Malawi ones or Tanganyika etc, and I have read some website that say I sould have a fine substrate like crushed coral and some say rounded gravel, some say for rocks, schist (of which I have a good few pieces) is fine, others say I should have rounded river rocks and now I am just confused. Should I have plants or will they be eaten straight away? Once the tank is cycled for a week or two how many fish should I add at once? Any recommendations fish-wise? I have so many questions! Any advice is greatly appreciated! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Is your tank a 100litre tall tank or long tank? Either way its too small really to do african cichlids successfully in. You will get away with a pair of tangs (N. Pulcher, brichardi, or J. maileri or transcriptors) or maybe some yellows when they're young but they will out grow it.. And if its a hex tank that im thinking of (which is tall) then its not ideal. What fish are you interested in keeping? Colours etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 The crushed coral is just to keep the water buffer. The rift lake cichlids do best in harder water. Malawi's get away with closer to neutral no worries. Lake Tangy's need harder water more so. If our water is low in ph out of the tank you will need something to buffer the water. Any gravel will do normally, more a case of what you like the look of. I am with above.... that size a tank limits you greatly to just a few species. Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinytawnykitten Posted October 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I guess I was thinking blues and yellows were the colours I liked. I do intend to upgrade to a larger tank in perhaps a year. Thanks for your advice it is appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 A longer than high tanker would be better as it suits most fish better including malawis. A column of coralrock rising vertically with some young demasoni(blue) and electric yellow swimming in amongst it ?. By the time they grow up you'll be onto your next tank for sure. Java fern or anubias nana wont get eaten, they can be attached to the coral and will set roots and grow on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 What are the dimentions of your tank? I tend to disagree with firenzenz, If you stuck demasoni in a tank that small and waited a year you would end up with one demasoni, I got mine straight from the mothers mouth and 9-10 months later they were breeding, they were scrapping hard and in a 300L tank from 4months old and I still had losses I had 40 of them at that stage too. But demasoni and yellow's are the ones you want to go for for blue and yellow.. If you look through the links in here you will see pics of demasoni the main problem with them is their aggression with each other which means that you need to keep them in large numbers (min 10-12) smaller numbers have worked but 10-12 seems to be the most successful. If you stuck 12 of them in a 100litre tank which im presuming is tall one of them will pretty much claim the whole bottom as his turf and the others will be smashed and the smaller ones will probably get knocked off. Your tank would be suitable for a grow out tank for a few month's for some demasoni and yellow's it may work for a few more month's but it depends if your willing to risk loosing fish.. HTH, if your tank is 100litres long rather than tall it might work out better, so if you let us know the dimentions of your tank we might be able to offer more advice.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinytawnykitten Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 You're right it is taller than it is long. So I guess it is not right for cichlids. Perhaps I should go for another community tank with something different than what I have in my first tank. In there I have 2 large angels, 6 neon tetras (actually today only one and I expect he'll be gone by tomorrow - they are just the right size for a nice Angelfish snack), 6 black widow tetras, a couple of little bottom feeders, 2 dwarf gouramis and 2 platys. Any suggestions of what would be different for the hexagon tank? Sorry to be such a newbie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidmad Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 i would sugets stocking it with top level mid level and bottom dwellers of the comunity varieties fill the whole collumn of water with cvolourful fish i had an o ctagonal tank years ago and just used it to grow out betas no substrate and a bubble filter in the middle at the botom on the pluss side yopu could put a power head at the botom to cause a swirly affect and breed catfish the high flow at the bottom of the tank would be ideal for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afrikan Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Definately agree with comment on the Demasoni, if not given enough space and territory these guys will wipe each other out quicker than bush's troops :-? And tinytawnykitten, never apologise for being such a newbie, we all have to start somewhere How about some more platys and some corydoras and a couple of bristlenoses for the hexagon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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