kiwis Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Hi So im thinking about creating a large cichlid tank and want some feedback. why a cichlid tank, well i love larger bright colored fish. marine tank seems to be cery hard to manage otherwise i would do thats. my questions are, and i welcome any comments 1. what ph should cichlid be kept at 2 cichilds tear plant life to bits - other than rocks what do people put in the tank? 3. how large to cichlids grow? 4. are there any tricks to keeping then? 5. does a normal tropical set up work or do you need a sump etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 There are over 1600 named species of Cichlid (and possibly that many again still undescribed) ranging over three continents and an incredibly diverse range of habitats, and growing anywhere from 2" to 3' in length. You many need to be a little more specific! But I'm going too hazard a guess that you're talking about African Rift Lake cichlids. I'll let one of the more knowledgeable keepers answer the first four questions (South American cichlids are more my thing), but as for the last question, you certainly don't need a sump, but you do need good strong filtration (and regular water changes) to keep the water clear and healthy. It doesn't matter whether that comes from a sump, or canister, or any other method, although the oldschool UGF is generally avoided as the digging habits of many cichlids will render them useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Good answer from David. Most African cichlids pH 8.4 9.0 Plants - plastic or anubias, maybe java ferns. Size - depends on the species - google is your friend. Good current, at least 5x the turnover, so tanks with trickle filters won't work - definitely need a cannister filter, or two if you don't have a sump. Make sure you feed high quality and the right type of food for the species you keep. Stock your tank heavily to keep aggression down. Do not allow species to cross breed so either keep an all males tank (which looks amazing) or be prepared to cull fry. Provide plenty of rock caves and barriers to allow fish to hide from the line of sight of others. Be aware that unless you purchased from a reputable seller what you are being told the species is may not be correct. There are an awful lot of hybrids out there being sold as purebreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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