50 ga tank for african cichlids

[Andy16]

Hey, for those of you that remember me hi. and those of you that remember me and still hate me i dont care. All i have to say is that the admins might have forgotton a step with getting the new server. But anyways i need help becuase i want an african cichlid tank. I have a kist of all the fish's scientific names so i need to know which ones are suitable for a 50 ga or a 30 ga,maybe somewhere in between. But heres the list.
-Cynotilapia afra "mbamba
-Psuedotropheus Zebra("chilumba")("red-top")
-Psuedotropheus damasoni
-Psuedotropheus sp. "polit"
-Psuedotropheus saulosi(male)
-Aulonocara baenschi(male)
-Labidochromis caeruleus(male)
-Maylandia callainos
-Protomelas sp. "spilonatus Tanzania"
-Copadichromis azureus(male)
-Psuedtropheus flavus
-Psuedotropheus elongatus "Chewere"
-Aulonocara stuartgranti sp. "Cobue
-Aulonocara baenschi(male)
-Maylandia sandaracinos

Also what would the aproximate price be for a 50 gallon tank heavily decorated with rocks? I came up with $670.00

[Anton Wernher]

I will leave your main stocking question to our african hobbiest however I will say that you should be able to set the tank up for somewhere between 200-300 dollars. Shop around your local hardware store.

[Andy16]

50??? 200-300??? wow,that is extremely cheap. I figured 80 for the stand. 70 for the tank.36 for the filter. 15X4 for the lights. 120 for the hood. 120 for the ballast. 50 for the rocks. 20 for the substrate. am i missing anything? Oh and the heater 15.

[Anton Wernher]

I wasn't figuring the price of the tank itself... however it wont make much difference.

Tank: 70
heater: 15
Filter: 36

now is where lowes/home depot come in handy
stand: 50 (a little more to paint.)
Hood: 20
(2) 48 inch shop lights: 20
(4) bulbs: 12
substrate: 5
rocks: 50 (should be less)

That should be about 260 bucks (it is a 48 inch tank right?) if not add a little more for lighting.

[Andy16]

No,it would be like 36x17x15. Something around there. I would have a ton of rocks. and i guess i could go with the cheap setup for awhile until i get enouhg money to get the lights that i want. and what about the ballast?

[Anton Wernher]

They are part of the shop lights.
Here is the stand and hood for my 75 gallon that was done for the cost listed(the doors have not been completed and I haven't got around to putting the trim on hood. The five gallon tankin the stand is there for the winter(girlfriends dwarf puffers) . Its previous location is getting to cold . Sorry to get away from you main post. Maybe we should move any continued discussion to the equipment forum.

[Andy16]

wat is that stand made out if?
and oh i forgot my brother is a crapenter and he made his stand for his 75:D

[BigOh]

If you want to be really successful w/ Africans do the following:

Get yourself at "least" a 48 x 18" tank. 72" long is even better.

Shop around for a used tank.

I just paid $125 for a 125g w/ glass tops and metal stand. I've also purchased a brand new 100g w/ stand and tops for $270.

I'm sure you could find a nice used 75g or up for a very competitive price. Even if you had to resilicone the seams ... it is still cheap.

If you want a fancy wood type stand .. just go build one. That is what I did for my 125g.

So ... considering you get a used tank for say $200. Filtration would be (2) Emperor 400's ... $80 for both @ bigalsonline.com. (1) Ebo Jager 200w heater is about $20 at the most ... same place as the filters. Lighting ... shop lights from Home Depot. Africans do not need fancy lighting and some do not appreciate bright lights ... we're talking $20 w/ bulbs.

Decorations ... go out hiking and find some river rocks. Different sizes and shapes .. flat and round ... small and large. They are the most natural looking ... as these are the type of rocks you find in the Rift Lakes. Best part ... FREE.

So now we are looking at around $320 for at least a 75g and up w/ filtration, glass tops, lighting, and heating. Toss in a few more bucks for building your own stand. What money you have left over can be for fish. ;)

Best advice ... Africans should have at least 48" of length. A width of 18" is also preferable because it allows for better aquascaping. These fish can be pretty aggressive and the extra room makes a HUGE difference. If you can fit one ... try and go for a 72" long tank .. you won't regret it.

Shop around for a used tank .. it is worth it !!

For the $600+ dollars you were going to spend .. you could get a MONSTER setup. ;)

[Andy16]

Yes i know all of that but you see my mom wont let me get a big tank at all. She doesnt even like my 6 gallon. and a 50 gallon is going to be hard to get getting a 125 or a 75 is impossible. So im limited on what i can do with my fish tanks.

[valerie]

can your mom really tell the difference between a 50gal and a 75gal? Just say that you are getting the 50gal but get somethign bigger. I doubt she will calculate the gallons:p

[Andy16]

LOL, but i cant get a 48" one because it makes the tank look a lot bigger so it has to be 36" and higher. So if it is 75 it would have to be the same length.

[delmore]

Check out Cichlid recipe:

http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/cichlidrecipe/crp22.htm

Also, Mark Smith has a good book on the malawi cichlids for about $6 including shipping from buy.com That would be a wise investment!

[Andy16]

I already bought a book. It was like setting up a cichlid aquarium or something like that but ill be sure to check out that site.

[Andy16]

I just go the book!!! YAY!!!! its called "The Cichlid Aquarium" by Dr.P.V. Loiselle.
It seems kinda complicated but i guess ill have to figure it out.

[Andy16]

After ive read parts of it it seems like qiute a complicated book to read and ill have a lot of fun figuring out what it all means but since the book is so complicated all of your advice is still wecome as always and it always will be.

[Andy16]

Just updated my list of fish, hopefully it works out!!!:)
-Pseudotropheus damasoni
-Pseudotropheus sp. "polit"
-Pseudotropheus saulosi
-Aulonocara baenschi
-Labidochromis caeruleus
-Maylandia callainoe
-Protomelas sp. "spilonatus Tanzania"
-Copadichromis azureus
-Pseudotropheus flavus
-Pseudotropheus elongatus "Chewere"
-Aulonocara stuartgranti sp. "Cobue"
-Aulonocara baenschi
-Maylandia sandaracinoe
-Cynotilapia mbamba
-Pseudotropheus msobo
-Pseudotropheus tropheus
-Labeotropheus fuelleborni
-Labeotropheus trewavasae
-Metriaclima(Maylandia)zebra
-Pseudotropheus acei "ngara"
-Pseudotropheus socolofi
-Melanochromis johanni
-Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos(maingano)
-Pseudotropheus sp. zebra gold

Just so you dont think im a complete idiot i am not expecting to keep nearly all of these fish in my tank. Only like 16.

[Verse914]

I would definitely keep the aulonocara out of that tank. The maylandias and pseudos are just too aggressive for them...especially in that small of a tank.