Cichlid newbie (well sorta)

[Luvbugz]

I am looking for some direction from someone. I am currently cycling a 55 gal (4ft long, 1 ft wide, and 20 inches tall). I was a MTSer in the past and had multiple 20s, 10s, 15s, and 5s. I am used to livebearers and such. My only cichlid experience comes from having a pair of rams in my densely planted 20 gal high. In the past, my tanks were more about the plants and aquascaping than really the fish. Since I now have a big tank, I wanna switch that. I want to get the most fishie bang for my buck this time around. This tank is sitting in the middle of my living room. It is definately the focal point of the room. I would love to get some nice bright color, active fish that will be fun to watch. I have always been scared off of cichlids because of their aggressive nature. The last thing I want is to buy some, put them in my tank, wake up in the morning and have only one left because he ate all the others. I am also unsure of what can be housed with cichlids as far as a clean up crew and such goes. ( I am used to cory cats and otos). I would love for someone to hold my hand and help steer me thru the wonderful world of cichlids so I can have a somewhat decent knowledge when I do go back to my LFS. Any takers?? :)

[VivaLaVics]

LOL. The Hap. sp's are AWESOMELY pretty in an odd way. The dominant males are amazing in color. The females not so much. They get to be about 6" long so they are a good size for a 55. They are a more passive cichlid form Lake Victoria.

Check out this link for more info on the species: http://www.african-cichlid.com/Dayglow.htm

VERY rewarding fish to keep because there is that one BAD*** male that just stands out who EVERYONE will notice. :)

Keep a 1:3 ratio with these guys for best color. (1 male to 2 females). Also have 2-3 males so that they feel they need to out-do each other. This will ensure awesome coloring.

[VivaLaVics]

PS: Plecos are good- they have the armored scales. No one messes with my Standard or my Clown pleco :). I also have tiny snails in the tank to help with clean up. Its a good idea to over-stock cichlids to keep down the aggression, so a good filtration system is a must. A Fluval 305 or higher would due for a 55. (I have a 55 community tank of 24 cichlids and 1 pleco.) I had to get rid of only 1 of only one cichlid due to aggression issues and now the tank seems pretty homey. :)

[dent20]

If it's going to be a show tank and you want a lot of movement, you should go with Africans. I enjoy new worlds more myself, but you have more behavioral issues with them and they aren't always as busy as peacocks and other Africans. With Africans you can also fit several into one tank.

[toddnbecka]

If you want a really eye-popping color display with constant activity you could do 15 demasoni and 5-6 yellow Lab's. That sounds like an outrageous number of fish for a 55, but you do NEED at least a dozen demasoni to keep from ending up with just one. The yellow Lab's aren't nearly as much trouble. You would also need excellent filtration and massive partial water changes.
There are also other combo's of species that would work in smaller numbers. You will get the best color and variety in a 55 with mbuna rather than peacocks. Victorian Hap's will also mix well with them; they're hyperactive enough to keep up the same pace. Synodontis catfish are better suited to African cichlid tanks than Cory cats. A single BN pleco will also keep the glass spotless if algae does become an issue.

[c8227]

Africans are not as aggressive as people make it seem. I had a 55 gal with 15 of them in it and they were all fine together. Two things to really keep in mind are the things that make them aggressive. The two things that make them aggressive is salt added to the water and feeding them live. As long as you keep these two things in mind and out of the tank you and your Africans will be fine. If your looking for color look into http://livefishdirect.com/store.php?cid=32 they have a lot of cichlids you can look at.

[blue2fyre]

The two things that make them aggressive is salt added to the water and feeding them live. As long as you keep these two things in mind and out of the tank you and your Africans will be fine.

^What?

First of all african cichlids covers a very very broad range of species. I assume you are referring to mbun since most of the time they are just called african cichlids. Mbuna are naturally aggressive but some are worse than others. They are mostly herbivores and should never be fed meaty or live food. Finding the right combination of species, plus the right gender ratios, plus overstocking a bit will help control aggression.
With a 55 gallon you can keep up to 3 species with 1m:4f ratio. Many of the species have males that are totally different colors than the females which makes for a great display! In my signature is a link to my 55 gallon mbuna tank.
As far as clean up crew many species of Synodontis catfish work well with the high Ph and aggressiveness of the fish. My personal favorite is Synodontis Petricola

[Luvbugz]

Thanks for all the help!! I am doing my research and will be looking into getting some fishies here soon! (I need to set up my QT first too!)

[ChrisK]

You could put a really nice breeding group of yellow labs in there.

[toddnbecka]

A couple species to avoid are auratus and crabro. They are some of the most aggressive mbuna, mainly because they claim a territory larger than a 55 gallon tank. Aggression between cichlids is mainly directed toward members of the same species (or similar-looking fish) then toward competitors for territory (suitable breeding location and food.) The reason for plenty of rocks (cover) and heavy stocking is to disperse the aggression. You need enough fish that no single one gets picked on too much, and cover for them to get out of the aggressor's sight.
The other alternative is to keep them in a bare tank w/ou any cover. However, even then there will be certain areas that are preferable because of water flow, etc. That setup is easier to clean/maintain, but really doesn't look as good overall.