Hello group.I am a newbie.I am geeting ready to set a new tank up.My question is what should I do before adding fish.I would like to start a African Cichlid tank.My plan is to set up a 29 gallon.Any help would be greatly appreciated.
New Tank SetupCompletely Lost
- Thread starter DIXIEDARLIN
- Start date
have a squizz at the stickies they have all the info you need to get your tank ready for fish to be added 
cyberbeer65
Scratch Glass!
Yes,the best thing to do is a fishless cycle,and all that info is provided in the fourm.
Good luck w/your new tank.
Good luck w/your new tank.
Welcome to the forums! Cichlids are a great fish, but for a 29g, do a LOT of research before you get any fishies. Some get very aggressive and will require quite a bit of room. However there are quite a few of the smaller varieties that make for wonderful pets.
After going through the stickys on setting up a new tank, post what you think you want for a good setup and we'll try to help you out with it.
After going through the stickys on setting up a new tank, post what you think you want for a good setup and we'll try to help you out with it.
Hiya, welcome to AC
You said your plan is to set up a 29g - do you have the tank and equipment yet? If not, and you have the room and the budget, it might be worthwhile to look at something larger than 29g for Africans. A lot of these cichlids can grow to ~6" and like a lot of rockwork in the tank which takes up room. I'd say ideally at least a 65g, 90g would be even better to keep a good sized community and really show these fish off.
If you already have the tank and are sure you want to keep African cichlids, I'd do some research on their requirements first and try to find smaller species.
I agree that a fishless cycle is the best way to go (using pure ammonia rather than the ammonia produced by fish to cycle the tank).
You said your plan is to set up a 29g - do you have the tank and equipment yet? If not, and you have the room and the budget, it might be worthwhile to look at something larger than 29g for Africans. A lot of these cichlids can grow to ~6" and like a lot of rockwork in the tank which takes up room. I'd say ideally at least a 65g, 90g would be even better to keep a good sized community and really show these fish off.
If you already have the tank and are sure you want to keep African cichlids, I'd do some research on their requirements first and try to find smaller species.
I agree that a fishless cycle is the best way to go (using pure ammonia rather than the ammonia produced by fish to cycle the tank).
Here's a picture of my 29 gallon African Cichlid tank.
Inhabitants:
3 Electric Blue Johanni
2 Electric Yellow Labs
2 Albino Socofoli(sp?)
1 Bristlenose Plec
No serious aggression, plenty of room for hiding. Doing quite well.
Inhabitants:
3 Electric Blue Johanni
2 Electric Yellow Labs
2 Albino Socofoli(sp?)
1 Bristlenose Plec
No serious aggression, plenty of room for hiding. Doing quite well.