Wisdom of the Rifties

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Coler

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Jan 30, 2007
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There's some seriously good, skillful fishkeepers on AC who keep rift lake cichlids of all kind.

I think it would be cool to try and gather some of the accumulated knowledge together to make it more accessible to newcomers to these fish, and also to get some discussion going.

Maybe for this thread we could post in it our sort of do & do nots/top tips/worst mistakes made - so not essays or articles as such, more one or two lines of your thoughts and experiences. It can be generalised advice, or species/set-up specific.

I can start with a couple (and bear in mind I am a relative newcomer to these fish actually to all fish). In no particular order :-

1. Your rift lake cichlids can adjust far better to Ph which is a couple points below 'ideal' than they can to poor tank maintenance. The water must be pristine - I don't care for nitrates above 20ppm.

2. An all male Malawi tank looks stunning. In reality you are going to need either two tanks, which you can swap 'em around in as necessary to manage aggression, or a very good relationship with your LFS to return problem fish.

3. With malawis, you can get away with over-stocking (even relative to malawi standards) but you won't get away for long with a bad mix of stock, even at optimal numerical levels.

4. Under-stocking will cause you as many problems as over-stocking, assuming equally diligent tank maintenance.

5. Tangs with Tangs, Malawis with Malawis, anything else is a risk and probably won't end well.

6. You can't go wrong in terms of decor with a black background, a deep substrate, and lots and lots of rockwork.

7. Anyone can add java fern to the above. It thrives when you do nothing.

8. Presuming a tank size of 10G or more and reasonable water parameters there is a rift lake set-up for you. Pick the stock to fit the tank and you'll be very happy with these fish. Pick the stock on any other basis and they can be heartbreakingly difficult.

9. Keep a weather-eye on the tank at all times. Try and make observations whenever you are passing during the day and have a look at night as well using a low-powered torch. Just because they look settled at feeding time doesn't mean everything is in the right balance. Basically when all seems quite in a tank of Malawi, and everything is going just as nicely as can be, is just when one of your stunningly beautiful/adorably cute homicidal maniacs will decide to cut loose and make a name for himself.

10. Listen and learn, and don't expect your experience to differ all that significantly from what the wise old heads in this forum put to you. They're not making it up and they have your happiness and that of your fish at heart. Yes that lone male juvie melanochromis auratus is your favourite fish right now, and he plays nice with the labs and the acei, but if you think its not going to turn into a mud brown psychopathic tank killer in a matter of months, you are probably wrong.

Please add your thoughts in the thread.
 

Lab_Rat

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Dec 3, 2009
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Cool thread Coler!

11. It's imperative to research these fish before you buy them. Make sure you design the tank around the fish you want to keep. Impulse buys and african cichlids often end in disaster.

12. When fish hit sexual maturity it can change the tank dynamic instantaneously. Always have an extra tank available so a beat up fish can be rescued.

13. Mbuna are diggers...stack your rocks with this in mind.

14. Shellies do NEED shells.

15. Do not sell/disperse any hybrid fry (except as feeders).
 

platytudes

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Nov 4, 2006
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16. Be mindful of diet, homemade diets work well for these species. "Cichlid flake" is often too high in protein for herbivorous cichlids (and can be downright harmful to Tropheus and the like).

17. Choose dither fish carefully. Many setups won't need them at all.

18. Make use of the forums, archives, and articles all over the net for cichlid information - luckily, there is tons out there! A fair amount of it is top quality data (not so for goldfish and betta keepers, who have to wade through lots of junk to find decent info, sadly.)

19. Choose substrate carefully. Sand will be appreciated by most species. Gravel too big to mouth will be frustrating for dwarf cichlids.

20. Don't rely too much on crushed coral to buffer your tank to a higher pH. As it dissolves and its pores get covered in biofilm, the buffering capacity is diminished.
 
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