STARTING AN AFRICAN CICHLID TANK ADVICE NEEDED

[Pittbull]

cool XP4 are sweet i have 2 XP3 on my 120gal one is chemical and the other biological i bought those lee's pin size bio balls they work fine and are a little cheaper in all, i use albino chinese algae eaters for bottom control and synodontis they fit the bill with the aggression the cichlids will belt out.. later buddy..

 

[bert]

thanks Pittbull, i see a lot of choices for bio-media out there and with 4 baskets it will hold a lot of it. do you use the jet nozzle or the spray bar for you outflow into the tank ? I also see that rena gives you choices for outflow depths for the outflow tube. on top, under a little and under a lot i think 2 inches then 4 inches and i think the longer one is 6 or 8 inches down. do these africans like slow water or faster water ?
Bert

 

[Pittbull]

my XP3 are setup with the jet spray i don't utilize the spray bar cichlids will be fine with a somewhat type strong filtration just as long as you don't create a jacuzzi i have my intake tubes to go almost down to the substrate as well yep there are several ways to setup those baskets the theories are endless aye, good luck buddy.

 

[bert]

OK, I have my tank up and running for 1 month now and have 8 Africans and 6 sedontis catfish ( i think thats how you say their name ) I have about 130 LBS of the #20 mesh pool filter sand and my rockscape is exactly how I wanted it with holes and caves and nice cavework under the rocks. let me know what you think of my African Cichlid tank setup.

 

[Pittbull]

I like the rock work on the left buddy good job i would have done two rock piles one on the left like the one you have and a smaller rock pile on the right and left the middle open but hey this is your tank have fun with it man looks pretty cool..

 

[efors]

If your tank is a 100gal, I think you should add more African cichlids in it. IMO, it would be better to add larger groups of fewer species; it is more interesting and pleasant to observe.

 

[bert]

Thanks and I agree. as soon as it cycles completly I want to add a single species so they will group up. I like that too. The 8 that I have in there are my cycling fish and my next fish group will be added as soon as i find the best looking group.

 

[Pittbull]

cool deal buddy it will look sweet i bet..

 

[efors]

cool deal buddy it will look sweet i bet..

:iagree:.

 

[bert]

Thanks !!! I got the helpful info. i needed from you guys here when i was searching for an idea for my tank and i really appreciate all of your help and input. I rescaped that tank so many times in the 20 years that i have had it that, this time when i moved to our new home, I had just run out of new ideas.