cichlid beginner

K

kisho

AC Members
Sep 4, 2005
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hey guys/gals im new to this cichlids stuff so bear with me.
ok this is the story my friend jus got a batch of african peacock cichlid fries
and he said i could have it in a week or 2 of the birth date(to prevent the chances of death). so already have 4 red eyed tetras, and im going to put a divider and let the fries have one side.

what should i buy for it?
like plants, foods, and all those stuffs. and also i heard they live in waters of around 8-10 ph. my ph right now is 7.2,i dont have a heavily planted a tank at all and i saw my friends tank, his gravel is messed up and all the artificial plants are floating up and the fishes did that!!!

his tank specs are
70 gallon
2 peacocok cichlids
2 unknown cichlids( i dint ask him wat it was)

so help me out guys/gals.
 
Peacocks aka Aulonocara species do best in pH of 7.8-8.6 and temp around 78-82, I try to shoot for 80. They might dig or eat at the plants some if you have live plants. Stick a few good sized rocks in there, and that is about all you need. A Sand, crushed coral, or gravel substrate will work. I like sand, but you have to be careful to have your powerfilter intakes up higher so that sand doesn't get sucked up. I feed mine spirulina, krill, and whatever other growout flake I have at the time. They aren't herbivores, feeding off microinvertibrates in the sand and on rocks in the wild.
 
ok questions?

how do i get my ph higher
wat do u mean by gravel SUBSTRATE
and wat are u saying abt the plants; put sum plants, put many plants, or dont put any plants at all?
rock of what size?

and is there site for cichlids only?
 
MMMMM cichlid fries Arghhhhhhhh (drooling ala Homer Simpson)

Substrate=whatever you have on the bottom of your tank (crushed coral, sand, gravel).

You can raise the ph by using crushed coral as a substrate, using limestone based rocks, or by adding baking soda/Commercial Cichlid Buffer to the water.

Rooted plants (swords, stem plants) will be uprooted and shreded. Java fern and anubias placed between rocks are your best bet.

Rocks, you will need alot, stacked up at least 2/3 of the way to the top of the tank and preferably limestone. This will give the subordinate fish a place to hide from the dominant fish (once they grow up)

Your Tetras, I'm not saying they will get eaten, or won't survive, but the water chemistry they prefer is soft acidic water, and the peacocks need Hard alkaline. Most fish will adapt to whatever type of water you have, but in this case you are combining fish from two opposite ends of the spectrum.

Tank size 30g is the BARE MINIMUM for the peacocks. You will need to be on the ball as far as water changes go.

I'm not trying to talk you out of the peacocks. Any cichlid is better than no cichlid. I'm just letting you know, that if you are going to keep Rift Lake cichlids in a tank it is best to keep only rift lake cichlids in a tank, and to make sure you cater to thier specific needs.

Good Luck!
 
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ya sry, i forgot to mention that i am going to give the 4 red eyed tetras to my friend, let him have it and and i am plannin on getting a 55g tank and a 10 g tank for 4 bettas, equally spilt(EMG's idea).i jus fell in love with EMG's betta tank when i saw it, and now i want one.

the plants: i am gonna have fake plants and tie it down to a rock or sumthin

the rocks: if i follow like u said on rocks, to stack them up 2/3 of a tank, im jus afraid could my tank handle it, because i have a stand that look exactly like this:
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/product.xml?product_id=27035&category_id=2821&pcid1=2253
 
Is it metal tube, or solid iron (they both look very similar)? The tank can handle it. Consider tanks with reef set ups that have 1-2 pounds of liverock per gallon.
 
ok then, i will trust u wit this, and put me 55 gallon tank on the line
 
Just make sure the rocks are stacked very good, so they cant be toppled over. Use aquarium-safe silicone if you really worry (but then you cant take the rocks apart). Put lighting crate on the bottom of the tank under the sand/gravel to protect the bottom glass from rocks. Dont stack on the substrate, put the rocks in first then add substrate around them, this is so the fish dont dig under the rocks and cause them to fall. Dont lean rocks on the back of the glass. Use your best judgement... if you dont think its safe then dont do it. Its best to be safe than sorry with rockwork.

:)
-Diana
 
ur right, but there is a complication i have an ugf running and if im gonna take it apart. thats going to ruin my tank(beneficial bacteria wise)
and, shouldnt it be ok because im going to spread the weight evenly over the ugf tray, and the rocks will be stacked in a corner or do u have any suggestion? ~*LuvMyKribs*~
 
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