Noob 30 gallon cichlid tank

bamosherjr

bamosherjr

I just like fish and web design!!!
Mar 20, 2008
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Chula Vista, CA
www.styleyourblog.net
Hey all,

I really want to do Cichlids in my new 30 gallon tank. All the people at the pet store have said that I could not keep them in their, due to the fact that they get to big. I want some pretty fish, instead of my plain community fish 10 gallon tank. Is this do able? And if so what are some things I need to know?
 
The only cichlids you can keep there are apistogrammas, Bolivian rams, blue rams or keyholes. Let us know which of those you prefer. They're suitable for community tanks. Tetras, pencilfish, small species of plecos, otos and corydoras make excellent tankmates for those fish.

:welcome: to AC!

Oh, and a reminder. Before you add fish in your tank, make sure to cycle it ensuring the ammonia and nitrites are zero with nitrates not exceeding 40 ppm for the sake of those cichlids. Apistos and rams especially are sensitive to water conditions.
 
Man, all of these fish are smaller and are not as colorful as I wanted. I wanted something that looked alot like saltwater, until I can get into my own please and get a 100+ tank. I guess that keyholes and rams are the best looking fish.

Can these fish have plants in the tank? I made the mistake of setting the tank up for plants, with flourite, before I realized that I really like cichlids. If they can have plants, than I wont take all the flourite out. If they can not have plants, than I will be taking the flourite out and putting crushed coral in there.

Please let me know what else I need to know. Thanks.
 
bamosherjr said:
Man, all of these fish are smaller and are not as colorful as I wanted. I wanted something that looked alot like saltwater, until I can get into my own please and get a 100+ tank. I guess that keyholes and rams are the best looking fish.

Can these fish have plants in the tank? I made the mistake of setting the tank up for plants, with flourite, before I realized that I really like cichlids. If they can have plants, than I wont take all the flourite out. If they can not have plants, than I will be taking the flourite out and putting crushed coral in there.

Please let me know what else I need to know. Thanks.
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All the species I mentioned earlier are fine with plants. They do not uproot the plants. As far as the aesthetics is concerned, which species of apistos did you look into? There are practically over hundreds of species of apistos that exist with so many still remaining undiscovered.
 
Really I just googled the names that you sent me and went to the first one on the list. I don't know all of this stuff and certainly don't know good sites to watch or look at.
 
Okay, cool. I will have to look into those fish and see if the LFS has some of them. Another question is, I have a AquaClear 50 gallon filer. Is that enough?

Also, should I take the flourite out of the tank, and put crushed coral in?
 
what's your Ph ? (if its around 8 you can leave the aragonite, if you like it. If your Ph is around 7 - 7.5 the crushed coral will buffer it up nicely for you which the fish would, in an ideal world prefer. (personally I think the coral looks nice and natural but this is just my

I don't know the filter brand you mention so perhaps someone else can comment; 50 gallon rating sounds pretty good though.
 
So, since I have to take this flourite out, should I leave the same kind of water in my tank, or should I totally do a whole new water change on it? Also, I have been told to get grade 1 crushed coral, where is the cheapest place to get that? How much should I be putting in my tank? The LFS wants like $25.00 for like 10 pounds of it I think it was. That wasn't even grade 1. Any suggestions of online places to look or somewhere else would be great. Please let me know. Thank you.
 
you don't need crushed coral at all. not only does it harden the water, but it compacts over time, catching poop and debris and messing up your water quality. if you choose to get african cichlids that like harder water, an aragonite or calcium-based sand would be healthier for the tank than the coral. if you get any new-world cichlids, just leave the flourite in. they do not need hard water.

i really think that based on what you've posted here, the people at your store really don't know much. there are plenty of small colorful cichlids that would work for your tank in combination with other fish. then again, if you want it to look like saltwater you might never find the 'perfect' one.
 
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