want to switch to a cichlid tank

[ch-47 soldier]

looking for some guidance here. malawian, tanganyikan, mbuna, victorian? which group is the easiest to maintain? compatibility? feeding? i got a 55 full of livebearers right now and was looking to change it over. any advice on where i should start would be greatly appreciated?

 

[BreezeRuehls]

DO IT

 

[Coler]

I would say easiest to source and care for is generally Malawi, generally Mbuna. They are particularly unfussy about Ph/hardness once is over or around the 7.5 mark or so. Tangs I believe do actually really benefit from very high Ph (8.2) and hardness, and I think they are trickier to stock well in a 55 (ironically easier in say a 40 Long but once you have 55 you can't actually put that many more fish in).

Victorians are hard to find and the aggression is massive.

So I would reccomend you check out Malawis - what's available locally to you ?

NB all of the rift lake species are massively intolerant of poor nitrogen cycle management - nitrates must be kept very very low (shoot for 20 or less) and you need a properly cycled tank.

 

[nickmcmechan]

a lot of the malawis are very hardy indeed, once you've set up with rocks and sand the water changes are straightforward as the tank will not be planted

what's the parameters of your tap water after its sat for 24 hours (pH kH gH)

 

[nickmcmechan]

I would say easiest to source and care for is generally Malawi, generally Mbuna. They are particularly unfussy about Ph/hardness once is over or around the 7.5 mark or so. Tangs I believe do actually really benefit from very high Ph (8.2) and hardness, and I think they are trickier to stock well in a 55 (ironically easier in say a 40 Long but once you have 55 you can't actually put that many more fish in).

Victorians are hard to find and the aggression is massive.

So I would reccomend you check out Malawis - what's available locally to you ?

posted at same time - go with Coler

 

[AfroCichlid]

Personally for me it's a matter of whether you want colorful aggressive fish that spend their time chasing one another around, calling for overstocking to avoid the loss of all but the most dominant, but very owner responsive ( Malawi Mbunas ). Peacocks make a nice display ( espescially all male setups but if you want to breed you'll have one to two colorful males per 4-6 drab females.
If you like to watch fish act naturally and pay little mind to the outside goings on, or fish that won't tear up your plants, go with Tanganyikan. They are not usually as colorful as their Malawi cousins but make up for it in personality and odd behavior/ body shapes.
You'd probably do best to start with Mbuna as Coler as mentioned. They are relatively inexpensive and will fill a tank with color. Down the road you may make the switch to Tangs as the pretty colors of the Mbuna become less important as the interesting behaviors of other Africans.
As has been mentioned, water parameters out of your tap should make your choice for you. I keep Tangs in 8.6 pH. I wouldn't try much less than 8.2- 8.4. This can sometimes be achieved with the use of crushed coral or other limestone type rocks, substrate. If your pH is below 8.2, or the tank is not seasoned ( 6 months seems about right for most of the more sensitive Tangs ), go with Mbuna. I honestly don't have enough experience with Vics as they are rare and I have not had the occasion to keep them.

 

[ch-47 soldier]

i will go with mbuna. next question i have is about stocking. how many can i put in my 55?

 

[blue2fyre]

It's best to stick with about 3 species in a 55 gallon. Then about 5 each, with 1 male and 4 females. Yellow labs ( Labidochromis Caeruleus), rusties (Iodotropheus sprengerae), and acei (Pseudotropheus acei) make great additions. These three are generally less aggressive and still nice looking. If you want you can add some bottom dwellers like Synodontis Petricola, of some other syno catfish species. Really it's a matter of what you want. When I set up my 55 gallon I picked a list of species I liked then decided on the best mix. Now I have a very colorful display that fun to watch and easy to care for. You want to generall avoid Kenyis (Pseudotropheus lombardoi), buble bees (Pseudotropheus crabro) and golden cichlids( Melanochromis auratus). These three species are generally very aggressive and have been known to go about killing tankmates.

 

[ChrisK]

It's best to stick with about 3 species in a 55 gallon. Then about 5 each, with 1 male and 4 females. Yellow labs ( Labidochromis Caeruleus), rusties (Iodotropheus sprengerae), and acei (Pseudotropheus acei) make great additions. These three are generally less aggressive and still nice looking. If you want you can add some bottom dwellers like Synodontis Petricola, of some other syno catfish species. Really it's a matter of what you want. When I set up my 55 gallon I picked a list of species I liked then decided on the best mix. Now I have a very colorful display that fun to watch and easy to care for. You want to generall avoid Kenyis (Pseudotropheus lombardoi), buble bees (Pseudotropheus crabro) and golden cichlids( Melanochromis auratus). These three species are generally very aggressive and have been known to go about killing tankmates.

^^^^Spot on stocking advice!!!

 

[Coler]

Yep I am on board with that - I would probably go for a leeetle more variety, with say 4 groups of 4 fish - say labs, rusties, acei and cynotilapia afra (don't get huge and with this combo you have minimal chance of interbreeding as you have four differnent genus, and no mentallers).