African Cichlid beginner…

[Oli]

Hi guys, I’m thinking about maybe one day changing my tank to an African Cichlid tank. It is currently a heavily planted 55 gallon with American Cichlids and a couple others fish.

I know next to nothing about these fish and am wandering what information people could give me about some of the following things…

-I have read about so many varieties. Haps, Peacocks, Mbuna, Peacocks etc. What is the main differences. What would you recommend and why. Can they be mixed. Do they have different requirements.

-PH. I’ve read about African cichlids sometimes needing a different PH done by the inclusion of certain substrates, hardscapes etc. any elaboration would be great.

-Is it correct you should over stock for aggression purposes. Would a 1400p/h canister be able to handle that for a 55 gallon?

Asides from the above questions, I’d be happy to hear about peoples experiences and lessons learnt from keeping these fish

 

[gilpi]

I have kept and still keep mbuna in 40 and 55 gallon tanks. They are aggressive (territorial) and I always keep the tank slightly overstocked, this seems to cut back on aggression, for the 55, around 12-15 seems to work, I always start a new mbuna tank with juveniles. Haps and peacocks can get bigger than some of the smaller mbuna and I’m sure they are as aggressive though I’ve never kept neither. I love my mbuna, very active and colorful though at times I had to remove the bully, the one that keeps all the other fish in either side of the tank, sometimes this works other times another takes his place but keeping on eye on their behavior and choosing the fish that work for your tank is important, sort of like a process of elimination till there is “some” peace in the tank. If I can keep them so can you. Tap water with Prime as conditioner is all I’ve used as long as the ph is 7.6 or higher.

 

[gilpi]

BTW…What filter are you talking about? I use two old Fluval 203 canisters in mine and does very well. i concentrate more on water changes and not over feeding.

 

[Oli]

I really like the look of the Peacocks, although apparently the females are very bland. I’ve come across a few all Male peacock tanks that look amazing, I’ll have to do a bit more research for the time being! Thanks

 

[gilpi]

Yes, Peacocks can be stunning. People keep all male tanks but again, aggression can be a problem. I don't know if a 55g would sustain too many peacocks for a long period of time, I believe they can get bigger than mbuna and it would definitely be a problem in that size tank.

 

[GaryE]

Mbuna are fish of rocky habitats, and great for crowding, mayhem, violence and colour. They destroy plants.
Peacocks come from more open habitats - sand and rocks. They are larger and sometimes more aggressive. Most of the ones we find in the hobby now are mutts resulting from really bad breeding practices though.
I've kept both, though the tanks I had weren't good for peacocks. I stopped because the constant violence took the pleasure out of watching them. The colours are great, but..

People with experience have to guess when you say "African Cichlids". Are they Lake Malawi Mbuna and peacocks? Lake Tanganyika species? Lake Victoria Haplochromines? Upper Congo River, lower Congo, western coast, northern.... Africa is a huge continent and somehow western aquarists have decided to call from from just a couple of lakes as if they were the entire continent's riches.

Mbuna are popular because they're pretty, hardy, incredibly easy to breed, easy to get and they can be overcrowded. If your relaxing tank experience involves sitting down and seeing how exercise hour in the maximum security prison yard is going, they're great!

 

[gilpi]

Mbuna are fish of rocky habitats, and great for crowding, mayhem, violence and colour. They destroy plants.
Peacocks come from more open habitats - sand and rocks. They are larger and sometimes more aggressive. Most of the ones we find in the hobby now are mutts resulting from really bad breeding practices though.
I've kept both, though the tanks I had weren't good for peacocks. I stopped because the constant violence took the pleasure out of watching them. The colours are great, but..

People with experience have to guess when you say "African Cichlids". Are they Lake Malawi Mbuna and peacocks? Lake Tanganyika species? Lake Victoria Haplochromines? Upper Congo River, lower Congo, western coast, northern.... Africa is a huge continent and somehow western aquarists have decided to call from from just a couple of lakes as if they were the entire continent's riches.

Mbuna are popular because they're pretty, hardy, incredibly easy to breed, easy to get and they can be overcrowded. If your relaxing tank experience involves sitting down and seeing how exercise hour in the maximum security prison yard is going, they're great!

I totally agree with this. Someone in this forum once described mbunas as a rowdy bunch of guys coming out of a bar at closing time, after all, they are cichlids. Still, I love these fish and I have been down the road where I have said to myself "I'm done with them" but I keep coming back. I've had both good and bad experiences with mbuna over the years, I'm being way optimistic, but I think with careful selection it can be done....

 

[GaryE]

I totally agree with this. Someone in this forum once described mbunas as a rowdy bunch of guys coming out of a bar at closing time, after all, they are cichlids. Still, I love these fish and I have been down the road where I have said to myself "I'm done with them" but I keep coming back. I've had both good and bad experiences with mbuna over the years, I'm being way optimistic, but I think with careful selection it can be done....

Hey, some of my best friends come out of bars at closing time....

 

[bigroof]

The beat bet for a 55 gallon is mbunas. Just make sure you have enough crooks and crannies in there so they all have enough territories to claim. I have had a mbuna tank with syno catfish for about 3 years or so now. You just cant beat the colour and how active the tank. Just know no matter what you do there will be aggression and death in the tank.

 

[gilpi]

Hey, some of my best friends come out of bars at closing time....

Notice "rowdy" in the sentence