Cichlid Experts Advice Needed Please :)

[xx-miss-limber-xx]

Hellooooo!

I am interested in turning my tank into a mostly cichlid tank. (I have a pleco and a catfish that I want to keep and am rehoming the other fish)

Just wondered if anyone is an expert on cichlids and would recommend species for my tank and what they like etc

Any replies appreciated

Thankyou xx

 

[xx-miss-limber-xx]

No one know anything about cichlids?!

 

[backtotropical]

Any idea what kind of cichlids you like? 'Cichlids' covers a very wide range of fish.

 

[lily-rae]

you could ask colin-t..probably find him in members..he is expert on cichlids

 

[xx-miss-limber-xx]

Erm im quite new to this fish game, i need ones that are relitively small and stay that way because i only have a 125 litre tank, and I know cichlids need alot of space. I had a yellow lab in my community tank but he sadly died due to a huuuuge nitrite spike after having to empty and refill my tank with fresh water because my filter broke and it got very mucky.

I like yellow labs, and there is a small yellow cichlid at my LFS that are gorjus, really delicate and a really bright yellow, about 3 for £15 but I have no idea what species they are... I want a variety of fish that will look pretty in my tank. I have live plants, a sunken ship, a small cave like ornament and two fake coral shell thingies... lots of places to explore and hide My pleco and catfish seem to like it in there

I am looking for advice on here because I fear my LFS will sell me anything to go with anything just for the sale, and that is not what I want.

xx

 

[backtotropical]

Yellow Labs are called Labidochromis Caeruleus. They are African Rift Lake Cichlids from Lake Malawi.

I have moved your thread to the 'African / Old World Cichlids' section, where you can learn about lots of other similar fish.

Cheers

BTT

 

[xx-miss-limber-xx]

Yellow Labs are called Labidochromis Caeruleus. They are African Rift Lake Cichlids from Lake Malawi.

I have moved your thread to the 'African / Old World Cichlids' section, where you can learn about lots of other similar fish.

Cheers

BTT

Thankyou BTT ive had a look in that section, I was hoping for some one to one advice aswell from someone who knows about cichlids its nice to talk to someone personally, ive done alot of searching the internet on my lonesome lol

Also had a look at some of your 'posts' 'threads' im not sure what to call them... old tank syndrome etc... very informative

Thankyou again x Katie x

Ps I cant find the little yellow fish anywhere on the internet... its driving me mad lol.. its not the same as the yellow lab, its smaller, more delicate looking and slightly more intense yellow. Any ideas? x

 

[fatheadminnow]

I bet it is still a yellow lab, have a look in my sig where it says African Cichlid Index.

What do you have so far, i.e. filter....tank....lights.... anything to get started?

Cichlids are very aggressive and territorial fish, and I just had one die today because she was in a too small of tank and go bullied.

The smallest recommended tank size for a African Cichlid tank is 55+gallons (200+ liters)

Also, Cichlids like water with a pH of around 8.0 and a temp around 78 F.

In your Cichlid tank, you MUST provide PLENTY of hiding places like rocks, wood etc....

Also, plants are not something that is recommended in a Cichlid tank, as they like to uproot the plants and tear them apart, however, if you want to give plants a go in your Cichlid tank, have a look in my sig where is says "Plants and Cichlids."

Also, you need a filtration system of at least 7x turn over rate.

Cichlids are dirtier fish, therefore need a higher turn over rate, plus they like good water parameters, (Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte), well all fish do.

Hope this helps to get you started?

Regards,
-FHM

 

[dthoffsett]

At about 33 gallons your tank is too small for almost all of the Lake Malawi cichlids (which include yellow labs). However, there are some great Lake Tanganikya species that would love to hang out in your tank.

Have a look at these links for ideas:
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_29g.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_29g.php[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_20g.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cookie_cutter_20g.php[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake_tanganyika_diverse.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/lake...ika_diverse.php[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/shelldweller_corner.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/shel...ller_corner.php[/URL]
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/species_profiles.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/species_profiles.php[/URL]


Also, is this the yellow fish you saw? It's the only other intense yellow cichlid that comes to mind.

 

[ChiNA MaN]

agree with dthoffsett