New Cichlid Tank Setup

[Khpuddin]

Hi All,

I am new to this and I am hoping to setup a tank with African Cichlids and have a few questions that I am hoping someone can help me with.

I have been trying to do some reading up on it before I get the tank but if anyone could point me in the direction of some good resources that would be great. I know I am asking a ton of questions here but any help is very much appreciated.

I am looking at getting the Juwal Rio 240L.
What would be the best substrate to get for African Cichlids?
Do I have to Cycle the tank for 6-8 weeks? Do I do this with no fish at all in it or just very small numbers?
When stocking the tank am I better to do this gradually?
What are the best species to put together and in what numbers for this tank size?
Can I put pleco's and Bala Sharks in with these?
They need a higher ph then normal, what can I do to raise the ph of the tank?

Thanks a million everyone!

 

[Moby-Krib]

Hi All,

I am new to this and I am hoping to setup a tank with African Cichlids and have a few questions that I am hoping someone can help me with.

I have been trying to do some reading up on it before I get the tank but if anyone could point me in the direction of some good resources that would be great. I know I am asking a ton of questions here but any help is very much appreciated.

I am looking at getting the Juwal Rio 240L.
What would be the best substrate to get for African Cichlids?
Do I have to Cycle the tank for 6-8 weeks? Do I do this with no fish at all in it or just very small numbers?
When stocking the tank am I better to do this gradually?
What are the best species to put together and in what numbers for this tank size?
Can I put pleco's and Bala Sharks in with these?
They need a higher ph then normal, what can I do to raise the ph of the tank?

Thanks a million everyone!

Welcome!!
lets start with the first few questions as the stocking can be sorted while your tank is cycling.
The 240l will be good for a wide variety of species.
Best substrate is sand or crushed coral hands down. Depending on the eventual stocking allot of rock-work is preferred by many so maybe get some egg-crate in the bottom before adding the substrate.
6-8 weeks is a estimate you need to have a fully cycled filter(s), what filter do you plan to use? this can be very important for most Cichlids as we look for a high turnover with most.

Have a look at this link on cyceling and fish-less in particular.
It is the best way to go in my opinion and if done correctly and fully you can add a full stocking all at once when finished with it.

get your equipment sorted and then worry about stocking , I'm sure a ton of recommendations will soon follow.

 

[justin85]

Hi there,

There is tons on info about keeping cichlids on the net and in sure you will get some people on this forum to post some verry good links for you so I will leave that to them.

For substrate you want fine sand or crushed coral, personally I love the fine sand as alot of cichlids love to dig and is fun to watch.

Yes, you 100% need to cycle your tank and you should do this without fish in there, there is loads of guides on 'fishless cycling' online and on the forum, all you need is a test kit and ammonia and a medical syringe to add te right dose of ammonia.

If you do a fishless cycle you can add alot more fish at once, this is one of the benefits of cycling this way.

Species is totally down to you really and I'm not the best person to help with that one.

Pleco's can be added but again do your research and find the right one for the water parameters.

Higher PH depends on the species again, so once you have decided on that we can advise you more, but there is lots of verry easy and safe ways of grting your water to the parameters you need with out adding chemicals that are not stable and could end up harming your fish.

Hope this helps.

 

[Khpuddin]

Hi All,

I am new to this and I am hoping to setup a tank with African Cichlids and have a few questions that I am hoping someone can help me with.

I have been trying to do some reading up on it before I get the tank but if anyone could point me in the direction of some good resources that would be great. I know I am asking a ton of questions here but any help is very much appreciated.

I am looking at getting the Juwal Rio 240L.
What would be the best substrate to get for African Cichlids?
Do I have to Cycle the tank for 6-8 weeks? Do I do this with no fish at all in it or just very small numbers?
When stocking the tank am I better to do this gradually?
What are the best species to put together and in what numbers for this tank size?
Can I put pleco's and Bala Sharks in with these?
They need a higher ph then normal, what can I do to raise the ph of the tank?

Thanks a million everyone!

Welcome!!
lets start with the first few questions as the stocking can be sorted while your tank is cycling.
The 240l will be good for a wide variety of species.
Best substrate is sand or crushed coral hands down. Depending on the eventual stocking allot of rock-work is preferred by many so maybe get some egg-crate in the bottom before adding the substrate.
6-8 weeks is a estimate you need to have a fully cycled filter(s), what filter do you plan to use? this can be very important for most Cichlids as we look for a high turnover with most.

Have a look at this link on cyceling and fish-less in particular.
It is the best way to go in my opinion and if done correctly and fully you can add a full stocking all at once when finished with it.

get your equipment sorted and then worry about stocking , I'm sure a ton of recommendations will soon follow.

Thanks a million, that helps to give me some pointers on how to get started, I am hoping to get the tank this week so I can start setting it up and cycling it and spend the next few weeks researching species. I just wanted to make sure I had the tank set up properly first. The egg crate seems to be a good idea. If I want to put live plants do I have to put a nutrient substrate in before the sand also?

In terms of filter the tank comes with an internal one (Juwel Bioflow 3.0 Compact) but I have been reading that an external filter is the way to go so I am probably going to get the Fluval FX5 or EHEIM Professional 3 2073.

 

[Moby-Krib]

Hi All,

I am new to this and I am hoping to setup a tank with African Cichlids and have a few questions that I am hoping someone can help me with.

I have been trying to do some reading up on it before I get the tank but if anyone could point me in the direction of some good resources that would be great. I know I am asking a ton of questions here but any help is very much appreciated.

I am looking at getting the Juwal Rio 240L.
What would be the best substrate to get for African Cichlids?
Do I have to Cycle the tank for 6-8 weeks? Do I do this with no fish at all in it or just very small numbers?
When stocking the tank am I better to do this gradually?
What are the best species to put together and in what numbers for this tank size?
Can I put pleco's and Bala Sharks in with these?
They need a higher ph then normal, what can I do to raise the ph of the tank?

Thanks a million everyone!

Welcome!!
lets start with the first few questions as the stocking can be sorted while your tank is cycling.
The 240l will be good for a wide variety of species.
Best substrate is sand or crushed coral hands down. Depending on the eventual stocking allot of rock-work is preferred by many so maybe get some egg-crate in the bottom before adding the substrate.
6-8 weeks is a estimate you need to have a fully cycled filter(s), what filter do you plan to use? this can be very important for most Cichlids as we look for a high turnover with most.

Have a look at this link on cyceling and fish-less in particular.
It is the best way to go in my opinion and if done correctly and fully you can add a full stocking all at once when finished with it.

get your equipment sorted and then worry about stocking , I'm sure a ton of recommendations will soon follow.

Thanks a million, that helps to give me some pointers on how to get started, I am hoping to get the tank this week so I can start setting it up and cycling it and spend the next few weeks researching species. I just wanted to make sure I had the tank set up properly first. The egg crate seems to be a good idea. If I want to put live plants do I have to put a nutrient substrate in before the sand also?

In terms of filter the tank comes with an internal one (Juwel Bioflow 3.0 Compact) but I have been reading that an external filter is the way to go so I am probably going to get the Fluval FX5 or EHEIM Professional 3 2073.

Externals are always good choices. Maybe look into an inline heater as well if you go that route. I am hooked on them and love not having a heater in the tank.
Plants are questionable depending on the eventual stocking, many Africans are diggers / sand sifters and would uproot the plants on a regular basis.

 

[Khpuddin]

Hi All,

I am new to this and I am hoping to setup a tank with African Cichlids and have a few questions that I am hoping someone can help me with.

I have been trying to do some reading up on it before I get the tank but if anyone could point me in the direction of some good resources that would be great. I know I am asking a ton of questions here but any help is very much appreciated.

I am looking at getting the Juwal Rio 240L.
What would be the best substrate to get for African Cichlids?
Do I have to Cycle the tank for 6-8 weeks? Do I do this with no fish at all in it or just very small numbers?
When stocking the tank am I better to do this gradually?
What are the best species to put together and in what numbers for this tank size?
Can I put pleco's and Bala Sharks in with these?
They need a higher ph then normal, what can I do to raise the ph of the tank?

Thanks a million everyone!

Welcome!!
lets start with the first few questions as the stocking can be sorted while your tank is cycling.
The 240l will be good for a wide variety of species.
Best substrate is sand or crushed coral hands down. Depending on the eventual stocking allot of rock-work is preferred by many so maybe get some egg-crate in the bottom before adding the substrate.
6-8 weeks is a estimate you need to have a fully cycled filter(s), what filter do you plan to use? this can be very important for most Cichlids as we look for a high turnover with most.

Have a look at this link on cyceling and fish-less in particular.
It is the best way to go in my opinion and if done correctly and fully you can add a full stocking all at once when finished with it.

get your equipment sorted and then worry about stocking , I'm sure a ton of recommendations will soon follow.

Thanks a million, that helps to give me some pointers on how to get started, I am hoping to get the tank this week so I can start setting it up and cycling it and spend the next few weeks researching species. I just wanted to make sure I had the tank set up properly first. The egg crate seems to be a good idea. If I want to put live plants do I have to put a nutrient substrate in before the sand also?

In terms of filter the tank comes with an internal one (Juwel Bioflow 3.0 Compact) but I have been reading that an external filter is the way to go so I am probably going to get the Fluval FX5 or EHEIM Professional 3 2073.

Externals are always good choices. Maybe look into an inline heater as well if you go that route. I am hooked on them and love not having a heater in the tank.
Plants are questionable depending on the eventual stocking, many Africans are diggers / sand sifters and would uproot the plants on a regular basis.

Yeah I was reading about the external heaters, I hadn't heard of them before - great idea!

I never thought of them digging up the plants thats a good point! I am going to try get the tank at the weekend and get started, no doubt I will have more questions but thanks so much for all your help so far, the link to the beginners guide is great!