Best Rock To Use

[Ace Of Spades]

Hi, Im soon purchasing juwel 450 vision, Ive made posts in new to hobby section about what fish to put in it, I wanted Cichlids but I found out you cant have a community tank with them and regular fish and you cant have a planted tank with many species.

So after much consideration I would like to set up a Cichlid tank.

my question is are there any specific types of rocks that are the best for the scape in the tank?
and I have my eye on these fish called Ice Blue Zebra cichlids can they be kept in groups and how many would I fit in my tank?

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Ok Ive been doing some reseach and used some compatability meter and checked out the sizes of fish ect
the fish i like the look of are

iodotropheus sprengerae
Pseudotropheus zebra metriaclima
labeotropheus fuelleborni
Labidochromis caeruleus
Nimbochromis venustus
Protomelas spilonotus
Sciaenochromis Fryeris

Im not sure about the common names as I used the names from the compatability chart thing
If i was to get any of these fish which? and how many could I get

 

[BORDER]

a good thing to find out first ...

test the PH of yout tap water , this will also help you with what you can add to your tank for EASE of upkeep later.

I have a tap water PH of 7.0 , Mbuna need approx 8.0-8.5 , i asked my LFS what they would recomend and ocean rock is very good at bringing up your PH.

i have quite a few ocean rocks in mine and just adding the rock brings my PH upto 8.5 making my life considerably easier when it comes to sorting out the PH i dont need to worry about adding chemicals

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Ahh ok thanks mate great, And I love the look of ocean rock

 

[rocknurworld2006]

a good thing to find out first ...

test the PH of yout tap water , this will also help you with what you can add to your tank for EASE of upkeep later.

I have a tap water PH of 7.0 , Mbuna need approx 8.0-8.5 , i asked my LFS what they would recomend and ocean rock is very good at bringing up your PH.

i have quite a few ocean rocks in mine and just adding the rock brings my PH upto 8.5 making my life considerably easier when it comes to sorting out the PH i dont need to worry about adding chemicals

they dont need a ph of 8-8.5 it can be in the range of 7.8-8.6

as long is there is no fluctuation is the main thing and maintaining a stable higher ph!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

ahh kk cool, I plan on building a giganto rock sculpture hopefully

Anyone know anything about the fish i have listed and if they are compatible with a 100gallon and eachotheR?

 

[dthoffsett]

iodotropheus sprengerae
Pseudotropheus zebra metriaclima
labeotropheus fuelleborni
Labidochromis caeruleus
Nimbochromis venustus
Protomelas spilonotus
Sciaenochromis Fryeris

P.spilonotus, S.fryeri, & N.venustus are all haps, are carnivores, and I don't recommend mixing haps a mbuna for beginners. It can be done, but it involves careful stocking, feeding, and a lot of luck.

All the other species are mbuna would work just fine together, note, Pseudotropheus zebra metriaclima is likely either metriaclima estherae (red/orange) or metriaclima callainos (blue), care for both is the same.

The ice blue zebra you mentioned earlier is most likely metriaclima greshakei and would be compatable with the other.

Have a both links for profiles.
<a href="http/www.fishforums.net/category/41/Cichlids-African/" target="_blank">http/www.fishforums.net/category/41/Cichlids-African/</a>
<a href="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/" target="_blank">http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/</a>

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Very Very Big Thanks for that mate..

 

[Ace Of Spades]

http/www.fishfurfeather.com/rena-filstar-xp-p-5320.html

I was looking at the XP3 One, Would that be ok for a 450litre african cichlid set up as its good to have extra filtration with them i read somewhere

 

[dthoffsett]

[URL="http/www.fishfurfeather.com/rena-filstar-xp-p-5320.html"]http/www.fishfurfeather.com/rena-filstar-xp-p-5320.html[/URL]

I was looking at the XP3 One, Would that be ok for a 450litre african cichlid set up as its good to have extra filtration with them i read somewhere

That's not a bad filter, however, you'll need more filtration than that. In African cichlid tanks (which are generally overstocked to cut down on aggression), it is generally recommended to have a total tank turn over of 10+ times per hour. So for your tank you need your filter(s) rated for 4500 - 6750 lpr.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

I cant find a external filter with 4500 - 6750 litres per hour, would it be ok to use two 2500 external filters or something? or if anyone knows where I can buy filters with that high rate please link me a site.

 

[dthoffsett]

I cant find a external filter with 4500 - 6750 litres per hour, would it be ok to use two 2500 external filters or something? or if anyone knows where I can buy filters with that high rate please link me a site.

It's fine to use more than one filter, I currently run a hob and a cannister on my 75gal.

 

[australia]

i use white rift lake rock, works the best!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Ahh thanks to you two, any more general info is apreciated