I Want To Start A Cichlid Tank? Please Help! :d

[Batzman]

Hey there, I have had a tank for the past year, with basic fish such as gourami, neon tetras, and some live bearers. The tank is 1m long 50cm high and 40cm deep. I am looking at selling my current fish and start a Cichlid tank, I have been told there are two different types of Cichlids, and was wondering which is which? which type have the ones with the amazing colours and stripes etc? and what else is there to know about setting up a Cichlid tank, cheers.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Have a look at the pinned articles in the African/Old World Cichlids section of this forum for some very good advice!

-FHM

 

[ZebraDanioFan]

i hope your research in the link above is going well...my experience with african cichlids have been good...the hardest part that i remember for getting my tanks set up were keeping the ph,gh,and kh at the right balanced levels for the africans because my tap water came out with 8.8+ ph because of chemicals but low gh and kh.
you need lots of rocky hiding spots for the cichlids and you want some kind of ph buffer to keep it on the higher end...this meaning keeping crushed coral in your filter or using it with sand or gravel in your tank. its hard to say how much you need to use of the crushed coral. there is a good recipe for creating a ph buffer that u add consisting of baking soda and salt

 

[Forestpisces]

Dont forget about new world cichlids, personally i prefer them, there are plenty to choose from