New Tank For Malawi Cichilds

[cocomonkey24k]

Hello Everyone

I recently decided that I wanted to keep African cichilds so i went out and purchased a Fluval roma240.

Few questions:
What Is the best rock for Malawi cichilds
What is the best substrate ( I was thinking coral gravel )
What is the safest way to buffer the water
What is the best light to show the cichild colours

I am also considering a custom background made from styrofoam and resin painted possibly red or dark grey and shaped into a stone looking rock face.

Any help will be greatly appreciated

Regards Scott

 

[Ben M]

As for rocks, any that you want really. As long as they aren't sharp (ocean rock isn't great, although it is often used) and won't dissolve in the water. Things like limestone (which will buffer pH), sandstone, cobbles, slate etc. are fine. Coral sand is the best substrate for Malawis, and will also buffer pH.

cheers

 

[elisew]

Hello Everyone

I recently decided that I wanted to keep African cichilds so i went out and purchased a Fluval roma240.

Few questions:
What Is the best rock for Malawi cichilds
What is the best substrate ( I was thinking coral gravel )
What is the safest way to buffer the water
What is the best light to show the cichild colours

I am also considering a custom background made from styrofoam and resin painted possibly red or dark grey and shaped into a stone looking rock face.

Any help will be greatly appreciated

Regards Scott

Well done on the tank size

What Is the best rock for Malawi cichilds.......Depends on what you mean by best? If you mean the most widely used for Malawi then I would say slate. Ocean rock is ok until one day a fish that has been swimming through the same hole for ages, forgets that he`s grown and gets stuck

What is the best substrate ( I was thinking coral gravel )........I would say gravel for Malawi is a no no as they like to sift...not easy with gravel
There is differing opinion on coral sand as it is known to irritate the gills of fish sometimes. Plain old sand is more than good enough, the colour would depend on your choosing though

What is the safest way to buffer the water......depends on what your ph is at without anything added? Malawi are fine in a ph range of I think it`s 7.6-8.4

What is the best light to show the cichild colours.......marine white tubes


Hope this helps

 

[fishguy2727]

I would go with a simple painted black background. It will show them off very well and be easy to maintain. It has been shown that a dark substrate and background will actually cause them to increase pigmentation, not just look better colored but be physiologically more colorful.

I prefer smooth rocks with no sharp edges so that cichlids darting in and out of the rockwork will not scrape themselves. I alternate these with slate to create a cichlid condo rock arrangement. If you like them the cichlid stones (hollow ceramic rocks with a hole) are a great rock option.

IME the best way to buffer the water is to put a bag of crushed coral in the filter. This acts as a constant buffer and is more effective than using it as a substrate because of the extra flow.

The best substrate IME is a fine sand. This is very natural for them and they can sift through it (which they love to do) without any issues. I use Estes' Ultra Reef in all my tanks. It is inert and comes in black and white which I mix together. This way it isn't too dark or too light and hides anything on the bottom.

I use 50/50 reef lighting. It will grow plants and show off every color very well.

As with any tank high quality food and water are the two most important issues. I feed New Life Spectrum and get amazing coloration with cichlids.

 

[cocomonkey24k]

Thanks for the detailed replies.

What type of paint is best for painting glass and what is the best way to apply it.

My list for this weekends shopping so far :

Fine Black sand
Limestone
Pebbles
Slate
Black paint or black background
2 marine tubes



If anyone can think of anything else I need then please add it to the list

 

[fishguy2727]

I have used spray paint, acrylic craft paint, and latex (interior house) paint. All have pros and cons. If you have a place to do it I would probably go with the spray paint.

 

[ardandy]

Just do what I did for the background. Looks great and completely reversable.

I used Caribsea Black Tahitian Moon Sand for the substrate. Great stuff but not the cheapest.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/365142-aqua-one-eurostyle-tang-tank/

 

[cocomonkey24k]

That looks great. I may pay a visit to arts and crafts and see if they have any 4ft sheets of cardboard. That will save me alot of time and effort.

The rock is where I'm going to struggle. I like the look of ocean rock but I also like slate

 

[ardandy]

It's a total preference on you really. Think it cost me £9.

 

[fishguy2727]

I would paint it. If it isn't painted and any water gets back there it looks horrible and distracting.

 

[cocomonkey24k]

If I paint it I'm sure it will end up looking really poor. What steps will I need to take to paint it right. What will I clean the glass with before painting ect

 

[fishguy2727]

You can clean it with alcohol,I usually just wipe it visibly clean with paer towels (look at it at an angle to make sure there is no residue of any kind). Then just go with thin layer after thin layer. With spray paint you should be able to read through the first layer (and later layers shouldn't be thicker).

 

[cocomonkey24k]

If the weather stays nice then I might get on with painting the tank today. I'll mask off the front glass and paint the front and sides due to the tank going into an alcove.

 

[cocomonkey24k]

Been shopping today. Couldn't get my sand so I bought everything else instead.

Check list

Tank - check
Filter - check
Heater- check
Rocks - check. Ocean rock
Crushed oyster shell - check
2 wave makers - check
1 marine blue bulb - check
1 marine White bulb - out of stock
20kg Black micro sand - out of stock
Black background/cardboard - tomorrow/ don't want to ruin my tank with my poor painting skills

I feel I'm doing ok so far.
Am I missing any essentials ?

 

[fishguy2727]

I wouldn't go with the marine blue bulb. I think one where the white and blue are combined is the most you need. What color is the white bulb you got? It should say something like 10,000K.