New Tank

[pinkdolphin_113]

okay i am thinking about setting up a new tank.
i'm gonna be limited on space so i was thinking atleast 55 gallon. if this is too small, someone please tell me because i can go a little bigger but would prefer not to.
i have been researchin the fish all night and came to a decision.
i wanted 2 species of fish that contrast with each other and loved the blue pseudotropheus demasoni which would look gorgeous with the yellow labidochromis caeruleus but because the blue one is alot more aggressive, figured it wouldn't be a good idea to mix the two so decided pseudotropheus socolofi would be a better idea. is it okay to mix these fish?
i was gonna try get 1 male and 2 females of each. is this still okay?
thats just the stocking anyway. the biotope will be alot easier to sort lol
thanks

 

[dthoffsett]

P.demasoni and l.caeruleus are an excellent combination. While demasoni are very aggressive, it's only towards their own species and other species that look like them (blue with black stripes), they mostly ignore different looking fish.

If you went with labs and demasoni, you could easily have 12 demasoni (you'll most likely have to get rid of all but one male if you are unable to sex them at first) and 6 labs (m/f ratio doesn't matter with them).

Labs and socolofi would be another nice mix, you could have 6 of each species.

Labs and m.estherae (red zebras) would be a nice contrast as well.

55gal is a great sized tank, a good total stocking level would be around 12 cichlids (you can get more demasoni becasue they are so small), and you can add a smaller pleco (bristlenose are great with cichlids) and 2-3 catfish (the synodontis family is popular). Just remember, because you want to overstock to avoid aggression, you'll need excellent filtration. For a 55gal tank you'll want your filter(s) to turn over 450-600 gallons per hour (gph).

Good luck, and keep us updated on what you decide.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

thanks i didn't know i would be able to keep 12 cichlids in one tank lol but thats great!
i was thinking about some sort of synodontis, possibly angelicus if i can find one (?) or maybe njassae if they're around.
i think i'll stick with socolofi because they're not as aggressive as demasoni and won't particularly want to take a fish as beautiful as these back to the lfs, never mind about 5 of them lol
substrate is gonna be sand most probably and i'm gonna try keep the decor as natural lookin as possible. no plants (if i were to add plants, what plants could i choose from?) and a pile of rocks on one end of the tank leaving the other end free for swimming.
for the filtration i was gonna have 2 filters. an internal one and an external one.
i figured i can't get a single filter that would go up to 450 gallons an hour so yea, two filters it is.
also, how do i make the water harder and better for the cichlids?

 

[dthoffsett]

You'll want to have rocks across the entire tank, mbuna don't like large open areas becasue they have no places to hide from predation. (Not that there is any in a tank, but they don't know that.) You might check out this link for inspiration. http/www.fishforums.net/Members-African-...ks-t169788.html

Mbuna are voracious plant eaters, so other than Java fern, Java moss, or some anubias plants, all plants will be eaten. If you do get one of the plants I listed, you'll want to make sure the plant is secure where you want it, as you fish will happily dig it up and move it around the tank for you.

Sand is a great substrate, you can use play sand, pool filter sand, or even aragonite sand marketed for marine tanks. I just switched over to aragonite last night and it looks great, plus it helps raise KH & PH, it's also supposed to reduce nitrates, so we'll see how that goes.

What is your PH & KH from the tap? It is much better to have a stable PH that's not the "ideal" level than mess around and possible have large swings in levels. If you have a lower PH or KH there are buffers you can use, or you can use aragonite or crushed coral as substrate, limestone rocks for decor, or you can put crushed coral in a filter bag in your filter.

Here's a great link on a homemade buffer. http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/buffer_recipe.php

Hope that helps, and be sure to ask any more questions you have.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

thanks for that. i think i may try the aragonite substrate and see what the water is like from there. thats if i can get my hands on it.
if not, sand is my second choice.
also, limestone is what i've decided on as decor, and lots of them! it's really common around here too.
i may give the plants a go at some point too. java fern is one of my favourite plants (because its the easiest to keep lol) and if i secure it between the rocks, it should hopefully stay there.
if my water isn't hard enough, i shall definatly try the crushed coral in the filter before trying any chemicals or whatever.
the tank won't be set up for some time but will definatly be set up.
thanks for all your help

 

[dthoffsett]

You are quite welcome, looking forward to pics when you get it set up.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

aye! i'm definatly looking forward to setting it up lol
my other tank has come along way and i've learnt from my mistakes etc and this one shall be a totally new challege