African Cichlids – Malawi – Tanganjika-Lake

Fishkeeper’s Guide to African Cichlids: A Splendid Introduction to This Diverse and Attractive Group of Tropical Freshwater Fishes

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Question pnoiz1 : I have a 20gal freshwater tank and I’m going to be keeping Lake Malawi cichlids…?
…and currently, I have a filter that uses two cartridges, one on each side, and when turned on, creates a lot of current and some bubbles. I also have an air stone on inside the tank as well as three live plants. I was wondering if I could take out the air stone and just run the tank without one. Is this possible? Will no oxygen/air stone affect the fish in my tank?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Best Answer:

Answer by Mimik
The airstone will agitate the surface and increase dissolved oxygen but is not necessary if you don’t stock your tank too heavily.

Keep in mind that Malawian cichlids are very aggresive and territorial. A 20 gallon will only provide room for one or two adult fish. Unless its a 20 long (30×12 inch footprint) in which case you may have room for a trio.

Also mbuna will chew up mos aquarium plants so you may want to stick with just rocks for aquascaping.

Du you know a better answer? Answer in the Commentar
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Artificial Coral Reef Aquarium Inserts displayed in a 46 gallon African Cichlid Freshwater Reef Tank: Video Instant Reef Artificial Coral Reef aquarium decorations are for both Saltwater and Freshwater aquariums. Many freshwater fish are beautiful and easy to take care of. You can keep all the freshwater fish you like! It is easy to setup a freshwater artificial coral reef tank and without the cost and hassle of additional and complicated equipment! For example, this 46 gallon tank uses only a canister filter and a 200 watt heater, with five colorful African cichlids; most people are amazed and can't believe it is a freshwater tank. As a matter of fact, many of our customers use artificial coral reefs for freshwater tanks; the fish are happy, healthy, and take to the new environment quickly. Should you decide to transform a freshwater tank into a saltwater tank, you might only need a protein skimmer, as a saltwater fish-only tank does not require intense lighting, RO/DI water, calcium reactor, strong water pumps, or other special reef aquarium equipment. Instant Reef Artificial coral reef decorations are Realistic Looking, Easy to Setup and Maintain.

AQUARIUM:
Begin with as big an aquarium as you can afford. There is a really Fundamental priciple (this only applies to beginners), that is to have 1-2 inches of NARROW bodied fish per FILTERED aquarium gallon. Goldfish are dirty and fatter, so I would triple this with them (3"). This also only applies to a standard rectangular aquarium.

Obviously longer fish want a lot more tank width and length. I would decrease the quantity of fish proportional to the gallons in a tall aquarium or hexagon aquarium.
Keep in mind, numerous fish purchased can grow much larger than your original purchase size (ex: goldfish), so maintain this in mind too. (more…)

Aquarium Test Kits What They are Utilized for and the Order of Significance for Water Parameters in Freshwater and Saltwater Aquariums

It is often finest to have as many diverse test kits as you can afford (as they apply to either freshwater or saltwater

I prefer to buy my test kits separately as most master test kits duplicate test I do not need (high range and low range ph) and leave out ones I need such as kH and GH, or possibly Phosphate, Calcium, or Redox

Here is a list of FRESHWATER Test Kits, what they are for and in order of significance:

[1] Ammonia Test Kit Ammonia is really toxic even at low levels, ought to be kept at or near . Ammonia test kits can't discern between highly toxic ammonia (NH4) and only slightly toxic ammonium (NH3). Products such as Prime , Ammolock, and Amquel will convert NH4 to NH3, so your toxic ammonia level will not test accurately following making use of 1 of these goods. Ammonium (NH3) will convert to NH4 at greater pH levels, which why high ammonia levels as per test are significantly a lot more toxic at greater pH.

[2] kH & GH Test Kit you will notice I placed this above a pH test Kit, this due to the truth that a poor kH will make keeping a stable pH nearly impossible. Also Calcium (as tested in GH) is more important to fish well being than numerous aquarists give credit (see my article: CALCIUM, KH, AND MAGNESIUM IN AQUARIUMS How to maintain a Appropriate KH, why calcium and electrolytes are crucial ).

*You want to maintain a KH & GH of around 60 ppm (around 2-3 dKH & dGH) for Discus, Rams, Cardinals, and other Amazon fish.

*A KH & GH of 80 -100 for most tropical fish such as Gouramis, Bettas, Angelfish, ECT.

*A KH & GH of 100-200 for Goldfish, mollies, Platties, Guppies, ECT.

*A KH & GH of over 200 for Rift Lakes African Cichlids and Brackish fish such as Monos and Scats.

[three] pH High Range OR Low Range Test Kit you really should only want 1 or the other based on the sort of aquarium you maintain.

Does not stress over becoming precise about pH, as too of several aquarists go WAY overboard here! For example Discus usually do best around 6.five, however I know breeders of Discus utilizing water with a pH properly over 7.

I suggest a High Range Test Kit for Goldfish and livebearers which really should have a targeted pH of about 7.5-7.8. Rift Lake African cichlids really should have a pH of over 8.

I recommend a Low Range Test Kit for general community freshwater fish (6.8- 7.four) or Amazon River fish (under 6.8)

[4] Nitrate Test Kit this test is crucial to know when to alter your water (along with KH), as properly as how well your general long term tank health is going. Nitrates will also show you how well your plants are consuming nitrogenous nutrients, and if you are vacuuming the aquarium properly such as removing all the mulm. Some filters such as Under Gravel in specific, and Wet Dry and Canister filters can become nitrate factories if not taken care of properly.

For most freshwater fish a nitrate level under 40 ppm is correct or above 15 ppm for planted aquariums.

[four] Nitrite Test Kit you will notice I put it last, not simply because it is not critical, only that if spending budget is a concern or time for testing is a factor, this parameter mirrors ammonia usually inside hours or days. Nitrite should be at or near .

[five] Phosphate Test Kit normally only needed in planted aquariums where large amounts of ‘ferts’ (fertilizer) are added or if you have uncontrollable algae growth. This test kit is often more critical for ponds where rain water can wash debris with high phosphate content into the pond.

Your aquarium (or pond) really should have phosphate levels as close to as possible.

[6] Redox Meter typically this water parameter will take of itself provided you perform proper aquarium husbandry such as, regular water changes with appropriately ionized water, you maintain a GH and KH level of at least 50 ppm (I uncover 80 ppm far better). This said, this is a very good parameter to check if you are having troubles with Cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) or if you are having unexplained troubles and every other test is correct (supplying you do not have an unknown illness). I suggest each and every aquarist be at least familiar with the Redox Possible, here is an in depth post about aquarium Redox: “The Redox Possible in Aquariums (& Ponds) and how it relates to proper aquatic health” . You can use Methylene Blue according to regular dosage to your aquarium water (remove the water for this test), and it stays a brilliant blue, you possibly have a positive Redox. If the color dissipates at all (even the slightest) you probably have a decreasing number. This test in no way replaces the accuracy of Redox meter, but it is a easy way to get a handle on your aquariums Redox well being.

Your aquarium Redox should be around -300 mV.

SALTWATER

The list remains comparable and I will bypass descriptions that are in widespread with freshwater test kits.

[1] Ammonia Test Kit this should be as in FW

[2] KH Test Kit you do not want a GH Test Kit for saltwater. KH (or alkalinity as is known as in marine aquariums) really should be over 240 ppm (13 dKH)

[three] PH High Range Test Kit your pH ought to be between 8.2 – 8.four

[four] Hydrometer this instrument tests the distinct gravity of aquarium water (in basic terms the amount of salts). There are two sorts the floating glass hydrometers which are much more fragile, but also much more accurate or the straightforward needle hydrometer that you fill with water. It is important with both varieties of hydrometers to clean these with white vinegar (then rinse thoroughly) to stop challenging water buildup which will then trigger inaccurate readings.

[4] Nitrate Test Kit Nitrates are best under 40 for marine fish aquariums and under 20 (even less if doable) for reef aquariums

[5] Calcium Test Kit this takes the place of the GH Test Kit in freshwater.

Calcium is important to ALL marine life (this consists of freshwater too as it is usually sadly overlooked), nonetheless it is completely vital for correct coral growth in marine aquariums. Bio-availability is also vital, Sea Chem Reef Calcium Polygluconate is possibly one of the greatest, most bio-offered calcium supplements accessible for marine aquariums.

Your marine Calcium levels ought to be between 400-450 ppm

[6] Nitrite Test Kit this should be as in FW

[7] Magnesium Test Kit Magnesium is an essential part of chlorophyll, which is essential for photosynthesis, plants, which includes algae and the corals. Maintaining a correct magnesium concentration is really crucial, and is indirectly responsible for rapidly coral and calcareous algae growth by virtue of generating the maintenance of correct calcium and alkalinity figures possible. Magnesium is depleted by algae and by the use of excessive Kalkwasser. Magnesium is what binds Calcium Carbonate in remedy, if levels are low useable calcium levels will also drop. Poor choices of Marine Buffers can further exasperate this difficulty, this why I STRONGLY recommend Sea Chem Marine Buffer for adjusting alkalinity in marine aquariums (and EVEN freshwater aquariums) as this item has Magnesium, Calcium, and sodium bicarbonate in the correct ratios.

Magnesium levels in marine aquariums should be between 1200 and 1400 ppm.

[8] Redox Meter as in freshwater, I suggest -300 mV, except Redox is much more critical in marine aquariums.

[9] Phosphate Test Kit as in freshwater this need to near . High phosphate levels in marine aquariums can play havoc with the wellness and growth of live coral (Phosphates can block the absorption of essential minerals)

For the Full Article, icluding pictures and a lot more links, please visit the website in the resource box below.

Choosing Fish for 55 Gallon Freshwater Aquariums

As one's interest and knowledge in aquarium keeping grows it is natural to want to step up to a larger tank.  One extremely well-known mid/bigger sized aquarium is the 55 gallon tank.  The larger tank really opens up a lot of wonderful possibilities to explore.  Here are a couple of themes and ideas of fish for a 55 gallon freshwater aquarium to get you started.

Cichlids – African cichlids are some of the most colorful and interesting freshwater fish around.  They can be kept in smaller aquariums, but with their territorial nature, a little tank can only support a few fish.  African cichlids can only be kept with other African cichlids, as they are extremely aggressive toward other fish, so they are a excellent selection for a "species tank".  Some men and women may be concerned that keeping a tank full of only 1 species may be a bit boring, but with African cichlids, that is certainly not the case.  A 55 gallon tank would support about a dozen adult cichlids which would provide a wide spectrum of colors and personalities in the tank.  1 critical point about the cichlid tank is that if you want live plants, cichlids are not for you.  Cichlids are continuously "landscaping" the tank, digging and rearranging everything in the tank.  A nicely-stocked cichlid tank is a real crowd pleaser! (more…)

If you have been focusing on a freshwater aquarium setup this far, you may possibly wonder how they differ from salt water tanks. It is crucial to know because need to you pick to, you can transition your freshwater tank into a salt water one with ease. Let's have a look at the differences:

1. Expenses

Freshwater tanks come as African Cichlids, New World Cichlids, brackish tanks, planted tanks and predator tanks. Salt water tanks are different, and you'll get Fish Only tanks, Fish Only with Live Rock (FOWLR) tanks, and Reef Tanks. Fish Only are the lowest in terms of commence up and maintenance costs but as you progress to Reef Tanks, you will be paying more. Where you would invest about for a freshwater aquarium setup, you will invest about 00 to set up a reef tank – that's just to give you an concept of how significantly you'll be paying. (more…)

Whether you are starting your very first aquarium or the next in a long line it helps considerably to have an notion of the fish tank design prior to you in fact get going. The design consists of: what sorts of fish are going in it; whether or not it will have live plants; tank décor elements such as rocks and logs; and the overall impression or really feel that the tank should have.

Some individuals have strong ideas just before they get began as far as what fish they want to get and then the tank can be "built" around that. Other people know that they want a heavily planted aquarium 1st and foremost, and the fish are secondary. Still other people are essentially clueless and want some ideas of where to commence.

One sort of aquarium design that has grown really well-liked in recent years is the biotope tank. A biotope aquarium aims to replicate a specific geographic area within the confines of an aquarium. It is a miniature version, virtually a model of a distinct location in the world, complete with the native plants, fish, and landscaping of that place.

A well thought out biotope aquarium can be very impressive. Numerous individuals decide on to do a tank like this if they have a specific interest in a component of the world and want to discover more about it. The much more one studies and learns about the native lands that they are recreating, the much better the end result will be.

With that in mind, here are just a couple of ideas to get you began, knowing that the only real limitation to fish tank design is your imagination. (more…)

Touchy, temperamental, beautiful, brilliant. All of these adjectives can be used to describe the African Cichlid. Some of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the world, they are also some of the most fickle. However, if you follow some basic rules, you wont be left saying "Why did my African Cichlid die?"

There are four basic things you need to watch and plan for when raising African Cichlids : water hardness (mineral content), pH, temperature, and space. (more…)