The fish species described in this book come in many interesting and colorful varieties that are available to aquarium hobbyists. This fact book for aquarium owners advises on keeping cichlids in a healthy tank environment. It is a title in Barron’s extensive line of Complete Pet Owner’s Manuals . Heavily illustrated with color photos and instructive line art, these books present information on housing, feeding, health care, the title animal’s traits–and where applicable, on grooming, training
Question Matt : what ph level is comforatable for african cichlids with the use of crushed coral?
i have a 55 gallon tank i just bought, i put about 40 lbs of crushed coral in it..i have 2 african cichlids and a jack demsy, just want to know how long it takes for the cloudyness to go away and for it to be safe for my fish, and what ph level should it be at
Answer by Marilyn Your question would be easier to answer if you had specified exactly which African cichlids you are keeping. Because you have expressed concern over whether your pH is sufficiently high to keep your fish healthy, I assume you are keeping either Lake Malawi or Lake Tanganyika cichlids. Published pH values for Lake Malawi range from 7.7 to 8.6, and for Lake Tanganyika from 7.3 to 8.0. Reported hardness values for Malawi range from 6 to 10 degrees of hardness (DH) (125.0 to 170.5 parts per million total dissolved solids — ppm TDS), and for Lake Tanganyika from 10 to 12 DH (170.5 to 205.0 ppm TDS). Experience has shown that both Tanganyikan and Malawian cichlids will prosper and breed at pH values as low as 7.2 and hardness values to 3 DH. What seems critical is the stability of these values rather than their absolute magnitude. Your use of coral gravel as a filter bed provides all the stability your fish require given the relatively hard, alkaline character of the tap water where you live (Southern California).
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Answer by Emma As a rule, it’s best to stick to cichlids from one part of the world, so have just a Lake Malawi cichlid tank. However, you can probably mix in certain other cichlids that require the same very alkaline water conditions such as Lake Tanganyika cichlids. The most important aspects to keeping a relatively peaceful cichlid tank are lots of hiding places and territories, enough water and space for each fish (a large tank), and a good sized group of cichlids to offset any aggression. Having many Malawi cichlids seems to moderate their aggression, although there will always be squabbles here and there.
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Cichlid Breeding Secret – How To Successfully Breed Cichlids
Cichlid breeding is not exactly straight forward as it is entirely dependent on the cichlid species. Generally, they can be classified as either substrate-spawners or mouthbrooders.
Cichlids that are substrate-spawners will lay their eggs on surfaces such as rocks, leaves or logs. Some species will only lay eggs in cave while other people will only lay their eggs in empty shells. As you can see, there are diverse variations in cichlid breeding and each of them has their personal exclusive criteria to fulfill.
In addition, just before they breed, cichlids will need their own breeding territory as they do not lay eggs in territories belonging to other cichlids. Hence, to attain success in cichlid breeding, you should generate the correct atmosphere and provide ample "hiding" places. (more…)
Frage von Luke T : What are most peaceful/colourful malawi cichlids?
What are most peaceful/colourful malawi cichlids?
and how many can i add in a 4 foot tank? 48″x20″x24″
these like rocks ect rite? the local shop is crap, all it says on labbel is “malawi cichlid £1.50″
Beste Antwort:
Answer by Gary C Some Malawi cichlids, known as “mbuna,” like lots of rocks in their tanks. Mbuna is a local name meaning “rock-dwelling cichlid.” However, not all Malawi cichilds are mbuna.
Probably the most peaceful Malawi cichlids are the open-water dwellers, known in Lake Malawi as “utaka.” Utaka do not defend territory, so they have less reason for aggression. However, your four-foot tank is really too small for any of the open-water species.
The smallest Malawi cichlids are probably the shell-dwellers, some of which are two inches long or so when adult. (There are also shell-dwellers from Lake Tanganyika and from other places, but they aren’t Malawi cichlids, obviously.)
The most colorful perhaps are the “peacock cichlid” types (genus Aulonocara and genus Protomelas). They are not mbuna, but you could keep one male and several females in a four-foot tank (only the males are brightly-colored).
“Peaceful” and “colorful” tend to be contradictory terms in the fish world, and especially in the cichlid world. Having bright colors serves as a warning and a challenge to other fish, especially other members of the same species and sex. It’s sort of like wearing gang colors in the human world: Don’t do it unless you’re willing to fight to defend your turf. So the brightly-colored fish tend to be the rough and tough ones.
As a first Malawi cichlid, you might like the Yellow Lab, Labidochromis Caeruleus. Both sexes are brightly colored, even as juveniles. This fish does like a lot of rock crevices for shelter. It is fairly aggressive, but no more so than most Malawi cichlids, and it stays small enough that you could have a colony of them in a four-foot tank.
1.50 pounds per fish is quite cheap for African cichlids. If your local shop is selling them for that price, I suspect that the shopkeeper doesn’t know what species they are, either. They could also be hybrids (cross-bred from different species, usually by accident). I don’t recommend getting a hybrid, although a few of them are becoming popular in the hobby.
These are the days when fish keepers look for feasible options with the aid of which they will be able to procure tropical fishes for their aquariums. Cichlid is a tropical fish that seems to top the chart when it comes to adorning aquariums. Cichlidsare broadly classified into two – the African cichlids and the new world cichlids . In the following passages, I will illustrate some factors that must be harbored in mind when it comes to these tropical fishes. Bear in mind that with the aid of the appropriate knowledge, you will be able to astonish the community with your cichlid collection. (more…)
African Cichlids Care Beginners Guide to African Cichlid Care
African cichlids are well known among aquarists for their aggression and territorial behavior and hence, they can be difficult to care for when not handled properly. If you are traveling to keep them with other community fishes or cichlids , you necessitate to pay additive attention to the issue of water requirement and compatibilities with other cichlid species.
Firstly, you will need to ensure that the fishes in your aquarium come from waters with similar pH level. African cichlid comes from three main African lakes: Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. The universal idea here is to not blend cichlids from antithetic lakes as the pH level of the water are not the same. (more…)
