New Tank for Cichlids - 100gal

[jillinsavannah]

Given 100 gal (6' x 1.5' x 1.5') with Fluval 304's (70 gal each). Want to set up with African Cichlids for movement and color. Husband is terminally ill and although I enjoy and always wanted a 100 gal, I think he will find this entertaining & relaxing.

1. I have set up two of the canister filters. Is this enough for cichlids or should I set up the 3rd? Where can I buy spare parts? (intake tube & bottom screen, hose guides)

2. I have gravel/river pebbles on one side and play sand on the other. I have several plastic plants, a couple of slate caves and 8 or so blue or green glass bottles laying in the bottom. Do I need more plants? Rocks? Husband thinks I will get too cluttered and I like the look so far, but I want the FISH to be happier than my husband.

3. Do not have heater set up - temp currently standing about 77F. Will I need a heater for Cichlids (not discus - too expensive)?

4. From what I have read, I need to get a water testing kit. Where should I keep what levels?? i.e. PH at 8.0 to what?? Any kit suggestions?

5. Can I keep a couple of angels as top dwellers and other cichlids as bottom dwellers or will the angels still get roughed up or eaten up?

6. I would like color and schooling movement. What cichlids do you suggest? Peacocks and electric yellow are popular in the fish stores here, as well as a horizonatal zebra stripped gold & black and a bright orange, plain looking fish of which I can't remember the names. I prefer that they get along for the most part, as my family insists I'll kill them all - forgetting my previously successful 20 & 50 gal tanks.

7. I am trying to cycle the tank, clearing up wonderfully and looking good. I have 10 tetra's in for bacteria build up, as I'd rather pay 1.00 a fish for healthier looking fish than the .12 each for feeder fish that didn't look so hot health wise. I do realize that they will probably end up cichlid food. Any other suggestions? If I get ph to good level, when should I add cichlids?

Thanks for the help. I'm getting very anxious and want everything to go right.

[RazorBlade]

Hi Jill & Savannah.

First of all, I noticed that you are from the US - you'll probably want to check out some US-based sites, as they would have better knowledge of the environment there (temp, water quality, fish shops you can buy stuff from, etc). Cichlid-forum.com is a very popular US-based site.

Anyway, I'll try my best to answer your post.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

Given 100 gal (6' x 1.5' x 1.5') with Fluval 304's (70 gal each). Want to set up with African Cichlids for movement and color. Husband is terminally ill and although I enjoy and always wanted a 100 gal, I think he will find this entertaining & relaxing.

First of all, I applaud your enthusiasm.

Anyway, you'll first have to decide on which African Cichlid to keep - Malawi, Tanganyikan or Victoria? For most ppl starting off, I recommend Malawi Mbuna - they are cheap, pretty hardy, and very colourful. A colony of 10pcs Yellow Labs, 10pcs Cobalt Blues & 10pcs Saulosi would look great in that 6-footer of yours!

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

1. I have set up two of the canister filters. Is this enough for cichlids or should I set up the 3rd?

Should be enough, depending on the number of fish you have. For a 100gal + two Fluval 304s, you can easily have 30 Malawi Mbuna in there. Water changes weekly (25%) or every two weeks (50%) would be good.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

Where can I buy spare parts? (intake tube & bottom screen, hose guides)

Fluval is a well-known brand, and you should be able to get spare parts easily in the US.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

2. I have gravel/river pebbles on one side and play sand on the other. I have several plastic plants, a couple of slate caves and 8 or so blue or green glass bottles laying in the bottom. Do I need more plants? Rocks? Husband thinks I will get too cluttered and I like the look so far, but I want the FISH to be happier than my husband.

Can't really imagine how the tank looks - a photo would be great here. Also, Malawi Mbuna are not really fussy on the setup - check out some of the photos at Cichlid-forum. If you're into other fish (Malawi Haps or Peacocks, Tangs, Vic Haps), their requirements are different.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

3. Do not have heater set up - temp currently standing about 77F. Will I need a heater for Cichlids (not discus - too expensive)?

Can't tell you about this since I'm not familiar with the weather at your location ... but in most temperate areas (ie four seasons), a heater is usually required. Temp is usually ideal between 75F to 80F, and a stable temp is desired. For a 100gal, you'll probably need one 100W heater (two if your place has cold weather).

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

4. From what I have read, I need to get a water testing kit. Where should I keep what levels?? i.e. PH at 8.0 to what?? Any kit suggestions?

Many are available off-the-shelf. Basic test kits are:
-> pH (6.5 - 9.0) ... you don't really need super-accurate pH readings (unless u r buying very sensitive fish)
-> Ammonia (aka NH4)
-> Nitrites (NO2)
-> Nitrates (NO3)
-> kH (Carbonate Hardness)
-> gH (General Hardness)

I've been using Sera, but there are other reliable brands out there.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

5. Can I keep a couple of angels as top dwellers and other cichlids as bottom dwellers or will the angels still get roughed up or eaten up?

No. Angels are soft-water fish - even if they adapt to the water conditions, with African cichlids in there the Angels simply wont survive for long.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

6. I would like color and schooling movement. What cichlids do you suggest? Peacocks and electric yellow are popular in the fish stores here, as well as a horizonatal zebra stripped gold & black and a bright orange, plain looking fish of which I can't remember the names. I prefer that they get along for the most part, as my family insists I'll kill them all - forgetting my previously successful 20 & 50 gal tanks.

Schooling? Hmm ... for a 6-footer, you can probably get away with a bunch of Utakas (Malawi Haps). African cichlids don't usually school ... the ones that do, are usually harder to find, expensive, & fragile.

However, having a bunch of Clown Loaches (5 to 8pcs in that 6-footer) is very entertaining (I have 8 in my 5-footer). They are kinda sensitive to water parameters, so don't be surprised if some die. They can get along with most Malawi Mbuna.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

7. I am trying to cycle the tank, clearing up wonderfully and looking good. I have 10 tetra's in for bacteria build up, as I'd rather pay 1.00 a fish for healthier looking fish than the .12 each for feeder fish that didn't look so hot health wise. I do realize that they will probably end up cichlid food. Any other suggestions? If I get ph to good level, when should I add cichlids?

Wow, looking good already. After cycling the tank for 1-2 weeks, you can start adding fishes - try adding in batches of 10 and you should do fine. If you want to play it safe, do a 50% water change the following day.

Happy Fishkeeping!

[RazorBlade]

Sorry, forgot a few things you asked:

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

4. From what I have read, I need to get a water testing kit. Where should I keep what levels?? i.e. PH at 8.0 to what??

Ammonia & Nitrites -> NIL. Always!
Nitrates -> preferably less than 40 mg/l

For Malawi cichlids
pH 7.5 - 8.5
temp between 75-80F
kH 5-10
gH 5-20

The key to water parameters is STABILITY.

Originally Posted by jillinsavannah

Peacocks and electric yellow are popular in the fish stores here, as well as a horizonatal zebra stripped gold & black and a bright orange, plain looking fish of which I can't remember the names.

Electric yellows (aka Yellow Lab), a Malawi Mbuna, is a good choice.

Horizontal zebra striped gold & black = Auratus, a Malawi Mbuna. Very aggressive killer reputation. AVOID.

Bright orange = most likely Maylandia estherae, a Malawi Mbuna. Also aggressive, but should do well in a 6-footer with enough rockwork.

Peacocks are nice, but don't thrive with Mbunas. Males are spectacular, females are boring ... and you can't really get a good colour mix (they cross-breed pretty easily).

Decide on the fish you want to keep first (Malawi ... Mbuna, Hap or Peacock? Tanganyikan - Tropheus, Shelldweller, etc? Victorian Hap? West African riverine?). Then you can see what's available and decide.