The big switch

[censeoflife]

So I took my 55g from my room and turned into an African tank. Starting the cycle today. I have been reading like crazy of coarse and absorbing all that I can. Its full of sand an some clay pots broken and stacked for caves. I well post pics tomorrow. Any advice is gladly accepted!

 

[sandnuka]

PH, if starting african cichlid tank make sure you put something to buffer your PH at high levels... Just dumping in Ph increase doesnt usually maintain it if your ph from the tap is low... So dont forget to add some corals, or crushed coral in the filter, maybe mixed in the sand.... tha helps me allot.
Also, I tend to overcrowd my tank a little... kinda spread out the aggression.... unless you really want to watch them as if they were in the wild, then undercrowd it. have fun, and upload pictures soon.

 

[censeoflife]

Pictures

This is how it was. I moved my angels and gaurami to the living room.

And here it is now

The water is crystal clear this morning. I need to get ahold of some crushed coral and a heater now.

 

[Mikey]

That looks perfect. They will love those pots. I'd recommend going a little higher though, but way nice!!!

 

[censeoflife]

cool I will add some more pots.

FYI... I bought the pots at home depot, looked through the stock and grabbed all the cracked and broken ones, asked for a discount for the damaged goods and got 50% my purchase.

Spent less than 20$ so far for this switch.


About how many fish well I be able to keep? I want to start with fry.....

 

[Mikey]

First, what type of Cichlids are you going to stock??

Well with fry, you can have lots as they aren't as aggressive yet.
But as they get older, you're going to want to take out some males, not the alpha-dominant though. The ideal colony for most cichlids is 2m 8f, but if you're not really looking to breed, then I say overstock your tank to disperse aggression. I'll give you more info once I know what fish you're going to keep in there

 

[censeoflife]

I am wanting to go with mbuna. I want a colony. It's all about giving them the best environment I can so I can watch them do their thing. A place in OR, has a good deal on 25 mixed african cichlids, I thought this would work well for me, this way I could see who to weed out? just a thought.

 

[Mikey]

Ah yes! My favorite!!

Okay, well I could recommend some very good ones for you (my personal favorites!)

Pseudotropheus saulosi (ALL TIME FAVORITE):

These fish are dwarf Mbunas which are 3-4 inches full grown. At our local pet stores, they are not regularly stocked, but that's why they are good to have and breed, because you can get a lot of store credit for the fry. As fry, they start out a yellow-orange color, but as they mature the males get a very nice blue with dark black stripes. This is my avatar picture of a matured male!! They are beautiful! Here's a link! I've kept them in a 55 gallon with 25 of them. 5 males and 20 females. Worked out VERY well. They are not too aggressive, and they don't need a large tank.

Other favorites:

Labidochromis sp. "Mbamba" "Yellow Fin Mbamba"
PICTURE HERE

Pseudotropheus sp. Zebra Long Pelvic Mdoka
PICTURE HERE

 

[Mikey]

Oh and NEVER buy "mixed" africans. They will all breed together, and then you won't be a reputable seller/breeder. Stick with one species. You can always sell off and start with new ones once you get bored.

 

[censeoflife]

Wow, Thanks a bunch, This is exactly what I want. I love the yellow and blue, the sulfur heads too lmao, I have been searching for them..... lol. so really thank you! I can't wait till the tanks ready. :bounce:

 

[Mikey]

You're welcome. Call the LFS' to see if they have any that you like, then make the trip. Sierras had some in Renton last time I was there....I just sold some of mine to Sidekicking a few weeks ago, dang!

 

[censeoflife]

yeah I looked through the forum first, allot of soon's on fry but no alerts on 'fer sale'. that's okay i want my tank right first, i will look real hard when the time is right. especially now that i know exactly what i am looking for.

 

[sandnuka]

Censeoflife - this is a perfect opportunity for you to jump on our GROUP BUY ..... the breeder we are purchasing from is the best african breeder around, and the prices are gonna be at wholesale!!!! so you can fill your tank with rare and awesome looking cichlids fry.....

Check information on GROUP BUY in the market area! really, If I had the chance, i wouldve never gotten my fish any other place!
sandnuka
WFB admin

 

[Mikey]

I agree, but he doesn't have what you're looking for. You may want to go with Peacocks or something, but Pseudotropheus saulosi are aweseome!

 

[censeoflife]

Oh yeah I totally poured through what they have on-line, read all the bio's looking for a good fit, but I couldn't find these guys and nothing else that really has a hold of me like the Pseudotropheus saulosi.

 

[Mikey]

Oh yeah I totally poured through what they have on-line, read all the bio's looking for a good fit, but I couldn't find these guys and nothing else that really has a hold of me like the Pseudotropheus saulosi.

YAY!!!

 

[censeoflife]

Got my crushed coral in and everything is testing good this morning. Whoot time for fish shopping. lol. :joker:

 

[censeoflife]

The new arrivals

The first two from Sidekicking

The F1 babies from Kevin @ a place for pets.

So unfortunately The female from sidekicking showed an injury the day after I got her, not sure what happened, anyway she didn't make it through the weekend. : (

However the male is having a great time.
Playing in the sand, and of-coarse claimed his territory.

He actually was spitting in this pic.
and a little one is getting some lessons.

And some of the little ones handy work. They dug around all the stones I have in the sand a made lil caves. so awesome.

This is how it looks now.

Thanks for the insight Mikey!

 

[Mikey]

You're welcome!! The tank set-up looks awesome. I'm so glad you found some at APFP! Good luck on the breeding! :cheers:

 

[censeoflife]

Thank you sir, I am still looking for 6 more. Not sure how many males i'm sitting on yet. But if I never get any more these guys well go crazy anyway!!
:cheers: