Saltwater Reefer to Freshwater

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paintballer768

New Fish
#1
Jul 7, 2008
9
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#1
So Im curious about starting up a freshwater tank. Ive had my 24 gallon mixed reef up for almost a year now, attached picture. Im drawn to freshwater because I understand you are able to get a bit more fish inside of a tank as opposed to saltwater, which brings me to my question.

In saltwater, using dechlorinated tap water is a sin, yet in the sticky, it says theres no perfect pH other than your tap. Is it possible to use RO/DI water to fill up your tank without ill effects?

I looked up a cichlid I saw at my LFS, the Labidochromis caeruleus or Electric Yellow Cichlid. Fishprofiles.com says "A large tank is not required and will often compliment a community tank." How big of a tank does this mean, 20 gallons? 30? 55?

And also it says "The water should contain Malawi cichlid salt and a high pH." Cichlid salt? Are cichlids brackish?

And my final question, lets say in a 30 gallon tank, could I be able to keep different species of cichlids ok, if they stay fairly small (~5-6 inches fully grown)?


Thank you. I hate being at the beginning stages all over again *GOLDFISH*
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#3
Jul 9, 2003
8,866
14
38
38
Columbia, SC
www.youtube.com
#3
Bigger is better for cichlids. Especially fish like labs, which are Mbuna. A type of rock dwelling fish from Malawi. They like big groups, so a bigger tank is usually needed. Not to mention they get like 6". I've kept labs in a 30gal, but i like mbuna better in a tank like a 55gal. You get to see the full potential of their behavior IMO. You are very limted to species and stocking numbers in a smaller tank.

RO water, Tap water....i use whatever for freshwater. As long as its not like a super low pH you should be fine.

No salt. I personally think its snake oil, some people use it but ehh...skip it and save some trouble.

30gal? Limited. If thats your only choice i'd stick to a single species, a smaller species. Pseudotropheus saulosi or Pseudotropheus Demasoni. The Pseudotropheus saulosi provide a nice blue and yellow contrast with each sex. The Demasoni really should be kept in at the very least a 36" tank. Same with labs i'd say...

There are other options, like dwarf cichlids, Lake Tang species, etc. Its just hard to do Mbuna in anything under like a 40ish gallon tank at least.
 

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paintballer768

New Fish
#4
Jul 7, 2008
9
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#4
sweetpickles7 said:
Ive never heard of cichlid salt and you dont need it. 55gals are perfect for an african cichlid setup. Thats what i would prefer. I would keep researching for awhile and read up on as much as you can.
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Okay thanks, that clears up the salt. Im still reading up. I need to get some extra money until I start planning. One thing I also havent been able to find out is if there are any dwarf cichlids or any small fish like cichlids? Thanks
 

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paintballer768

New Fish
#5
Jul 7, 2008
9
0
0
#5
Cichlid-Man said:
Bigger is better for cichlids. Especially fish like labs, which are Mbuna. A type of rock dwelling fish from Malawi. They like big groups, so a bigger tank is usually needed. Not to mention they get like 6". I've kept labs in a 30gal, but i like mbuna better in a tank like a 55gal. You get to see the full potential of their behavior IMO. You are very limted to species and stocking numbers in a smaller tank.

RO water, Tap water....i use whatever for freshwater. As long as its not like a super low pH you should be fine.

No salt. I personally think its snake oil, some people use it but ehh...skip it and save some trouble.

30gal? Limited. If thats your only choice i'd stick to a single species, a smaller species. Pseudotropheus saulosi or Pseudotropheus Demasoni. The Pseudotropheus saulosi provide a nice blue and yellow contrast with each sex. The Demasoni really should be kept in at the very least a 36" tank. Same with labs i'd say...

There are other options, like dwarf cichlids, Lake Tang species, etc. Its just hard to do Mbuna in anything under like a 40ish gallon tank at least.
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Okay, thanks. I typed my last response, submitted it, and yours was up haha. Im not too surer what I would aim to put in the tank just yet, so Im not exactly looking to cater to any particular species, just a tank where I could keep some cool plants and a nice community tank.
 

sweetpickles7

sweetpickles7

Superstar Fish
#7
Feb 13, 2007
1,239
0
0
Central Illinois
#7
Dwarf SA cichlids would be more for what your looking for if you want plants. Mbuna will tear the plants up, but i have heard of some plants working u would just have to find the right kind. im sure cman would know if there was a plant or not that would work
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#8
Jul 9, 2003
8,866
14
38
38
Columbia, SC
www.youtube.com
#8
Yeah they are a nice choice. Stay small for a Mbuna species and have the contrasting color.

I'm not saying a 30gal can't be done (though some people will) but if you can go with something like a 55gal, 75gal, or even like a 40breeder or 45 i'd go that route.

EDIT: Dwarf cichlids like Apistogramma or Rams would be nice in a small planted tank. They can be kept in the 20-30gal range very well.
 

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paintballer768

New Fish
#10
Jul 7, 2008
9
0
0
#10
Cichlid-Man said:
Yeah they are a nice choice. Stay small for a Mbuna species and have the contrasting color.

I'm not saying a 30gal can't be done (though some people will) but if you can go with something like a 55gal, 75gal, or even like a 40breeder or 45 i'd go that route.

EDIT: Dwarf cichlids like Apistogramma or Rams would be nice in a small planted tank. They can be kept in the 20-30gal range very well.
Click to expand...
sweetpickles7 said:
Dwarf SA cichlids would be more for what your looking for if you want plants. Mbuna will tear the plants up, but i have heard of some plants working u would just have to find the right kind. im sure cman would know if there was a plant or not that would work
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Thanks for the help. If I were going to get another tank, I would need to get a stand so I would probably go for a 55 or something around that size. I was looking around at the SA Cichlids, particularly the dwarves. According to PetEducation.com, good candidates look like Apistogramma sp. and Microgeophagus ramirezi (I like this one the best). From a tank condition standpoint, it looks feasable. Could I keep 2 different SA cichlid species together?

Im going to look up methods to keep planted aquariums, but can I keep plants with these?
 

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