Converting 55g Into Cichlid Tank...

[burtoncb47]

well since recently one of my 2 large discus died i am thinking about converting my 55g tank into cichlids...i have been thinking about this for a while now and having the discus die kinda gave me the push that i needed.

right now it is a discus/community tank....all fish that are in it have homes ready for them when my decision is final....

i do have a couple questions about cichlids though...i know a fair amount about them already but i am far from what most cichlid-keepers on this sight know...i have seen a couple different types of cichlid tanks, some are with the round river rock stacked up not that tall and others are stacked higher with the more jagged rock and witha lot of caves..does this have anything to do with the type of cichlid or is it just the persons preference??

i am leaning more towards africans because they stay a little smaller than SA(i think) and i could have more of the in my tank...i know there are different types of africans and i was also wondering is there any problems those different types??


well this is all the questions i have for now..thanks for reading this and any help/advice/opinions will help me tremendously!!thanks!!!! *celebrate

 

[SinisterKisses]

Well, first things first...its already partially a cichlid tank - discus are cichlids

The rockwork you're referring to is a combination of individual preferance and the type of fish in the tank. Mbuna are the rock fish and are the ones who would need the caves and lots of rocks, but which kind of rock is really up to you. I wouldn't go too jagged though, the fish can do some damage to themselves on it if they're spooked.

If you're leaning towards Africans, you still have one major decision to make. Yes, there are different kinds of Africans, and no, they don't mix well. The three main groups (there are others) are:

Lake Malawi Mbuna
Lake Malawi haps and peacocks
Lake Tanganyika

You basically need to pick one of those groups and stick with it. The Tangs shouldn't be mixed with the Malawis, because of their different water needs, diets, etc, but even the Haps/Peacocks don't mix well with the mbuna due to their differing characteristics. Haps/Peacocks are much more mild-mannered, peaceful fish that are more open-space swimmers, while Mbuna are like sugar high two year olds, lol. They are extremely fast, active, and most are too aggressive to leave peacefully with the more docile Haps and Peacocks.

If you head over to cichlidforum.com and into their profiles gallery, you can head into the African section to have a look at pictures and decide which group you like the best. That is at least a good place to start

 

[burtoncb47]

well from what youve told me it looks like ill be leaning towards the mbuna...because im looking for more active fish..my discus are cool but they arent much fun to watch IMO.

well im on cichlid-forum right now looking at mbunas and wow i had no idea that there were this many types!!its gonna take a while to look through them....

thanks Sinister!!!

 

[FreddyJ]

yay! Welcome to African Mbuna! Lots to learn but it looks like you've already got it right by researching before you buy and asking questions.

"Mbuna are like sugar high two year olds" LOL! Right on...couldn't describe them more clearly myself. ha!

I think you will find the mating and territorial behaviors quite interesting, at least I have. They are very entertaining to watch and are constantly involved in dramatics.

Good luck! And let us know what you are leaning towards!

 

[SinisterKisses]

Lol it was the closest description I could think of

There are TONS of mbuna species, yes. You'll have to get an idea of which species you like most, to get a starting point of exactly what species to stock your tank with. Even within the mbuna group, there are a lot of species that shouldn't be mixed, so it takes a bit of fine-tuning to get a final stocklist worked out - but don't worry, we're here to help

 

[burtoncb47]

k from what i looked at yesterday..(which was not nearly all the species) a couple caught my eye.

these were...
labidochromis sp."hongi"
labidochromis sp. "mbamba"
melanochromis cyaneorhabdos
metriaclima sp. "black dorsal heteropictus"
psuedotropheus crabro
tropheops sp. "boadzulu"

this sint a stock list just sharing what caught my eye but if anyone has any info/experience with any of these fish it would be appreciated!! thanks!!

o ya i forgot to ask, sinister what type of cichlid is that in your avatar?? its a nice looking fish!!