# In Search of Help...



## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

Hello, Im new to the aquarium hobby, if you want to call it that. I have always had an aqaurium and think of them to be good stress relievers. I recently purchased a 29 gallon aqaurium and have decided I want to purchase cichlids for my tank. but... Im having trouble. Im sure cichlids need a little more care then the average gold fish or molly. I need help deciding how many, and what type of cichlids to put in it. Also, I need help deciding what to put in my tank as far as decorations. Ive listed below what I thought would be good for the Aqaurium but I want it to be suitable for the fish i put in. 

I looked at large peice of Driftwood as a "center peice" for my aquarium. Im not sure if its suitable for the cichlids or not.

I purchased riverbed gravel when I purchased my tank so If possible, Id like to keep it. But if need be, I can replace it if theres something better. If so please state a reason why its better. Dont want to spend more money on new gravel if its not really needed.

I also looked at texas limestone rocks (texas holy rocks may be another name for it.) I read that the rocks provide good homes and shelter for some of the cichlids and also help balance the pH levels. I considered purchasing them but am uncertain if they will do good or bad in my tank.

As for plants, I planed on getting normal plastic plants from a local pet store. I wanted live plants but I read cichlids ate plants. In my opinion, if thats the case... it would be a waste to put live plants in the tank that will be gone in a week. 

I have a standard Filter/Bio Filter that came with my aquarium and a standard Heater ranging from 74 to 84 degrees.

As for a background, I planed on buying a ordinary black background.

That is basically the tank set up I imagined I would need, but Im not sure. thats why Im here. please add your input. Is the tank setup I listed good for cichlids? If not, then what should I change. What type of chiclids should I add to my aquarium? How many should i purchase for a 30'L" 12'W" 18'H" aquarium? What should I feed them, considering what type of cichlids I purchase. 

Please help, Ive been thinking about this for weeks and I finally decided to contact others who may have been in the same situation Im in now.

Thanks for your time.
-Blake (Buddy8076)


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

As for what cichlids to put in, there are many types of them. Are you referring to africans or americans? Most large americans will get too large for your tank.id say you could put 10 malawi cichlids in a 29 gallon. You should go with less aggressive fish so you arent limited by that. How about some electric yellow labs (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1669)
Id do three of those, I male to 2 females
a trio of Pseudo. Socolofi's are also good (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=919)
and maybe you could do a trio of Acei's (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=835) and a single peac*ck to finis it off, but not a big one. Flametail would be suitable (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=685)


As for decor, I wouldnt bother with the driftwood. These fish will love you if you put in lots and lots of rocks stacked on top of each other in a big jumble with lots of caves, nooks, and crannies. you could put a few plants in but they are going to get eaten or ripped apart. The main thing is lots of caves. They Loooooove lacerock, so that is good. Id be careful about using random backyard rocks because some, like limestone or even concrete, will affect the pH. These fish love it in high pH and hard water. Id shoot for a pH of 7.8 to 8.2, and very hard water. 
You can make a background sooo much easier than buying. Buy some black photo paper, measure, and cut. Then scotch tape it on.
What to feed them- Buy omega one kelp flakes. My malawis practically jump out of the water for it. Once or twice a week, also mash up some peas and greenbeans (careful not too much) and drop in in. These fish are all herbivores, and there is enough protein in the omega one food that they dont need an external source
What are you doing for heating and filtration? Overfiltration is always a good thing, especially if you have this many fish in that sized aquarium. I have a 60 filter on my 30 tank. but you'll be fine with a 30 gallon or 40 gallon canister filter, and im sure you could do a HOB filter or two instead, I just feel like my big 'ol canister filter does a better job.
For a heater, 55 or 60 watts should be sufficient, and keep the temp around 78-80. Get a flourescent light too because they dont affect water temp much in my opinion, compared to incandescant.

Heres a pic of MY 30 gallon african cichlid setup right before I added fish. Flourescant lights, good filter, lots of rocks. remember that. 
http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=685764

Okay, thats my advice. Good luck!


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

In a tank that small I'd do cichlids from Lake tanganyika. Shell dwellers would love a lot of rocks and shells and don't get large. Plus will breed for you. Using crushed coral for a substrate would help buffer the PH but with any African cichlids.....No driftwood. Driftwood lowers the PH.

Also Pseudo. Socolofi's as suggested above are MEAN little bat turds. If you go with Malawians, I'd forget the socs.


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

thank you both for your input. ill take that into consideration. where would i buy such cichlids? i want to avoid pet stores like petsmart and stuff becuase there fish are unhealthy looking.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

LFS's. But be careful not to trust their advice.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2006)

LFS means a local fish store. They're good for purchasing fish, but not so good for gaining advice. Usually the advice LFSs give is not completely accurate, so when needing help you can ask here or do lots of research. 
You can also use the internet to get exactly what you want with african cichlids. Lots of trustworthy people (even right here on Fishforums) sell good quality fish and even breed african cichlids. I've found with my LFSs that they have little selection when it comes to african cichlids and most of what they have are hybrids or not good quality at all. However, i personally got my yellow labidochromis and frontosa from a member of my local fish club. That's also worth checking out. If there is a local fish club in your area, im sure you can get some good stuff, and cheap. My yellow labs were 6 for $2 and 6 baby fronts for free.


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

LFS's. what is that? and reefneck, you say driftwood lowers pH? Is it a big decrease in pH? or would limestone rocks like this one balance the pH? or... will it increase the pH too much? these are the rocks I planed on puting in. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Texas-holey-roc...5QQihZ005QQcategoryZ66791QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and diftwood like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/1700-1800s-CYPR...0QQihZ014QQcategoryZ66790QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

but once again, Im confused haha.


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

oh okay. so now i know what LFS is. still need info on the limestone rocks and driftwood.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2006)

driftwood can lower the ph quite a bit i believe. That's okay in other fish setups, but since you are doing african cichlids (which i think we've concluded, lol) you will want a higher ph, more towards 8.0. Limestone is good for raising ph and as for substrate, i use dolomite in my tank. It's a white gravel but it also helps raise the ph. 
Also, try to stay away from products and chemicals intended for buffering the ph. These may raise it, but it can cause dramatic ph fluctuations that can ultimately harm the fish.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2006)

> still need info on the limestone rocks and driftwood


lol, there ya go.


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

hahaha okay, so stay away from the driftwood?


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

for africans, yes, most definately.


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

alright, well then what about the texas holy rocks? and ive decided to get new gravel i guess. what kind should i get?


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

Buddy8076 said:


> alright, well then what about the texas holy rocks? and ive decided to get new gravel i guess. what kind should i get?


Those rocks are fine! Aragonite Sand or Crushed Coral!


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

okay! thanks for all of your input. in a few weeks i should have my tank up and running and i will post some pictures. hopefully of a nice tank with live fish... not dead. hah


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## dwool36 (Jan 31, 2006)

Buddy, you are doing the right thing by researching before you set up your tank. Please continue your research and look up how to "cycle" your tank before adding expensive Africans.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

Yeah. Have patience, you cant add fish ass soon as you put all the decor and stuff in just because it's "done", because you still have yet to complete a nitrogen cycle. If you put them in now they would die very soon because of toxins in the water you have not yet removed.


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

yeah i planed on waiting about 3 weeks before putting fish in. plus ive decided to use live plants. java fern, Anubias, Valisneria. I read those plants taste like crap to the cichlids so yeah imma give them a fighting chance. i want to wait a few weeks for them to grow some and anchor themselves down before puting fish in that will try and dig them up. if the plants die or get eaten, then ill purchase plastic plants. but ive ordered some of the stuff, and waiting for the rest. most of it is bid's on ebay so ill have to wait till the bids expire. anyways ill post pics of the finished tank soon, and pics of the tank with fish in it a few weeks later.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

you cant just wait either, you need a source of ammonia to cycle


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## Buddy8076 (Aug 6, 2006)

the tank will be cycled... im taking a filter from my other tank and putting it in the new tank to cycle the water.


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