African Cichlid Tank Set Up - 02/06/07
Hi there!  I am setting up a 75 gallon freshwater aquarium, and I want to make this one an African Cichlid tank.  I've never kept cichlids before, and have done heavy research on compatibility and what not, but I want to make sure before I do anything.  I have listed possible livestock as follows:  Electric blue, electric yellow, livingstonii, Jack Dempsey, Female Kribensis, Salvini, and Red Zebras.  Now keep in mind that I have never cared for a cichlid before, and I have done significant research that says these fish will do alright with each other; you guys are the experts however.  Can you give me some suggestions on this project?  Thanks once again, I love your site.-Blake
< Don't mix African cichlids with New World cichlids. The African cichlids are much faster and have teeth. As far as you set up:
The electric Blue is OK. Will get up to 8 inches and may chase smaller fish that it can eat.
The electric yellow is OK. Will get up to 4 inches but is non-aggressive. The Livingstonii will get up to 8 inches and will not bother fish in cannot eat. The red zebras are OK. Fairly aggressive and territorial. The Jack Dempsey and salvini are from Mexico and would get picked on to death by the African cichlids from Lake Malawi. The female krib is suicide. Only gets 2 inches long and comes from soft acidic water. I would recommend "Enjoying Cichlids" by Ad Konings as an excellent book for keeping cichlids.-Chuck>

Planning a 55 Gallon African Cichlid Tank  1/7/08
Planning to revamp my 55 gallon tank with new fish. Have completely cleaned it out, have tested the water for three days straight, pH is coming in at a 7.0, nitrates and ammonia etc. seem to be in order and temp is at approx 76-80 degrees.
I would like to have a cichlid tank and noticed the Aquarium store in my area has a very strong selection of African Cichlids which are quite beautiful. Could you please advise how many fish I can purchase, what types of Cichlids would mix well together, and what non Cichlid fish I could also have that would mix well. Thank you, Eric
<Lake Malawi cichlids do make an attractive and active tank. They like hard alkaline clean water. Water should be between 75 and 77 F. The pH needs to be up around 7.4-8.0. The filter should run at least 150-300 GPH. There are approximately 1000 cichlid species from Lake Malawi. Most of the cichlids in the hobby come from the rocky habitats and are referred to as Mbuna. They eat algae off of the rocks so they require a diet high in vegetable matter. Generally these fish need to very densely populated because they can be very aggressive and have lots of sharp teeth. By keeping them crowded the aggressive males are able to chase all the fish and not just a selected few. Generally I would recommend getting all the fish as juveniles and let them grow up together. I would get about thirty. As some of the males mature they can be traded back to the store. This would leave you with about 20+ adults. A good book would be "Enjoying Cichlid" by Ad Konings. It covers most of the available cichlid species in the hobby. Good fish to go with them are Australian rainbows and Synodontis catfish from Lake Tanganyika.-Chuck>

African Cichlid GH Too High  12/12/07
Hello Neale.
Sorry for bothering you again. I am still in the first week of cycling my Mbuna tank. My water parameters are (Test Kits from NT Labs UK) - pH 8.1, KH 9, GH 25, NO2 1, NO3 5, NH3 0. How can I lower my GH? Should I use RO/DI water?
Thanks you
Ghulam
<Hi Ghulam. Don't bother... GH 25, KH 9 is perfect for Rift Valley cichlids. They will love it. The nitrite is still a bit high though, so be diligent with water changes, and don't add to many fish too quickly! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Cichlids GH Too High, Africans  12/20/07
Hi Again Neale.
I am now in my 18th day of cycling my Malawi Cichlids tank (Mbuna) and last week my GH was 25, now its 28. I tested my tap water and its 7 GH. Is it still ok for my future fish? Will they breed in these conditions? What can I do if I need to lower it?
Help
Thanks in advance :-)
Ghulam
<Greetings. Malawi cichlids are fine at 25 degrees dH general hardness. On the other hand, if your tap water has a hardness of 7 degrees dH and that rockets up to 25 degrees in the aquarium, then you don't have much water chemistry stability. While it is fine to use calcium-rich substrates in a tank to harden the water, if you're going to go down that avenue, it's best to perform small but frequent water changes. Perhaps two 25% water changes each week. So test the hardness before the water change, immediately after the water change, and then seven days after the water change. If the hardness variation is small (say, between 20 and 25 dH) then don't worry too much. But if the variation is between 10 and 25 dH, that's less good, and you'll want to do smaller water changes but more often. With Malawi cichlids, hardness and pH don't matter too much in terms of exact values, but what does matter is stability. By the way, note "GH" is what you're measuring, General Hardness, and not the scale used, which is "dH", or "Deutsche Härte", literally "German Hardness" in German. One other thing I'd remind you: carbonate hardness ( degrees KH) is somewhat more important with Malawi cichlids than most other aquarium fish. You want a consistent KH of at least 7 degrees and ideally more than 10 degrees KH. Carbonate hardness is the thing that keeps pH steady. Again, anything between 7.5 and 8.5 will suit these fish in absolute terms, but what they hate is dramatic variation, so if you run the tank at pH 8.0 (a good number) then you want to keep variations small, say between 7.8 and 8.2. The tendency will be for the pH to drop across the week, and the water changes will bring the pH back up. A high carbonate hardness inhibits this pH drop; the higher the KH value, the smaller the pH fluctuation. Do also remember if you plan on breeding your Malawi cichlids, then you have to ensure none of the fish can hybridise, and that there are enough females per male to prevent bullying: when groups of one male and one female are kept, the female can be battered to death long before she has any babies! Cheers, Neale.>

New 300g fresh water set up for African cichlids  12/7/07
Hello and thanks in advance for your time.
<Welcome Joe>
First off, I haven't bought anything yet, including the tank, so I am open to changing anything based upon your suggestions. I'm a clean slate.
<Ahh!>
I intend to set up a 300g (96 long 30 deep 24 high) freshwater tank for African cichlids.
<Mmm, there are actually quite a few variations/themes for such "African Cichlid" systems... By lake, habitat type... Need to be careful in actual species selection, mixing... avoiding crosses... sorting sex ratios... You would do well to read the very nice, though old Cichlid books by Paul Loiselle, Tetra Books... likely available from a library>
I want the tank to be in a wall viewable from two rooms. I'm going to do two overflows, one on each side of the tank leading to a sump under the tank. I have plenty of room under the tank for the sump and am thinking about 75 gallons. I think I want 2 inch bulkheads (to accommodate a 2" ID PVC, so the hole would be 3.25")
<Mmm, no need to be this large OD... even with Schedule 80 bulkheads... don't make over-size>
for the drains, not sure what size the bulkheads should be for the return.
<The diameter of the discharge volute of the pump/s>
in fact, I don't know how much water I should be turning over an hour.
<... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/afcichsysfaqs.htm
and the linked files above>
I would also like advice as to how to filter. Should I do a wet/dry to my sump or a bio filter in the sump?
<Perhaps both>
I've heard bad things about bioballs being a nitrate factory. I am also considering two more holes for a closed loop system to UGJ's.
<Ahh! Good idea>
Again, how large should these holes be and any advice as to setting up such a system would be appreciated.
<See WWM re these issues... all and more related information that is pertinent/germinal re is posted...>
I am going to use a lot of rock in the tank and was wanting to use eggcrate
to defuse the weight of the rock, but can't figure out how to do that with a UGJ?
<I would NOT use an UG filter here, nor with most any African Cichlid biotope aquarium... not much to gain, and more maintenance than it's worth>
I'm also concerned about all the holes in the bottom of the tank, I'm hoping you will tell me if done right I won't have a leaking problem.
<... I would NOT drill holes through your tank w/o a plumbing plan, strong sense of what you're doing... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.htm
the fourth/pink tray down... on Plumbing>
Please feel free to offer any advice and suggest any changes, no matter how small.
Thanks again,
Joe
<You have good ideas Joe... but need to do a bunch of reading, note-taking to hone down your choices, actual working engineering plans... Can be easily done by reading on WWM... and even fun... Do write us back with specific concerns, questions. Bob Fenner>

African Cichlid... and Neotropicals (Firemouth) systems  12/7/07
Dear Crew,
I have a few question please. What temperature range is best for the African Cichlids? The thing is that I have a Teco Conditioner (Chiller, Heater & UV built all in one) and it does not keep a constant temperature. If I set it on 24 Degrees Celsius, the unit only starts chilling at 26 until it reaches 24 then stops, and it does this very slowly, not quick so it should not shock my livestock. So is it ok for the temperature to be between 24-26? If not then please specify the best range.
Cichlids I would like to house in one tank (200 Gallon with Wet/Dry Filtration) and hope I can also breed.
2-4 or more Pseudotropheus demasoni (Pombo Rocks)
2-4 or more Labidochromis caeruleus
2-4 or more Firemouth
Also what about using a RO/DI Unit?
Thank you.
Ghulam
<Hello Ghulam. The temperature variation you describe will not cause any problems. Firemouth cichlids (Thorichthys meeki) are not Malawi cichlids and I personally wouldn't mix them. Mbuna are quite violent animals; Thorichthys meeki are mild and have quite specialized jaws unsuitable for fighting. That's why they flare their red gill covers instead. Only rarely will Thorichthys meeki actually "lock jaws". If Mbuna and Thorichthys meeki get into a fight, things might turn nasty. Pseudotropheus demasoni is incredibly nasty towards other blue fish of similar shape and pattern, though yellow and orange Mbuna like Labidochromis caeruleus and Maylandia estherae are said to work well with it. So by all means replace the Thorichthys meeki with another Mbuna, but choose the species carefully so that it isn't blue and doesn't have vertical bars. Using RO water in a Malawi cichlid tank is a good idea. It keeps the nitrate levels low, so the fish are healthier. But you will need to add minerals to harden the water. You can buy "Malawi Salt" mixes, or you can make your own. A common Rift Valley salt mix is as follows. Per 5 gallons/20 litres
1 teaspoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 tablespoon Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
1 teaspoon marine salt mix (sodium chloride + trace elements)
Stir in the bucket, and then when dissolved, add to the aquarium. Make changes to water chemistry in small steps so as not to stress any fish.
Cheers, Neale.>

African Cichlid Info
New Cichlid Tank Questions    12/4/07
Dear Crew. Hi I'm new to this site & really love it, also gonna start my first fish tank ever. I have a few questions that I'm not too sure about & can't seem to find.
1) Should I use RO/DI Unit for African Cichlids?
< There are lots of cichlids that come from Africa and there are many different water types too. If you are asking about cichlids from the great rift lakes then you do not need a RO unit since these fish prefer hard alkaline water.>
2) How much circulation should be used in the tank?
< About three to five times the tank volume per hour.>
3) I am also gonna be buying a sump filtration & drill my tank, how much circulation should I use for filtration?
< As per question number 2.>
4) What test kits do I need?
< A pH and general hardness kit to get the water chemistry right. Then a ammonia, nitrite and nitrate kit to make sure your tank is properly cycled and then you can determine when to change water and how much water to change.>
5) How long before I can add fish?
< If you use Bio-Spira you can add fish as soon as the water temp is set.>
6) Can I breed African Cichlids with more than 1 couple? I will be buying a 190 Gallon Rectangular tank.
If we are still talking about Rift Lake cichlids then you will need to know exactly what species you are talking about. In Lake Malawi 99.999999% of the cichlids are maternal mouth breeders. The do best in colonies with one may to 4-6 females. Some cichlids from Lake Tanganyika can be breed in pairs while some others are usually bred as colonies like the Lake Malawi cichlids. I would recommend "Enjoying Cichlids by Ad Konings.-Chuck>
I hope I did not ask you too many questions & thanking you in advance.
John Luke

Converting Reef to Cichlid 12/1/2007
Hi Bob and Wet Crew.
<Ave!>
Hope your all doing well. Its been ages since I emailed you wonderful people. I would like to know what I would have to do to convert my 200 Gallon Reef Tank to a Cichlid Tank? I would also like to know what equipment should I keep in the system.
<Does rather depend on the cichlids being kept. If hard water species (Tanganyikan, Malawian, Victorian or Central American cichlids) essentially everything except salt and skimmer will be useful. Soft water species (South American and West African cichlids) obviously don't want limestone materials in the tank like tufa rock. Brackish water cichlids (Chromides, plus various tilapiines and cichlasomines) can be kept tanks more or less identical to marine tanks except the skimmer won't work below SG 1.010).>
Tank Info......
1 200 Gallon Main Tank (Drilled)
2) 45 Gallon Sump with Bio Balls
3 55 Gallon Caulerpa Algae
4) Skimmer
5) UV
6) Heater (I know I should still use this, but just put it as info)
7) Many Powerhead of different specs
8 Denitrifier
9)Many Marine White and Blue Actinic Fluorescent Lighting
10) 2 Pcs Send pumps - 1 x 3325 LitresPH + 1 x 2500 LPH
I hope I got everything in there.
<Well, obviously the Caulerpa won't work. Better simply freeze it and use as food for herbivorous cichlids. The skimmer won't work except in mid/high-end brackish. UV sterilisers work well in freshwater even though they aren't widely used. Water current is good for riverine/lake-dwelling cichlids, but the blackwater species (like Angels and Discus) won't appreciate too much current. Lighting will be very useful if you keep algae-eating cichlids (Mbuna, Tropheus, etc.) -- allow green algae to grow on all rocky surfaces freely, and these fish will graze it down almost to the rock.>
Ghulam
<Cichlid care is essentially very similar to marine fish care in terms of requirements for water movement, low nitrates, and in the case of Rift Valley species high levels of carbonate hardness. The big difference is you are more likely to keep groups of the same species, so breeding and social behaviour are greater issues than with marines. Do take care when selecting stock to avoiding having closely related fish: not only are hybrid fry more likely to be produced, but closely related fish often fight more than distantly related ones. There are numerous books on cichlids, and I'd encourage you to have a read of one or two of them before selecting your livestock. Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Converting Reef to Cichlid   12/2/07
Hi Neale,
Wow! This must have been the fastest email reply I ever got in my life! I forgot to mention a couple more things...hope you don't mind :-)
I will be keeping Soft Water African Cichlids.
What about my Live Rock (seeded from other live rocks now for over 6 years) and live sand/gravel? Shall I just vacuum everything completely? like all the shrimps and worms.
Thanks and in Advance for the next email too.
Ghulam
<The short answer is that you will have to get rid of the sand, gravel, crushed coral, live rock, and anything else calcareous. Soft water cichlids should be kept in tanks that contain only non-soluble rocks, such as slate and granite. I would hope you can sell/give-away the live rock in its "live" condition. It goes without saying that marine live rock cannot survive in freshwater aquaria. Cheers, Neale.>

Sand in the Pseudotropheus saulosi aquarium  11/8/07
Hello. I am thinking about switching my substrate to sand. I have gravel right now. Would it be ok if I went to a local hardware store and picked up some Silica Sand. I herd that its ok and will not kill my fish. The only thing that I herd to do is put a sock full of the old gravel in to provide the sand with some of the "good" bacteria till the sand gets "broken in" to the tank. Would this be an ok sand to use? Also I wanted to put some flat rock in my tank. I was thinking I would pick some slate up at a local rock store. Should I be concerned about having to do anything to the rock before I put it in the tank. Like would just washing it off be ok or would I have to boil it? Also would I have to boil the sand too? Thanks and any other suggestions would be great.
<Smooth silica sand is fine in aquaria. I use it all the time. But you have to look out for sharp silica sand, which is also sold in garden centres and hardware stores. Sharp sand is, well, sharp, and it doesn't do the fish any good when they root about in it. Smooth silica sand is much safer. Sand is of absolutely no value in biological filtration, so inoculating with bacteria is pointless. The lack of water flow through sand means anaerobic conditions develop, and filter bacteria die. In a cichlid aquarium, all you want is enough silica sand to cover the bottom pane of glass. Maybe 1 cm or so. The cichlids will keep this turned over as they dig. You don't need to boil sand before use, but it will need cleaning. Sand often contains a lot of silt. Expect to change the filter wool in your canister filter a few times if you don't clean the sand sufficiently well! Lots of people prefer to use coral sand in Mbuna and Tanganyikan tanks; silica sand obviously has no impact on carbonate hardness. If you were planning on using an undergravel filter in this aquarium to help deal with carbonate hardness and pH, then don't use silica sand. If you're not using coral sand and crushed coral as an undergravel filter, then you will need to consider how you are going to keep the hardness and pH nice and high. Cheers, Neale.>

Rift lake salts, GH & KH 10/3/07
Hi WWM crew,
I used to have a community setup and used KH salts to buffer the system and maintain a neutral pH. I now have a community tank with a number of cichlids (calvus, dickfeldi, Kribensis) so I am using rift lake salts. I was advised to use only the rift lake salts and not the KH salts as well. I've just had a major shift in pH (to acid) and the cichlids are all sick as a result. My question is: should I be maintaining the KH buffer salts as well as the rift salts or should the rift salts have the same effect?
Thanks in advance!!
Lachlan
<Rift Valley cichlid salts should maintain KH and pH all by themselves. Essentially, Rift Valley salts are packaged salts for raising the GH, KH, and pH of regular water so that it matches that found in either Lake Malawi or Tanganyika. That said, if you're keeping Rift Valley cichlids, you should also have some built-in carbonate hardness reserve in the aquarium. I would strongly recommend the use of either crushed coral inside a canister filter or an undergravel filter built with a coral sand/crushed coral mix. Sticking lumps of Tufa rock in the tank won't work, because for the calcium carbonate to have any value as a buffer, water must be flowing past a vast surface area of the stuff. If you have a pH crash below 7.0, then clearly you weren't adding enough Rift Valley salt given the ambient softness of your local water supply and/or the stocking level of your aquarium and/or the use of acidifying materials in the tank such as bogwood. Cheers, Neale>

Sudden dying fish advice! 10/3/07
Hi
<Hello.>
I hope you can help me, am a bit of a novice fishkeeper and after a promising start am slight concerned about the goings on in my tank!
<Oh dear.>
I have a 35gallon freshwater aquarium, which ive had for three weeks (originally my brothers and kept for 6yrs). It had 5 Malawi's and one Plec and I added another 8 Malawi's, another Plec and 5 red claw crabs (about 2cm each).
<Red-claw crabs are brackish water animals, and shouldn't be kept in a freshwater tank. They are also amphibious animals, and keeping them permanently submerged is cruel. Kept properly, they are more like frogs, rooting about on land, but dipping in the water to moisten their gills periodically.>
Everything was going fine but then in the last 24hrs both my catfish and the alpha male (a 2.5inch blue zebra) of the tank have died!
<Check water quality when two fish suddenly die.>
I have checked all the levels and everything is normal.
<Define "normal". I'm assuming you aren't using brackish water, so the conditions aren't normal for your crabs at least. More specifically, have you tested the nitrite level? Also, what's the pH and hardness? Malawi cichlids need fairly hard water to do well (at least 10 degrees KH, and a pH around 7.5-8). I don't know what Malawi cichlids and plecs you are talking about, but 13 Pseudotropheus zebra and two common plecs such as Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus simply cannot be kept in 35 gallons of water. There is no way water quality will be acceptable for them all. Even a single common Plec needs around 50 gallons of water, at least.>
My concern is that, could this be the work of the crabs and should I really get rid of them? The shop said they could live together but now am not so sure
<Crabs shouldn't kill most fish, though they will certainly catch and kill very small fish like guppies. But unless you are keeping them in a brackish water vivarium with a sand-bank and wood for them to climb about on, then no, this isn't an acceptable home.>
Advice would be most grateful as I don’t really want £80 stock all to die off!
<Indeed.>
Best regards,
Lester
<Lester, you need to sit back and review the aquarium conditions. A 35 UK gallon tank is simply too small for all the fish you are keeping. What will happen is that the fish will die, one by one, until the aquarium reaches its "carrying capacity". You can delude yourself into thinking the aquarium is fine, but Science doesn't work that way, and until the population reaches a sensible level, fish will keep getting sick and die. For 35 gallons, you should be thinking about, say, one or two Ancistrus Bristlenose catfish along with maybe three cichlids (one male, two females). Nothing else will work in the long term. Hope this helps, Neale>

Stealth Cat Shadows Corys – 9/24/07
Hi there Neale,
<Hello Lisa,>
Hope you are well.
<Likewise.>
A couple of weeks ago, I installed lunar lights into one of my communities tanks so I could observe nocturnal behavior. Very interesting!
<Indeed...?>
Last evening one of the two Microglanis iheringi made an appearance. When it does appear, it quickly scales the length of the large piece of driftwood and dashes about the substrate chasing everyone off. He is quite the character. His behavior last night was unusual in that he was literally shadowing one Cory at a time - as if he were trying to latch onto to their bellies in a horizontal position (his dorsal fin to their bellies). The Corys didn't like it naturally - they raced about the tank until the bumblebee gave it up. The bumblebee tried this on 2 or 3 Corys within a 10 minute timeframe.
<Hmm... more likely schooling behaviour. Microglanis iheringi is a social species, and some small catfish will form mixed schools if conspecifics aren't available. I bet if you added two or four more Microglanis iheringi, you'd find them schooling together and ignoring the Corydoras.>
I woke up at 4am and gazed into the tank and the bumblebee cat was exhibiting the same behavior.
<OK.>
Do you suppose this is about aggression? Territoriality? Mating?!
<None of the above. Microglanis iheringi is completely peaceful (except of course to small fish it can eat!).>
And may I please ask you a question pertaining to the Mbunas and stabilizing their pH at 8.0-8.2 and appropriate kH?
<Feel free.>
For the past couple of months, I've incorporated crushed coral and shells into the filtration and tank however the highest I can raise the pH with this method is 7.8. I've been able to elevate the kH only about "5 notches" which isn't close to ideal level. Should I begin to add a chemical buffer to necessitate the ideal levels?
<What's the precise value? One of the misunderstandings in the hobby is the idea Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika are incredibly hard, with massively high levels of carbonate hardness. While they certainly are comparatively hard compared with, say, the Amazon River, the general hardness (dH) values of the two lakes aren't incredibly high, around 6-10 degrees dH for Malawi and 10-12 degrees dH for Tanganyika. My local tap water, drawn from a chalk aquifer, is harder than this, around 18-20 degrees dH! What makes the two lakes special is the composition of the salts in them, in particular their relatively high levels of carbonate hardness. The salts in Tanganyika are about 2/3rds carbonates, and in Malawi about 4/5ths carbonates. This has a particular effect: while the waters in these lakes might not be phenomenally hard, they are extremely stable in terms of changes in water chemistry such as pH. Anything about 8 degrees KH should fulfill this criterion comfortably. Higher levels simply provide more stability, but up to a point Malawian cichlids are fairly adaptable (Tanganyikan cichlids tend to be less so). Because coral sand and crushed shells dissolve slowly, there's an argument for doing small water changes more frequently if you find the pH and hardness fluctuates too much between water changes (i.e., if your local water is quite soft). In this case, doing 25% water changes instead of 50% ones might make sense.>
Thank you and look forward to hearing from you!
<Hope this helps!>
Lisa.
<Neale>

Re: Stealth Cat Shadows Corys – 09/25/07
Thank you for your response Neale and the detailed information.
<Not a problem.>
With the crushed coral, I've essentially taken the Mbunas (Lake Malawi) from extremely soft water to a level to about 107.4 kH or 5 degrees dH which falls below the ideal 8 degrees dH you mentioned.
<Does not compute... does not compute! There's no such thing as 107.4 degrees KH. That would be a solid piece of limestone! The KH scale as far as aquarium water goes runs from 0 at the soft end to over 20 degrees KH, which would be very hard water. Each degree KH is about 17.9 milligrams per litre calcium carbonate, so 107.4 mg/l CaCO3 would be about 6 degrees KH. That is fairly low, and a bit short of what you want for Mbuna.>
The pH holds at 7.8. I change 25% of the water every other week. With this notable incompatibility, shall I hold my current position or in fact introduce a buffer/hardener?
<You have two ways forward, each with its pros and cons. You could improve the chemical filtration in the system. If the KH is staying too low, that means the water isn't passing through enough crushed coral. An undergravel filter is the classic way to fix this: a substrate of coral sand on top of a gravel tidy on top of coral rubble will comfortably buffer the water to a nice high pH. This is the system that has been used in marine and Rift Valley cichlid aquaria for generations. On the plus side, this works well and is cheap and easy to set up. On the down side, it requires a bit of maintenance, particularly if the undergravel filter *is not* part of a reverse flow filtration system. The problem is undergravel filters suck up the dirt, so the substrate needs cleaning periodically (typically a good stir once a month, and a deep clean once every year or two). The second approach is to add Malawi salts. These are, in my opinion, more effective and economical than buffering liquids. Since you're "halfway there" in terms of providing the right water conditions, you probably won't need a full dose of the salts to get a nice high KH. So mix a half dose into the next water change, and see what happens. Obviously avoid doing a rapid change in water chemistry -- changes to the better, if too rapid, can still be damaging to fish. So do a 25% water change with the hardened water, and then another next week, and so on until the water is completely replaced.>
The Microglanis iheringi are rather tough to find...
<Funnily enough, a local pet store in London I visited yesterday, Wholesale Tropicals had some! So anyone in the UK interested in these lovely fish... that's where to go!>
I so much enjoy watching the catfishes' behavior - the Plecos (they finally took to the lettuce!), the Corys and these bumblebees.
<Ah, the joys of catfish. Addictive, aren't they?>
I NEED bigger tanks for more fish! I am experiencing what Joyce Wilkerson calls a "marine décor explosion." !! (Clowns will be next adventure.)
<Tell me about it! Fishkeeping, once you're on a roll, is bad for the bank balance. But it's like having your own personal zoo, with fascinating critters from all four corners of the Earth. It's a great hobby.>
Thank you very much for your help Neale!
Lisa
<Well, hope this helps, Neale>

Filtration For A 90G Malawi Cichlid Tank 9/6/07
I have a 90g freshwater cichlid tank (mostly Malawi with a large Pleco) with 28 fish of small to med size. The tank is 4 months old now and seems to have properly cycled. I have one 250W heater, a Fluval 405 with the recommended media (Foam screen, bio rings and carbon pouches) and two bubble stones. pH is good (7.5 to 8+), no nitrites, the LFS says my phosphates are somewhat high but not to worry about it unless I have a big algae problem, which I don't. Plus I do 33% water changes once a week (I don't always take all the decs out of the tank, but still agitate and python much of the exposed gravel. I am wringing my hands as to whether I should get an additional filter (It would have to be a canister because I have no room behind the tank for a hang-on) which would likely be the Eheim 2126 for the following reasons:
1) I have never achieved what I would characterize as crystal clear water (only briefly after doing a diatom filter of the water)
2)These are dirty fish
3)I have a tendency to overfeed (albeit they only get fed very other day)
4) It might be appropriate anyway given the size of the tank and type of fish
5) We will start to travel weekends in the winter, so the redundancy of the filtration and heater might make sense
6) It might reduce on going maintenance
7) When I have changed the carbon, or rinsed out the foam (but not the rings) I get cloudy water for 3 or 4 days which I think is a bacteria bloom. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance for your help.
Thomas
< For a 90G tank I would recommend that the filter turn the tank volume over at least 5 times per hour (450gph). Your 405 is rated at 340 gph without any of the media being clogged. The 2126 is rated at 275 gph. When running unclogged both your filters will run 615 gph. A little overkill but well worth the investment in keeping your fish healthy. You still need to service the filters on a regular basis. Just because the waste is out of the tank it is not out of the system. That only happens when you clean the filters. I would recommend that you alternate cleaning the filters so you don't lose the biological filtration.-Chuck>

Suggestion for Very Cool Lighting for Mbuna Tank  8/16/07
Hi Neale!
<Hello Lisa,>
I have successfully transitioned the 11 Mbuna into their new uncramped quarters! I am so thrilled. Water chemistry readings are very good - I will continue to check every few days in the event that I don't have sufficient good bacteria built us in there however I think we'll be okay.
<Cool.>
This tank truly is a show piece and I'm investigating lighting that will really make the Mbunas' color stand out. Currently I'm using a white florescent bulb however I believe there's got to be a better alternative. There are a number of choices on the market ... might you make any suggestions?
<I'd not recommend any single light; rather, consider using a variety. Choosing a tube with a reddish cast (like a Gro-Lux) plus one with a more bluey shade (like a Triton) works quite well in my experience. Too much of any one colour light favours different coloured fish at the detriment of others. Since Mbuna come in such brilliant shades of blue, yellow, orange, and purple it's best to choose lighting that benefits them all. That said, lighting isn't as big a deal as substrate. Nothing enhances the colours of fishes so much as dark substrate. Matt black sand (volcanic sand) is ideal, but a dark brown river sand works well too. What works worst is white coral sand and plain silica (silver) sand. Fish fade their colours when bright light upwells from the substrate. It's not normal for them. In the wild, below them is dark and above them is light, so they have evolved to have darkest colours on their backs so that fish above them can't see (as easily) them against the gloom below. It's called countershading. Anyway, bright substrates make the bottom of the tank almost as bright at the top of the tank, and the fish can't get their colours "quite right". There are exceptions to this of course, particularly fancy varieties of fish which have been bred for unnaturally bright colours. But cichlids usually "adjust" their colours across a broad range, partly for camouflage and partly for communication. Anything you can do to work the tank in favour of this, means you'll get better colours. Also overlooked is the background. A plain black or dark blue background often shows off the colours better than something more fussy. That's a perception thing rather than the fish doing something to their colour cells, but the end result is the same: your fish look better to you.>
Thank you and hope you're well!
<You're welcome. Indeed, am well.>
Lisa.
<Cheers, Neale>

Re: Suggestion for Very Cool Lighting for Mbuna Tank  8/16/07
This is fantastic info Neale - thank you so very very much and going to such effort to elaborate on the subject! I do have black sand in their tank!
<You're welcome, and good luck. Neale>

"If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It" Af. Cichlid stkg., sys.    7/31/07
Hi there. I very recently purchased an established 30 gallon (tall) aquarium from a woman who could no longer keep the tank. The tank
contains eleven 1-2 inch mbunas, 2 bumblebee cats and a Chinese algae eater. They are all very healthy (but must be cramped in there!)
<I'll say.>
Upon arriving home, I immediately placed the fish in my 30 gallon long which was fully cycled.
<OK.>
The former owner used regular aquarium salt, maintained the pH at 7.5, temp high 70s, with no buffering substrate (obviously). She performed 50% water changes once per month.
<Not altogether ideal conditions, I'll admit. The salt certainly isn't required, and the water changes far less than I'd recommend for a heavily stocked aquarium like this. 50% a week would be more appropriate.>
I will be performing 25-30% water changes bi-weekly (in fact, I performed their first water change last weekend - two weeks from their
move - and they seem to come alive!).
<Yes, that's normal. Water changes can have a "tonic" effect on many fishes.>
I will also be acquiring and moving the fish into a 55 gallon within the next month. Mbunas should number around 15 in a 55 gallon tank right?
<Depends on the size and the species. But yes, overstocking does help deal with the aggression, though you need to compensate with extra filtration and extra water changes to keep water quality good.>
I understand the bumblebee cats' ideal pH level should not exceed 7.5 -
I am not sure about the algae eater.
<Both are pretty adaptable. Neither make ideal additions to a Rift Valley cichlid aquarium since they prefer more neutral rather than very hard and alkaline conditions. But neither are they very fussy.>
If these guys have survived this far without brackish water and a pH around 8.0, should I leave it alone?
<No. Neither the mbuna nor the other fish want salty water, though admittedly salt will help detoxify nitrate and nitrite, so could have played a useful role in the previous aquarium as the "lesser of two evils". But long term, you want to replace the use of salt with better water quality management, and ideally maintain the pH around 7.5 by adding some calcareous filter media to the filter, such as crushed coral. This will buffer the water and, compared with adding coral sand to the substrate, is easier to "recharge" by cleaning and/or replacing periodically.>
I am planning the transition to the 55 gallon and want to be clear on
type of substrate, salt and pH.
<The traditional use of coral sand as a substrate made sense when people relied on undergravel filters, since the water was pulled through the substrate. If you're not doing this, and are using a canister filter for example, the buffering effect is much less dramatic. I'd recommend using something more controllable. Opt for a chemically inert sand in the aquarium, like silver sand, that gives your more options in terms of colour. Black sand for example really highlights the colours of most fish. You only need the shallowest depth, maybe 1 cm. You can instead either add Malawi salts (not aquarium salt or marine salt mix) to the water with each water change or else fill one of the compartments in the canister filter with crushed coral. Once a month you'll probably need to "deep clean" the crushed coral with hot water to remove the organic slime that covers each grain, and perhaps every 6 months replace it entirely with fresh crushed coral. Since your crushed coral consumption this way will be small, this is a low-cost, low-tech approach. You'll need to experiment a bit to get the optimal amount of crushed coral in the filter, but assuming you have hard/alkaline tap water to being with, filling one of the three compartments in the average canister filter should do the job. Aquarium/tonic salt is definitely not required. HOWEVER, since your fish are acclimated to these conditions, I'd change the water chemistry only slowly, perhaps over the course of a week or so, doing 10-20% water changes each day, replacing some of the salty water in the tank with plain water from the tap. Dramatic water chemistry changes -- even from "bad" to "good" -- can stress fish. As far as eventual water chemistry goes, you're looking for around pH 7.5-8, hardness 15+ dH/10+ KH. Contrary to popular belief, mbuna don't need incredibly high pH and hardness levels. What matters to them rather more is water *quality*, as well as good diet.>
I want to do the right thing and very much would appreciate your advice.
Thank you! Lisa.

Re: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It. Mbuna... sys.  – 07/30/07
Thanks Neale,
<No problems.>
I have a 30 gallon hex community tank with Plecos, Corys, guppies and danios. The pH holds at 7.0. Water is soft. Should I move the bumblebee cats and Chinese Algae Eater out of the mbuna tank into this one? (I was also thinking that I'd eventually transfer one of the Plecos to the 55 gallon mbuna tank since he is 6 inches or so long and crowded in the hex.- I see Plecos in mbuna tanks often.)
<The "bumblebee cats" could be any one of a bunch of species, many of which are confirmed predators that will simply view guppies and danios as live food. The most common species are Microglanis iheringi (around 3-4") and Pseudomystus siamensis, formerly Leiocassis siamensis, (around 6"). The former is from South America, the latter from Asia. Microglanis iheringi is small enough that anything bigger than livebearer fry should be safe, but the latter will definitely chow down on small fish. As for the Chinese Algae Eater, these are incredibly nasty animals (usually) and difficult to house in anything other than a robust cichlid/catfish community. I'd leave it with the mbuna for now.>
I am having a tough time locating black silica sand (as you noted) - I love the idea of it - if you know of an online resource please let me know or I will pursue nearby nurseries. I also read on your site, the sand is ideal for the catfish's barbells in one of my other tanks. I did locate a black sand made by Carib Sea specifically for salt water or cichlids however this must not be chemically inert?
<Silica sand is often easier to buy from garden centres than pet shops. The main thing is you buy the smooth variety now the "sharp sand" for, I hope, obvious reasons. I use the plain vanilla kind, which costs around 3 UK pounds for 25 kilos, around 50 lb. So it's cheap, too! The only problem with the plain vanilla silica sand is its yellowy-brown, and you get the issue of the fish fading their colours to some degree. Mixing it with some fine pea gravel helps, but still, black sand is definitely nicer (if more expensive). I think your assumption the Carib Sea sand is not chemically inert is correct. If the ingredients mention "aragonite" then avoid in any tank where you want a neutral pH. The mbuna obviously won't care, nor will the guppies, but danios, Corys, etc would sooner have a near-neutral pH than something wildly alkaline.>
My water out of the tap is soft, pH 7.2 - should I adjust it to the correct hardness as you stated for an ideal mbuna tank?
<That water is ideal for tetras and barbs, but not for mbuna. Definitely add crushed coral to the filter to raise the pH/hardness. Tonic salt, despite the myth, doesn't do either. There is such thing as Malawi Salt Mix that you can add, though personally, I'm cheap, and prefer to go with the crushed coral alternative. It's more hassle, but it works fine.>
Concerning diet, I currently feed the mbunas 3 times per day - a mix of plankton, Spirulina flakes, peas and spinach - all they can consume in about 30 seconds at each feeding. I also leave a piece of zucchini in the tank for them to munch on during the day.
<Sounds perfect. Mbuna are more or less omnivorous rather than carnivorous, so mixing up the diet with plant food, flake, and occasional cube of frozen bloodworms or chopped seafood is the way to go.>
One more question please! How much lighting do the mbunas require? 12 hours per day? I've only had the tank lights on about 3-4 hours in the evening because ambient summer temps with A/C on holds at 75-77 degrees.
<Mbuna couldn't care less about the lighting. If you have plants, then you need lighting 12 hours per day (and again, to shatter a myth, there *are* plants in Lake Malawi) but otherwise don't worry about it. If in summer the tank is overheating, then switch them off except perhaps for feeding time so you can watch them eat. The water temperature in Lake Malawi is quite variable, and at certain times and especially in deeper water the water gets quite cool, down to around 20C/68F. Excessively high temperatures, above 30C/86F, on the other hand, are very uncommon and in aquaria at least severely stress Lake Malawi cichlids. So if you're worried the lights are causing heat problems, switch 'em off.>
Thanks so much - there is really a great help to me.
Lisa
<You're welcome. Neale>

Re: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It. – 07/30/07
Thank you Neale very very much. I feel confident now in knowing how to proceed for caring (and transitioning) the mbunas to ideal conditions.
I am so excited to take on this project. Have a great day!!
<No problems, happy to help. I did notice a typo in the previous e-mail, where I said, "now the sharp sand" when I meant "NOT the sharp sand". Beyond that, good luck and enjoy your fish! Neale>

Re: Increasing Water Hardness, for Mbuna f's   8/13/07
Hi Neale,
<Lisa,>
The pH in the Mbunas tank is beginning to rise with the use of the crushed coral as you prescribed.
<Very good.>
Strangely, the water hardness remains extremely soft with no change. Is this unusual?
<Yes, unusual. Crushed coral consists almost entirely of a mineral called aragonite, a variety of calcium carbonate. Aragonite is "unstable" in geological terms and dissolves readily, in doing so, the concentration of calcium ions and carbonate ions will go up. This is what is making the water's pH rise. You should also see an increase in general hardness (which measures, among other things, calcium ions) and carbonate ions (which measures, alongside bicarbonate, carbonate ions). Anything else doesn't really fit the science (at least as I understand it). Regardless, don't worry about it too much. Crushed coral is self-buffering (if that's such a term) meaning it won't raise the pH beyond about 8.2, however much you add. This is well within the preferred zone for Mbuna, so you're laughing. The main thing is watch the fish, and check their behaviour is normal; if it is, assume the water chemistry is fine. Provided you do regular water changes, and perhaps once a month clean out the crushed coral, maybe changing 50% of it and hot-water cleaning the rest, everything should happen nicely in the background.>
Looking forward to hearing from you! Thank you. Lisa.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Question about cypress driftwood and African yellow lab cichlids.. Lake Malawi Cichlid With Driftwood – 07/24/07
Hello, I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank with regular gravel and water in it. I want to add a lot, and I mean a lot of cypress driftwood into it. The cypress driftwood is currently soaking in a sink in my garage. My other 55 gallon tank has yellow lab cichlids, with about 40 babies in it (the parents had kids). I want to add the cypress into the new tank first, then add the yellow lab babies. I was wondering if a lot of cypress will affect the PH for the yellow labs. If I do frequent water changes, have carbon in the filter, and monitor the PH ( I use SeaChem alkaline buffer), will everything be alright? Before I go ahead and do this, I just wanted your opinion, to put my mind at ease. Have you or anyone you know had problems with African cichlids and cypress driftwood before? I greatly appreciate your help and information on this site!!
<The organics in the water like driftwood absorb calcium ions. When all the calcium is absorbed their will be excess hydrogen ions in the water that will then bring down the pH. Frequent water changes will help replenish the calcium in the water. Adding a buffer would be good insurance. I think you will be fine.-Chuck>

Cichlids in a 12-gal tank?  A Nano-Cichlid Tank  7/10/07
Thanks for all your service here. I've tried to sort of triangulate from various answers here but am still a little anxious. I have one of the 12-gal Eclipse tank-in-a-box kits with the cartridge/bio wheel filter that I used for growing up some frog eggs into frogs. I'm wondering if there's any realistic way this set-up could be used for cichlids -- it seems like most everyone uses a larger tank. (Having swum in Lake Malawi a few times, I love cichlids.) With just a few and plenty of hiding places, could I get away with it? How much water changing would be required? Could you recommend some species that might do well (i.e., smaller ones)? My LFS mostly sells "assorted African cichlids" that are pretty clearly juveniles, but appear to be Mbuna. Thanks much, James
< The Marineland Eclipse is actually a pretty good little system. The filtration and flow rate are excellent. You can keep a number of smaller cichlids in this set up if the aggression can be managed. Most of the assorted Mbuna are very aggressive species that would not last very long in a little tank. Peaceful species like Mel. parrallelus or Ps. saulosi would be worth a try and could probably be mixed together. Sand sifting Mbuna like Ps. lanistacola could probably be housed as pairs. Control the nitrates with water changes. Try and keep them under 25 ppm. I have been to Lake Malawi myself and share your interest.-Chuck>

FW filtration, lowering pH though using aragonitic mat., and NO3s in an Af. cichlid set-up   6/20/07
Hey guys. In your opinion, regarding freshwater tank setup, do you think it would be equally as effective to put two Aquaclear 500 HOB filter on a 125g opposed to one canister and one HOB Aquaclear 500?
<Mmm, possibly... though I would in either case, locate the units at either end of the system, clean only one per week during other regular maintenance... water changes, testing...>
I am setting up a tank for a friend and through my past experience I really think that the HOB's do a better job at filtration. Currently on my 75gal I have one of each
(canister/hob), what do you recommend for a large tank like this?
<For what sorts of livestock? If this were a planted tank, I'd opt for the mix of units... for Af. et most Cichlid set-ups the two outside power filter hang-ons if these were my only choices>
Also, on my Malawi tank I put roughly ten pound of crushed aragonite as my substrate to buffer the ph.
<Good>
In the beginning, my ph was steady at about 7.9-8.0, now i notice that it has gone down to about 7.5-7.6, what could be the problem?
<The more-soluble parts/faces of this substrate are gone... a good idea to refresh (replace, add to) occasionally... every three months or so in this proportion of sized tank/gravel>
Also, my nitrates are constantly at 40ppm even shortly after a large water change on my 75gal.
<Too high... a good idea for you to read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaintindex.htm
See the yellow tray, Nitrates below?>
My bio load is only at half of it's maximum plus the fact that it's well over filtered with filtration rate of 850gph. I have about ten cichlids and one catfish with a total of about 40 inches so I guess I probably have about 30 more inches left to stock (going by general rule of thumb....1" per gallon). Any ideas as to what may be the problems here?
<All sorts>
Thanks in advance for your time and help!!!
Jason
<Read on my friend, read on. Bob Fenner>

Re: FW NO3   6/20/07
Thanks Bob. The link you gave me in the last email was targeted toward saltwater (even though it claims to be freshwater nitrates),
<Ah, yes... we don't have enough mat. as yet to separate. Many of the principles apply to both...>
and did not answer my questions. The article told you "generally" about nitrates with no information pinpointed to my current situation. I also checked the FAQ's and no one
seemed to have the problem I have without probable cause. I have no probable cause, so with your several years of experience do you have any idea what the problem may be?
<Yes... a simple balancing of a series of variables/equation... More food, metabolism on one side... not enough anaerobic digestion by certain groups of microbes on the other... And insufficient nutrient export otherwise... Again... please do re-read where you were referred to... the linked files at top.... Your options are simple to delineate... less food, esp. of a proteinaceous nature, less livestock... more anaerobiosis... DSB likely, perhaps specialized media (e.g. sintered glass, ceramic beads/macaronis... made for this...) and the export... more water changes, the use of chem. filtrants, purposeful photosynthesis... the DSB, plants likely in a tied in live sump... All gone over and over on WWM...>
I vacuum once every two weeks along with 20% water changes. My bio load is only at about half of the maximum it should be
<... not useful thinking... Try covering your "good eye" with your hand, walking backward for a minute... Really>
for a 75gal tank. I have an Aquaclear 50 HOB and a Filstar XP3. I have bio rings and stars in both filters but no BioWheel so the bio filtration is constantly under water with no air hitting. I use no supplements and feed very lightly.
So clearly Bob, can you see any probable cause here? I don't, I need help.
Jason
<Read my young friend, read. RMF>
LOL, thanks for answering my simple question Bob.
<Welcome... RMF>

Giving Up On Salt Water For The Easy Cichlid Tank – 06/16/07
It's been a long, long while since I've needed to ask y'all a question!
Briefly, I'm tearing down the reef, and, wondered if the live sand bed could be rinsed, and, left in place for some African Cichlids...Aulonocara nyassae (SP?) Species will be probable for the future!
< Welcome to the world of cichlids. No problem. Just make sure the organics are gone and add Bio-Spira for FW .-Chuck>
Thanks, Your friend, Stormbringer

Mbuna Trouble - Not Eating... Env., social issues   6/9/07
Hello there,
<Howdy>
I started a Tank about 3 months ago (90 Gallon), let it cycle for about a month until I could measure no ammonia, no nitrite, and no nitrate.
<How cycled?>
I then added 3 /Labidochromis caeruleus, /and 3 /Pseudotropheus demasoni.
/Things were fine for about another month with everyone eating regularly (fed twice a day all they could eat for 2-3 minutes). The I added 2 more (but older and larger) /Labidochromis caeruleus, /3 /Metriaclima estherae, /3 more /Pseudotropheus demasoni , 3 //Labidochromis hongi/ and finally 3 /Labidochromis caeruleus (white)/.
After approximately 2 weeks the 3 Metriaclima and 2 larger Labidochromis were beating up on everybody smaller with the exception of the demasoni (who held their own). This was about the time that most of the smaller fish stopped eating (all except the 5 aforementioned and some of the larger demasoni). I removed the 3 Metriaclima and 2 larger Labidochromis, which has helped the aggression but has not helped the eating situation.
<A typical Mbuna event...>
In the last 2 weeks following the fish removal I have lost 2 /Labidochromis caeruleus (white)/, 2 /Labidochromis hongi/, 2 /Pseudotropheus demasoni/, and 2 /Labidochromis caeruleus. /All but one of the remaining demasoni are eating, and one mother even released fry today. The rest of the fish (1 hongi, 1 yellow and 1 white lab) fail to eat, and seem lethargic. The final demasoni seems a little bloated and is resting at the bottom of the tank.
Since they have stopped eating, I have curbed feeding due to rising ammonia (0.25 mg/L)
<Not cycled>
and nitrate (5 mg/L), nitrite is 0. I've been trying to remove all uneaten food after 3 minutes. I have been feeding them Aqueon Cichlid flakes and occasionally Aqueon Cichlid sticks.
I want to do something and my local shop has been less than helpful.
Any ideas?
<More filtration... and more decor/rock likely, moving this about to break up territoriality, plus switching to better foods... Try the Spectrum pellet brand... is what I feed my Mbuna... developed by a supreme African Cichlid breeder... Pablo Tepoot>
Also - I have been changing 25-30% of the water every week, I treat the water with Stress Coat and at the beginning was using API Accu-clear and AlgaeFix
<Poor ideas/additives... too toxic in this already unstable chemical mix>
as directed to help clear the cloudy water (after changes only) and the AlgaeFix to curb growth on the Texas Holey Rock (I have not used these for about a month though - I thought the less chemicals the better).
Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!
-Jason
<I'd be reading on the various Cichlid boards on the Net... deciding on likely removing some of the fish you have placed... or less likely, adding to the mix here to induce a "dither" effect. Bob Fenner>

Re: Mbuna Trouble - Not Eating  6/9/07
Hi Bob,
<Jason>
Thank you so much for the quick reply!
<Welcome>
One question regarding filtration. I have a Fluval 405 canister filter (2 beds ZeoCarb and 2 beds biological) and a Fluval 4plus mechanical filter. Is this enough?
<Obviously not... I have two similar sized African Cichlid systems running just with Eheim canister filters... but they're far less populated...>
It sounds as if this may be a combination effect from the tank not being fully cycled and not enough hiding spots. I will add more cover today and keep you informed!
Thanks so much for all your advice!
-Jason
<You have read on WWM re these Systems, fishes? BobF>

Filtration For Large Lake Malawi Cichlid Tank    5/12/07
Hello folks. Quite an overwhelming site you have there. My wife and I have been avid Malawi cichlid keepers for a while now. We recently bought a 220g aquarium which will be a new home for several groups of Mbuna. I have several questions about filtration: Would I be on-track in thinking the most efficient filter I could have for a large tank with a heavy bioload (say 40 fish, ranging in size from small fry to 6" adults) would be a wet/dry? If so, what determines the capacity of a wet/dry system, in terms of bioload- the media capacity; flow rate; both or neither? Lastly, are there any "DIY wet/dry filters for dummies" sites out there? I've seen several designs, and I like to think I'm pretty 'handy'; but I'm not the greatest plumber in the world- I'd like to see the "hows and whys" spelled out step-by-step. Thanks for your time. KLK
< To start out , you should have a filter or filters, that turns the tank's water volume over at least three to five times per hour. For your tank that means 660 to 1100 gallons per hour (GPH). The wet/dry component on any filter is a great feature to have. The bacteria that do the biological filtration or breakdown of waste is limited by the amount of oxygen that is in the water. On wet dry systems that are working properly, there is adequate oxygen so you get a very complete and fast breakdown of the initial waste products. This means the ammonia and nitrite are broken down into nitrates rather quickly. The nitrates are removed by water changes. I would recommend that you start out trying two Marineland Emperor 400 outside power filters (Online $100+). They would pump 800 gph. They are very easy to maintain and are very quiet. The bacteria live on the Bio-Wheel attachments and is considered the wet/dry part of the filter. Big wet/dry filters are expensive to buy, expensive to run and noisy too.  If you have no room for a power filter then a couple canister filters may be needed, but they have no wet/dry component to them unless you add a Marineland Magnum 350 Pro System to the outflow tubes. The sump type of wet/dry filters still require quite a bit of plumbing no matter what type you get. Check them out online and see if you could replace them with common material found at a home improvement store. Some parts may require fabrication.-Chuck>

African Cichlids, sys.    4/22/07
Hi,
<<Greetings. Tom here.>>
I have a 38 gallon aquarium, (fully cycled for about a month) and I am interested in the Mbuna Cichlids from Lake Malawi.
<<Certainly understandable. Hard to beat, or even match, African Cichlids for color/beauty in the FW world.>>
I was just wondering how many fish I can keep that tank? It’s empty except for the snails that keep breeding but I try my best to get rid of them. The water is hard and alkaline, pH around 8.2 (which is one the reasons why I want them) because of the naturally occurring buffers, probably. Anything under 5 inches, by the way.
<<Well, I can’t say that you haven’t handed us the proverbial “hot potato” here. :) A 38-gallon tank is smallish by Cichlid standards, however, a “heavy” stocking scheme is commonly recommended to disperse/distribute potential aggression in these fish. Rather than relying on my limited knowledge/experience regarding your question, specifically, I’d like to direct you to an excellent essay on this topic by Paul V. Loiselle at this link:
http://cichlidae.com/article.php?id=149
I think you’ll find it enlightening as well as addressing your question in far greater detail than I could provide in this space.>>
Thanks.
<<Happy to help. Best of luck in your venture! Tom>>

Keeping Ps. acei   3/27/07
Hello, I am soon getting a 29 or 30 gallon tank I plan to have an under gravel filter and a regular filter (don't know what brand or type yet). I would like to get Acei (name at pet store) cichlids I went online to see if that was the real name and it was, I didn't do much research so I was hoping you could tell me a little about them ( water qualities, how many I can put in the tank, etc.) Mainly I would like to know about breeding them, are they mouth brooders or cave spawners? Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Veronica
< This is a very interesting cichlid from Lake Malawi. It likes hard alkaline water at about 77 F. In the wild it eats algae off of driftwood, so it needs a diet high in Spirulina algae. They are not very aggressive as far as Lake Malawi cichlids go. You could peacefully keep six or eight in your tank as long as it is well filtered and you do regular water changes. They are maternal mouthbrooders with females holding eggs and fry fro up to a couple of weeks. If the adults are well fed they may not go after the fry.-Chuck>

Temperature fluctuations
Hi Crew, 
Just a quick question for you on temperature. I have a 66 Gallon Tank with African Cichlids. We just moved to a new house and now the fish are situated in the basement. By the way we live in Canada so the nights get cool. In our other house I had a Tronic 200 watt heater in the tank which seemed to nicely maintain 80 degrees. However in our new house I notice the daytime temperature of 80 degrees and when I get up in the morning I notice the temperature is around 76 or 77 degrees. 
< The temperature range for Malawian cichlids is between 75 to 80 degrees so you are still well within their range.> 
I have even added another 100 watt heater. On the back of heater box it says a 200 w heater is good for 65 gallons so I figured 300 watts should do the trick. I have the tank about 4 feet from the concrete wall. Should I add yet another heater or is a 4 degree variance ok? Any other suggestions? 
< This all depends on how "Cool" it gets. Unfortunately glass is a pretty poor insulator. If your tank was in your home and you kept the house at 65 degrees F. Then a 200 watt heater might work. If you mean down to the 50's or lower then you heater could turn into a little night light trying to keep up with the heat loss. Overall the temp. is fine right now. If it gets below 75 for any length of time and there may be problems. The higher the temp . the more breeding you will get and the better your fish will look. Two things to consider to maintain the water temperature. Add more heat with another heater and watch your electric bill get even higher or reduce the heat loss from the tank. Start by placing sheets of Styrofoam insulation underneath the tank and on the back. This will help insulate the tank without hindering viewing the fish. Keep the top tightly sealed too. Lots of heat is lost through openings in the top.> 
Also when I moved the tank I saved about 1/4 of the water and the gravel 
and also the filter contents. will this be enough to get the new system 
running or should I be performing more frequent water changes then normal? 
< As long as the gravel remained wet there should be no problem and the bacteria should have remained intact.-Chuck> 
thx 
Ron

Help with Cichlid tank  3/16/2007
Hello-
<Hi there>
I need help figuring out what is happening with my Red zebra (even though he is orange:-)).  
<Okay>
First I have just set up a 29 gallon tank with Malawi cichlids.
<Dangerously small volume... with time, growth, behavior here...>
  I have 2 Kenyi, 3 exasperatus, 3 red zebras, 3 Acei, 1krib and 1 cat fish from lake Malawi he has spots on his body and striped on his tail).  When I put my 3 Kenyi (all small1 inch to 1.5 inch) into the tank one seemed to come down with something- he passed quickly. the other two seemed to have cotton mouth- one on the mouth itself and one on his one fin.  I treated with the antibiotic that turns the water red can't remember the name)
<Likely Tetracycline... regular water changes...>
with M. green.
Everyone seems great and I did my first water change today to start taking out the meds.  My Red zebras have always had a black belly area (the pet store guy said it was normal) but tonight I noticed one has a protrusion( it looks like it is part of his internal area).  The one side is slightly "swollen" and the other has a distinctive "lump". He seems at this point to be eating and active.  I am thinking it is constipation, I was feeding some small cichlid pellets that float and have switched to Spirulina flakes and tropical fish food with occasional brine shrimp (frozen).  Any help you can give would be great.  Thank you so much!
Christie
<What is your water quality? Do you use salt additions? If so, of what sort? Bob Fenner>

Re: Help with <African> Cichlid tank – 03/18/07
My water is great-- Nitrates 0-5, Nitrites 0, Amm. 0, Ph 7.6-8.  You are correct with the Tetracycline treatment.
<Easy guess>
  I have used salt additions ( aquarium salt) 1 tbls to 10 gallons of water.  I also (last night before this was noticed) added some natural rock with a hard salt present on it... I could not even scrape it off with a knife with out breaking part of the rock off.
<Likely not salts, but carbonates... lime...>
It is used to provide caves.  I boiled the rocks for about 2hours.
Also last night one of my aceis was swimming erratically but other wise seemed fine.  This morning they both seem fine and the bump seems to be gone.  I am thinking I may be feeding the wrong food...
I would also like to touch on the comment of the volume being too small... I was told by numerous people that this would work in my tank - is this not correct?
<Not IMO... I only keep African Cichlids nowadays... (just travel too much...). I encourage all to start with nothing smaller than 55 gallon tanks if possible, keep only one species per... two males max. and females as they develop from a batch of younger individuals...>
I do plan on upgrading to a 55 gallon tank with in the next year.
<Good... do know though that many of the Cichlids hailing from the same "Lakes" will cross- inter-breed>
But bought these fish based on the tank I have now (I feel that is the best bet).  I do have rock work, caves and numerous fake plants.  Any thought are greatly appreciated.
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind2.htm
The tray on cichlids, parts on Africans... Bob Fenner>

High Nitrates in a Malawi set up   3/11/07
Hi there, I have a question about Nitrates,
<Hello Faye.  I have an answer about NO3.>
My Mum has a 180L Lake Malawi Cichlid set up which has an external filter (Fluval 104) which has ceramic rings as well as floss and sponge media, she also has the Jewel filter box but has a power head which isn’t really powerful enough for the tank but she intends on upgrading that soon. She has just added another power filter with nitrate reduction sponges in it in a vain attempt to reduce the nitrates.
<Vain indeed.  I have never had any luck with this kind of product.>
She has about 14 Cichlids which are about 2 to 4 inches long.
Her tank has a nitrate reading of over 80!
<This is considerably high.>
She does regular water changes (about 30% twice a week since the nitrates soared about 30% once a week before then). She cleans her filters regularly she cleans under the rocks etc. We just can’t understand why the nitrates are so high, the ammonia and nitrites are 0.
I thought it could be the ceramic rings kicking nitrates back into the tank.
<This is most likely part of it.>
The tank doesn’t look overstocked but maybe the filters are inadequate for such messy fish, maybe needs a higher turnover rate? personally I think she feeds them too many times a day, although she feeds them flake which is vegetable (Spirulina) based, this could be contributing to the problem, am I right thinking she could feed them once per day?
<This would also be increasing other pollutant levels in the tank.  Two to three times a day in small amounts is actually good for them.>
If the filtration is inadequate could you recommend a good filter? (Bearing in mind I’m in England!)
<I think that your filtration is just fine.  Try this:  Cut the feedings back to twice a day, and begin cleaning the media in the Canister filter once every two weeks.  Rinse the little ceramic rings in tank water.  This will preserve the bacteria on them.  The floss should be rinsed in tank water as well.  The sponges should be thoroughly cleaned.  Also try adding activated carbon that you change monthly.  Brandon>
Thanks in advance
Faye

New African Cichlid Tank Problems  3/8/07
Hi guys, My story begins with a 29 gallon tank purchased as a kit at the local super store. Got home, couldn't wait to get it together so I started putting everything together and a hour later I had set up my very first tank. I filled the tank with tap water and conditioned the water with the packet that came in the kit and let the tank cycle for 24 hours.
The next day I went to the LFS to get some new wet pets. I went and picked up three African cichlids 1/2'' or so in size. The guy selling me the fish also recommended that I use stability which is a bio filter starter to help along the nitrogen cycle, so I purchased the stability along with some good water conditioner. I get home put in the stability per directions on the back, let the fish float in the tank for 20 minutes then put them in a small bowl and added tank water every 15 minutes till the bowl was full. Netted them out and put them in there new home. The fish are doing fine and all is well watching those little guys swimming around brought a nice new atmosphere to the living room. While I was at the LFS I saw a Columbian catfish that I wanted to get but didn't want to overload the tank in the beginning. Two days go by and I really want the catfish so I packed up the kids and head down to the LFS to get my new catfish. Luckily for me they were out, but my kids picked out a cool looking blue African cichlid so we got him instead. I decided to do some research on the Columbian catfish and that's when I found this very helpful and informative site. I am glad that the LFS was out of the catfish cause thanks to you guys I learned it would be a brackish water to marine fish. Another day passes the fish seem to be getting more distant from each other and not looking well so I come back to you're site to research new tanks and *boom* a whole new world of info am learning about ammonia and pH levels, nitrite and nitrate. I make a quick run to PetSmart to grab a test kit. I find a master test kit with the liquid, vials and color cards. I get home and start my tests ammonia first wow it was at 2.0, then my pH 7.6 nitrites 0 and nitrates 0.I test my tap water 1.0 ammonia 7.6 ph. I run down to the super store and grab 15 gallons of spring water and a Python I got home and did a 50% water change. That got my ammonia down to .50, pH stayed the same around 7.6, nitrites 0, nitrates 0.It was late and I thought I did everything I could that night. I go to work the next day and come home to find my water temp at 68F so I turn up my heater the little light comes on and think it would heat up over night well it never did. I woke up the next morning and it was still at 68F.No big deal I will just go buy a better heater. So I go to the LFS to get a heater I picked out the most expensive one. I spared no expense for my little wet pets am really starting to get attached to the little guys. My girlfriend picked up another 20-40G power filter from the super store. Well I get home find one dead and another acting just like the one that just died. I removed the dead one and did a 20% water change and refilling back with the same type of spring water I used in the 50% water change. I installed the new heater and the new power filter because I hear 2 is better than one. Yes, the new heater is working and the water is warming up. I do another water test ph 7.6 ammonia down to .25 nitrites 0 nitrates 0. I get down to inspect the fish close up and noticed one with white spots and my girlfriend says its ich. I noticed the orange one had white fuzzy stuff around his mouth and has had a lot waste hanging from, him not like the others and he looks very sick. I go ahead bite the bullet and flush the orange one he just looked very sick I couldn't stand to see him like that.
I hop back on to this wonderful site to read up on ich. Decided to go with the salt and heat method so I added 2 tablespoon of aquarium salt to 5g and turned the heat up to 82F.Now to my question, is there anything else I can do to make these fish more healthy and to make sure the ich is gone for good?
<The cool water temps has stressed your fish and made them prone to diseases. Your fish actually like hard alkaline water. The spring water may not have enough minerals in it for your fish. Many biological "starter" cultures don't work too well. I would recommend Bio-Spira from Marineland to make sure that the bacteria are established for the biological filtration that you need. Your fish eat algae in the wild. Stick to foods that are algae based. Foods too high in animal protein tend to cause internal infections. If you like cichlids then I would recommend a book by Ad Konings titled "Enjoying Cichlids". Great book for aquarists just getting in to all kinds of cichlids.-Chuck>

Lake Malawi Cichlid Biotope  2/19/07
First off, thanks for taking the time to read my e-mail.  I apologize for the length... :-)I am planning a 215-Gallon (or 210-Gallon, depending which manufacturer you believe, hehe) tank (72"x24"x29") and I am CONSIDERING doing a Lake Malawi biotope.  First of all, I should mention that my past 10+ years has been marine reef experience, but I'm trying to consider a more cost-effective, yet still INTERESTING alternative. Anyway, to date, no matter what I start out with, it becomes a reef again in a matter of hours during the planning process. ;-)  I'm hoping that you fine folks might be able to open my eyes to some successful communities that will captivate me. To date, the plans that have more or less "made the cut" are either a SPECIES tank for P. saulosi, or a MIXED tank of P. demasoni and L. caeruleus.  Your thoughts on either of these?  How many dominant male saulosi are likely to be in a species tank that size?  Then will the rest be orange females and steel blue (no stripes) males?  Or just the orange females?  Also, I've heard it said that demasoni and caeruleus impact one another's' breeding and therefore, while "compatible" are not TECHNICALLY compatible... Your thoughts? Also willing and excited to consider any other mixes.  I want activity, colour, and DEFINITELY NO CROSS-BREEDING.  I don't want to contribute to the growing numbers of "Malawi Mutts" in the trade. Thanks and my apologies once again for the long e-mail
<Go with the Ps. saulosi. They are not very aggressive and you can have equal numbers of males and females. Orange females and  blue males with black fins and bars are actually very attractive  and pretty close to what they look like in Tawani Reef in Lake Malawi. To pull it off you need good stock. Don't settle for inferior fish. The Ps. demasoni are very aggressive and the L. caeruleus will get pushed around and not thrive.-Chuck>

Malawi Cichlid Tank Problems    2/16/07
Hey guys/gals?  A few questions again regarding driftwood.  I  have a Malawi African Cichlid tank setup and I was wondering if I have to be  concerned about driftwood softening my water?  I have two 16" long pieces  in my 75g tank.  
Is driftwood ok to use with Africans?  My cousin gave  me some and after doing research I found that it MAY soften water and lower  pH.  If this does indeed happen, what can I do to prevent this or decrease  the likelihood?
<Driftwood can absorbs some calcium ions and soften the water. It usually leaches out tannins into the water making it look brown. If there are no brown colors coming from the wood then it is probably OK.>
Secondly, I have tried a bunch of medicines and cannot get  my cichlids to stop scratching their gills on the rocks and plants.   There are NO white spots whatsoever on ANY fish and I have continued to keep the  degrees up to 85 and aquarium salt at 3 tblspns per 5 gal.  Every fish in  my tank scratches it's gills and I am not sure if this is normal or if there is  a parasite.  Parasite clear didn't work, nor did salt/temp manipulations,  or CopperSafe.  What causes this (flashing with no white spots) and why  isn't this being cleared up by salt and temp manip. (assuming it's  minor....no white spots)?  Just seems like every fish tank I have had,  including saltwater, have always had a flashing/itching problem with fish.   Have I been doing something wrong all this time after 10 years? Thanks a lot, Jason
< Check the nitrates. When over 25 ppm the parasites become more active on stressed fish. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filters. Check the pH and make sure it is at least 7.5. The water temp should be around 78 F for Malawi fish. Check these things again in a week and modify your maintenance as needed. You should see less scratching.-Chuck.>

African Cichlid Tank Set Up II - 02/11/2007
Thanks a lot!  I really don't want to set up a death trap for my fish due to my inexperience with cichlids.  Any advice on the quantity of fish I can keep for 75 gallon?  I was planning at least two for every species.  Thanks again! -Blake
< Lake Malawi cichlids are group spawners. I would recommend that you get at least 3 females for every male. Most crew members would tell you to keep your stocking on the conservative side and start out slow. I am going to tell you to go with 50 small cichlids at about 1-2 inches, six of each species. This means you will get 3 males and 3 females of each assuming you are getting a 50/50 sex ratio. Keep the best looking male from each species and sell/trade the other two males of each species back to your local store or give them away.  You should end up with about 35 +/- adult fish. You can add the oddball non-Mbuna type Malawi cichlids when they are adult.-Chuck>

Filter Recommendations - 02/11/2007
Hey Chuck, we were speaking about power filters yesterday.  I just went and purchased the penguin (bio-wheel) HOB power filter.  The Emperor was
a bit out of my price range but I was wondering how you feel about BioWheels?
< I love them. I think they are a great asset to any aquarium filter. If they had them for air driven filters I would have them on them too.>
I am using this on an overstocked 75g African Cichlid tank as an addition to my Rena Filstar Xp3.  The Aquaclear is within my price range compared to the Emperor so now I am considering buying one of those for my 55g.  I never realized until just now that the media in the Aquaclear is much like a wet dry filter.  Is the Aquaclear filtration setup more effective than the bio wheel setup, or are they similar? Also, which is the most quiet between the Penguin and the Aquaclear? Thanks a lot. Jason McCorry
< The limiting factor to biological filtration is oxygen. That is why the Bio-wheels are out of the water. They are probably the most efficient media for bacteria to grow on.-Chuck>

Filter Choices, FW power   2/12/07
Hey Chuck, just a follow up.  After reading your email regarding the Penguin filter I went and returned it.  Still, the Emperor is way out of my price range (strictly because it's only an add-on filter for an already powerful canister).  So I went and bought the Hagen Aquaclear 110 (pumps 500gph), do you think this is a better choice than the Penguin?
< It does not have a Bio-Wheel so I think you will be missing out on some of the biological filtration it would have provided. The Hagen is fine. Lots of water movement with very good mechanical filtration.>
I've read a lot of reviews on this filter, but what's your opinion on it?  Where does it stand in ranking amongst the Emporer etc.?
Thanks Chuck
< I am still a big fan of the Marineland filters with the Bio-wheel attachments. I have had them run for many many years without any problems. The Hagen filters are good I just do not have any recent hands on experience with them.-Chuck>