converting from reef to cichlids.. please help

[reseter5]

this seems to be the place to go for cichlid info so here i go...........

after hundeds and thousands of dollars i have spent on keeping my 200 gallon saltwater tank i have given up.. i am tired of loosing hundred dollar fish and had it....

so my by the end of the week all my live rock .fish ... substrate and other stuff is gone and i can start from scratch... this is what i am starting with

200 gallon flat back hex tank... 2 corner overflows 4 40 watt ho t-12 lights.. 10000k and actinic..

filtration: overflows are full of bioballs and there is a 65 gallon refugium in which i can convert back to a wet dry..

please help me with all the info i need for filtration.. lighting ... substate.. rocks/ driftwood.... all you guys and girls know what i need and i need to learn from you...thanks a lot.......bill

[RustyNut]

Great start for Cichlids! If you convert your refugium back to the W/D you should be almost setup already! Wet/dry currently are the BEST filtration for cichlids bar none.

Your lighting is ok but you may want to look for a bulb that shows off yellows and reds better. I use a combo of Reefsun 50/50, 8000K Trichomatic, and a power glo ( I also have a 6500k daylight bulb but the 50/50 also output 6700k so that spectrum is covered already) This will help keep your fishes vibrant colours from being "too blue" under the actinic. But this is all personal prefence stuff as the fish don't care.

As for substrate your old reef sand would be fine (or aragonite) just give it a rinsing. Some of us prefer Sand over gravel, and the fish seem to prefer it too.... but sand gets dirty very quickly while gravel looks fresh for a few weeks. I use Quickrete Medium Washed Sand from Lowe's. About 100lbs worked well in my 210g tank. There are also other choices depending on the color you want.





Rocks are up to you, I collect mine from the local rivers and streams in my area. You can also go to landscaping places and get some field stone, slate, or whatever strikes your fancy. Avoid any rocks with metal (or shiny spots) in them as they are toxic.

Unless you are planning S. American cichlids you want High pH and Very Hard water (Just like marine fish) so the driftwood isn't the best choice since it will eventually acidify the water. All cichlids except S. Americans like neutral to high pH and moderate to Very Hard water.

[J-Aqua]

To add onto rusty's advice. The worst beginners mistake is their tank is NOT "Cycled!"

"Cycling the tank" means that you are establishing a bacteria bed in your biological filter to remove the toxins that the fish's metabolism creates. There are right and wrong ways to do this, and several things you can do to slow this process (which you don't want to do). There are two steps to cycling, but you don't have to do anything special for either of them. First, your filter will grow a culture of bacteria that digest ammonia and turn it into Nitrite (which is more toxic than the ammonia in hard water or water with a higher pH), then your filter produces bacteria that digest Nitrite and turn it into relatively harmless Nitrate. However, Nitrate will contribute to loss of appetite and stress in your fish, as well as contributing to algae growth, so it is important to do regular small water changes to keep your tank in best condition. Read more on water changes while the tank is cycling.

Simply get some dither fish that are pretty cheap. Something that you can return after cycling the tank. Also you will want to get a water test kit, I suggest the API Freshwater Master kit. Once you start your tank will get an amonia spike (first leg of the cycle), next you will want to do a 15-20% water change every other day to get the amonia down to 0 ppm (parts per million). Next you will get a spike in your Nitrite which is even more harmful as I said before. Keep your eye on the water parameters and do partial water changed every other day. Next once you get the nitrites down they will start to turn into nitrate. I always keep the nitrates less then 25-20ppm. Once your parameters are 0ppm amonia, 0ppm Nitrite, and 10-25ppm in Nitrate your tank is CYCLED and you can add your fish that you really want. This way you wont lose your more expensive fish. There're cycling aids out there but only heard of bio-spira that actually works. Good luck!

J

[J-Aqua]

Apologies, I forgot to add when you do your water changes you MUST remove the chlorine and chloramine with a water conditioner. You most likely know this because I believe in saltwater you have to do that and MORE.

[reseter5]

oh yes.. i know all about the cycling process and chlorine and such.. i do have a reverse osmosis system since i needed the ourest water possible for saltwater... do you recomend straight tap water to start to keep the minerals?

[RustyNut]

Yes... make sure you add a conditioner like Prime if you municpal water.... Test your tap and post you tap waters pH, gH, and kH just so we have a baseline. Nearly all municpal water supplies in the US have ideal water for cichlids straight from the tap.

I figured you knew all about cycling and stuff from you reef experience. I suspect you may be a cichlidiot for life after your reef experiences!

[J-Aqua]

I was just making sure! So what cichlids are you going to keep?

[reseter5]

i have no idea... i would guess a mixture... the tank is 200 gallons... any suggestions?????

[J-Aqua]

Originally posted by reseter5
i have no idea... i would guess a mixture... the tank is 200 gallons... any suggestions?????

Hmmm, you could have a really nice malawi tank! Since you're coming from salt water with more colorful fish I think an African tank would be a good choice for you. I suggest talk to rusty about an african tank he knows what he's talkin about

[RustyNut]

Well I was waiting to find out his tap water parameters before suggesting the fish... no reason to fight your local water supply if you need to....

Click the link in my Sig and check out Rockhaven my 210g Mbuna tank. Should give you some ideas if you like this type of setup or not.

I would not suggest a "mix" to be your first time tank, it complicates things more than you need. I would stick to one lake if you going african, and if you go Malawian, then I would stick to either Peacocks/Haps or Mbuna but not mixing the two. For Central American and South American fish you'd be best talking to someone else since its been at least a dozen years since I have had any.

Tanganyikans are probably closest to Marine fish for both color, diversity, and personality.... Malawians mbuna comes a very close second, where as the Peacock/Haps tend to be closer to "Community Fish" with more interesting personalities.

[Algenco]

8-10 WC Frontosa!!