african cichlids

Jolly Jerry

I have a 75 gallon tank. Can someone tell me about how many African Cichlids i can stock it with ? I love the blue rams. How do i get the water to the correct ph level ? Thanks in advance

Jerry

southamericancichlidguy23

hmmm i would say 6 depends on the size of fish how big they will get i dont knw about the ph im not ph guy i never was i mostly just eye ball it and decide when it needs something lol Blue Ram are cool looking

MoneyMitch

blue rams arent african cichlids, and are VERY HARD to keep and require very soft water. if your just starting out i wouldnt get this fish, and im sure many will chime in and agree here shortly.

just trying to save you headache.
Mitch

Rohland

I agree 1500000000% Blue rams are very very hard to keep, even the most seasoned hobbiest on this forum have trouble keeping them alive for long periods of time. Also its easier to get fish to match your ph, then trying to maintain and match the ph for the select fish. So i suggest you get your water tested and go from there.

aunt kymmie

I agree with Rohland 100%.

1077

+one. Is difficult to begin with a sensitive species such as the german blue or gold ram unless,,, you are blessed with soft acidic water. Add to that, the poor stock often found in the aquarium trade, and these little warriors become very short lived.

Jolly Jerry

ok guys, the ph is 8.2, This should be ok for African cichlids. The local pet store has some very nice african cichlids for sale. They are about 2 inches in size. How many should i get for a 65 gallon tank ?

Thanks,
Jerry

Rohland

We can help you if you know the names because they are 2 inches now, however in a few months depending on the fish they may not be 2 inches :) I don't know a lot about cichlids except there is three lakes for the African ones :) I dont know if you can mix lakes either.

MoneyMitch

you can but its not reccomended due to aggression. i highly suggest you do your homework on these guys so that you add the most friendly ones first. i also suggest you read about cyclineg your aquarium before you add fish. For a 65 start with yellow labs.

1077

I agree with Rohland, Many cichlids can be kept together when small. As fish become sexually mature, they will often become less tolerant of other fish even if all male or female, which doesn't happen often for with young fish,it can be difficult to sex them. Other cichlids grow quite large and are not tolerant of other fish at all. These fish are best suited for large single specimen tanks.
You would be wise as mentioned ,to research the fish that interest you BEFORE buying them. there are books available that describe the thousands of different species of cichlids and a little research will help you more than you can appreciate with respect to stocking a tank with cichlids that will all interact,, with aggression levels kept to a minumum.
Tank decor also plays a large role in helping to keep aggression levels to a minimum by providing plenty of rock work ,caves,etc. A couple fake caves will not do with more than three or four specimens. These fish need to have numerous areas to retreat to if needed, or to rest in,, or near,,. and if plenty of places are provided for fish to stake out their territory ,or hidy hole, then so much the better.