The Daily Cichlid

What you will need! 

A plan! 

You need to strategically plan out what types of Cichlids you want to keep and base your aquarium, equipment shopping, and tank layout or aqua-scape on the size, and temperament of the fish you are planning to keep. 

Research fish widely available at your LFS and local breeders beforehand to figure out which ones are best for you. It will attune you to what your fish will need and help you figure out what is out there - " You could get two birds stoned at once" -"Ricky" trailer park boys.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS WING IT! 

If the fish you are planning to keep are hard to impossible to come by or crazy expensive, make adjustments according to your next favorite types of Cichlids. There are plenty of beautiful, exotic looking, but common Cichlids out there that are widely available. Don't stress yourself over stupid things like "how rare is this fish? Can I make money off this fish if I decide to breed it?" Base your choices on the sheer love of the hobby, ease of care requirements, and the most stress free combinations. You will find that eventually you will wonder how you got through the day without watching your tank. The point of fish keeping is to relieve stress, not create it for yourself.

Items that you will need:

1. A long aquarium 48-72 inches with matching hood and light. Can be purchased used through private sales, garage sales or at a lfs etc. You can simply buy a brand new aquarium kit which is usually the easiest and most expensive way to do it. Note: the best kits come with decent lighting, filtration, and a high quality submersible heater, food, chemical samples and an instruction manual to start the nitrogen cycle off in the right direction. Aquarium kits rarely come with the proper filtration media, substrate or food for a Cichlid tank so these items will be additional items that you will have to buy or find. Buy the largest aquarium you can afford and make sure to take measurements at home before you purchase the tank so you know for sure that it will  fit in the space you have set aside for it.

When buying a used aquarium there are a few simple rules to follow:

Rule #1:

Never pay more than $2 per gallon for a used aquarium even if it is in mint shape and not even out of the box because whether it is still in the box, never used or very lightly used you are not at some stranger’s house because you want to pay retail prices. 

At $2 per gallon this thing should come with an original hood and light which are in good working condition, a working heater and filtration system. No hood, light, filter or heater? Drop the price down to .50 cents per gallon and only pay a max of a dollar per gallon if you really want the aquarium. 

If the seller doesn't like it walk out the door and find something better because it beats searching and trying to track down a hood or light that may or may not fit an older used aquarium. Usually the hood and light that you will have to buy to replace the missing one will cost 2-5 times the cost of the used aquarium because you will be forced to pay retail prices which is why you always try to buy used aquariums for as little as possible. 

Most sellers believe that because they bought an aquarium for $900 5 years ago it is still worth the same amount or slightly less today. Most sellers don't understand that the price they pay when they buy an aquarium is mostly retail inflation and also includes the cost of the filtration, stand, heater, air pump, and other accessories. 

What sellers fail to realize is that a 55 gallon aquarium costs between $55-$100 by itself and will normally come with a hood, glass top and a light when it is brand new and at $100 it certainly comes with a working light and hood. A seller of a used empty 55 gallon aquarium if it holds water without the hood and light should only expect a $25 - $55 return on their original investment because it is used and the buyer will have to buy additional items which will usually end up costing the same as a brand new 55 gallon aquarium at a retail store. Any aquarium that doesn't hold water is useless and is therefore worth nothing because who wants to take the risk of filling a aquarium after fixing it just to find out several months down the line that it is leaking again and you have to deal with a flood? I am not a glass or acrylic expert so if you are by all means take the risk and maybe post a easy to follow diy vid on youtube so us novices can learn something!.  

Here is my explanation and example of Rule#1:

someone wanted $300 for a 40 gallon reg aquarium that comes with used gavel, some fake plants, small decorations, aquatech HOB 20-40 Filter aka Walmart filter (Walmart filter system is $25 new) with extra cartridges, tetra medication for fin rot, a light and hood, improperly sized heater, cheap tetra water conditioners, and cheap run of the mill all purpose tropical flake food. (This ad painted a horrible picture in my mind the moment I read it. A nube bought this whole thing piece by piece, then filled it with diseased fish, lost them all because they got the diagnosis wrong, kept buying from the same location just to have it happen again and again, got completely frustrated and now they are selling the whole system for the exact retail price that they initially invested) Actual worth of the aquarium and everything it comes with used is roughly $80-$100 maximum and that is if your willing to pay $2 per gallon and slightly more simply because it is a full kit and realistically a 45 gallon bowfront aquarium kit with hood and light at Petsmart costs $150 brand new and would come with a slightly better HOB filter, hood, light and heater. 

Back to the ad from a practicality point of view - The heater is useless because it is better to go oversize rather than undersized, and so is the filter unless you pair it with different media or an extra filter such as a sponge or small canister filter such as a Marina Magnum Hot HOB canister filter, the Fluorescent light bulb will have to be replaced right away because god knows how old it is (unless you plan on having absolutely no live plants and if it still works).The water conditioner is useless because it will not remove chloramines and ammonia from your tap water, medication is useless and probably expired. Basically you will need to replace everything but the aquarium, the hood and the light fixture (if the fixture still works). I would ask the seller if I could have the aquarium, light and hood for a maximum of $50 and probably run the risk of insulting them but it all boils down to a simple business fundamental... the rule of supply and demand. 

The rule of supply and demand equates to: If there is a high demand for something and there are limited supplies then the price of the item is increased until there are ample supplies, hence the reason why you will see sales of 90% off etc in retail stores, it is because they have ample supply and not enough demand. So if there are hundreds of used aquariums of different sizes available out there, supply is high and therefore the price should be low. That may seem unfair to most sellers but Nobody wants to pay retail for a used aquarium, especially ones that have to undergo a massive cleaning, get new and better supplies and or equipment (which they almost always do). 

I paid $30 for a used, mint condition, 20 gal fry tank that came with a oversized, quality brand name, HOB filter, working light and hood along with a few other good items such as cleaning tools, breeder box etc. It was well worth it and I only had to add a heater to the system and replace the florescent bulb.     

Rule #2:

Never leave with or purchase the used aquarium without testing it first to see if it holds water and if the light fixture works. at the very least, never leave or purchase the aquarium without thoroughly examining it for cracks, bubbles forming in the silicone etc. The seller might bitch and moan and say things like "I said it holds water, you don't believe me?" or get snippy with you and say “well I said it holds water, I am not a liar, and if that’s not good enough I’ll just sell it to someone else”  but that isn't good salesmanship and it guilts you into thinking that you did something wrong or insulted them in some way. This makes you feel obligated to make it up to the seller by buying a potential lemon (typical used car salesman tactics). It has been my experience that people who have to tell you that they don’t lie are the biggest liars of all, but the bottom line is, you don't know these people and it is ridiculous to refuse to show someone that the product they are selling actually works. You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it first right? The same rule applies to any used item you buy. It takes very little effort and it often deters low balling because the buyer feels guilty for asking afterwards, it is a vicious cycle. 

If the aquarium leaks and they gave you a hard time you can say "glad I got you to test it!" and then offer them .25 cents per gallon or less if the leak is minor and can be fixed with a little aquarium sealant. Example: seller wants 20 bucks for a 10 gallon aquarium that has a minor leak in one of the corners I would only pay 5 bucks for said aquarium maximum or even just walk away. With so many 10 gallon's out there you could probably find one without leaks for $5 or $10. Use your own judgement when it comes to things like small leaks and use this formula (cost of aquarium + time to fix it + cost of product or products necessary to fix it =less than $1 per gallon, than it is worth the learning experience of fixing a simple problem. If the formula = more than $1 per gallon then move on because there are plenty of quality used aquariums out there. 

Rule #3:

If the aquarium has a giant crack and the seller didn’t mention it in their post or took pictures that didn't show the crack just walk out the door and thank them for wasting your time and cost of transportation because honestly that is exactly what they did. There should be no reason why they are selling a broken tank. 

Back to basic things you will need:

2. A good filtration system: Modified Hob (using media bags and other reusable media) or large Aquaclear 110 which comes with reusable media, Sponge filter, Canister filter and or combinations of these. Take a peek at my filtration page for more info on the types of filtration available and the pros and cons of each.

3. Air pump, Cichlids Need oxygen rich and pristine water conditions, air stones offer decent gas exchange because they agitate the water surface preventing the water from becoming stagnant and toxic. They can be eliminated by using high output filtration such as a canister filter, or surface agitators like wave makers, or power heads. If you point the output towards the surface, it will create ample agitation. Power heads also provide better water circulation than air stones and air pumps which means they will help keep waste and uneaten food from settling on the substrate making it easier for your filters to suck it up, making your water changes a lot easier as well.  

4. A decent heater ( use the 2.5-3 watts per gallon rule, 100 gallons = 250 watt - 300 watt. Make sure it is a heater that is easily adjustable and one that automatically senses the tanks temp, water level and will shut off and turn on automatically to adjust or maintain the tanks temp steadily. Always place a heater close to the outflow of your filtered water but not directly underneath it. Simply place the heater in the center of the tank. It is beneficial as well to have multiple heaters throughout a long or large tank for example three 100 watt heaters spaced evenly throughout a 100 gallon tank with one heater close to the outflow of water will help keep the heating even. 

Avoid hang on back heaters, they usually cost the same or a little less than submersible heaters but they tend to break down because you constantly have to unplug or turn them down while performing water changes. HOB heaters also will not give you the freedom to place them any where you want. Heaters with digital displays make it really easy to adjust your temperature settings but are not necessary, just get a good brand name like fluval or something similar. Aquatop heaters and products are making a big splash and are cheap, dependable and are readily available online.  

5. A accurate thermometer, either digital or your average run of the mill glass thermometer that suctions or magnetizes to the inside of the tank. don't get these ones that stick on the outside of the glass because they are hard to read and you can't use it to check the temperature of new water going into the tank while performing water changes. If you do get one or your tank comes with a temp sticker make sure to get a removable thermometer as well for water changes it will help limit temperature shock when adding new water. 

6. LIQUID WATER TEST KIT! Cannot stress this one enough. A liquid water test kit is your first line of defense against fish death and out of control water conditions. API makes a very good kit, it comes with Ph high and low side, Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia testing chemicals. It comes with detailed instructions with suggestions as to how to control your typical water problems (half the time they tell you to buy their chemicals to treat water problems but is often unnecessary). This will also help you determine whether or not you should be housing African Cichlids or South American Cichlids. If your Ph is alkaline, neutral or acidic there is a Cichlid for every flavour.

7. Essential Chemicals, meds, and preventative maintenance products:

Must haves:

Water conditioner. Prime is a high quality water conditioner that removes, Ammonia, Chloramines, Chlorine and some heavy metals from your tap water, it also aids your fish in natural slime coat production. Yes tap water does have Ammonia because Ammonia combined with free floating chlorine creates chloramine and most tap water contains both chloramine and ammonia. Prime helps remove heavy metals via a chemical reaction (breaks up the chemical bonds and encapsulates them making it easier for your carbon to filter it out).

Aquarium Salt - de-iodized salt or common Rock salt. It buffers the water chemistry or Ph, and it helps prevent common diseases caused by both parasites and fungus, combined with heat (81-86F) it prevents and can cure most common fish diseases.

Medications to have on hand:

NOX-ICH - It is one of the cheapest and best ich cures on the market, Tetra ich guard Tablets and other powdered tablet cures are a waste of money because they are not strong enough. If you have sensitive fish just use half the dosage of NOX-ICH for 2 courses if ich remains after the first course. As with most medications Carbon will prevent the medication from working. As with all disease it is best to prevent it by following strict husbandry practices (Quarantining new fish for 2 weeks and performing frequent water changes 1 per week or every 2nd week depending on the size of your aquarium and bio load, which includes substrate vacuuming), simply keeping the aquarium heated to 81-86F and adding one table spoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons will prevent ich and possibly cure it if it is already a problem. 

Special note in accordance with adding salt: Add replacement salt only when taking old water out and putting new water in during water changes. Remember: salt doesn't evaporate so when performing top ups due to evaporation there is no need to add salt. Only replace the amount of dissolved salt example: 1 table spoon of dissolved salt per every 5 gallons of new water for every 5 gallons of old water removed. Salt will melt and kill plants.

special note in accordance to ich: ich can only be introduced to your aquarium via fish already infected, plants and tank water with live ich parasites.This has been scientifically proven since the 80's. If the aquarium store clerk tells you otherwise and says it is because of you not taking care of your tank, he or she is bull-shitting you so that you don't go around warning people about them selling diseased fish. Report any stores you see with piles of dead fish in aquariums and no signs stating that "the fish are sick and not for sale"  to an animal welfare board because these stores can be fined for mistreatment of animals and poor business practices. 

An all-purpose Anti-biotic like Tetracycline or Kanamycin is a good thing to have on hand in case your fish develop a real nasty bug or infection but is not necessary, it is best to prevent disease and cure it naturally than to use medications. If medicating is unavoidable: MEDICATE ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS. Fish have tiny organs and they cannot process medicines for very long or in excessive amounts, follow the directions to the letter. Despite antibiotics being 90% effective after a small time period of being expired (a few months past due) it is still best to get unexpired meds.

Parasite medications are a must because cichlids can be very susceptible to bloat. My med of choice is metro+ because it can be used to create medicated food and also in the water column. Bloat is typically caused by a parasite in the digestive tract. A two week course of metro+ medicated food is a good preventative measure during the quarantine process. If your fish living in the display tank get bloat metro+ food will not have and adverse effect on your biological filter as long as you keep the carbon in and you perform regular water changes with gravel or substrate vacuuming.

special Note in relation to treating fish with any medication:

Most medications will decimate your biological filtration and it is therefore advised to medicate fish in a hospital tank or perform fish dips in a smaller container. As most veteran fish keepers know there is nothing more frustrating than medicating your main tank with a medication that claims it wont harm your bio filtration only to find out that the reason why your fish are scratching themselves on rocks and other things a week later is because your bio filtration no longer exists and that they are scratching because of ammonia and nitrite poisoning. 

8. Sand substrate - crushed coral, white or tan pool filter sand (just cheap silica sand), play sand (as long as it is thoroughly cleaned) all make good substrates. - Don't use metal slag based substrates (sand blasting materials) and always find out what the sand is made of before adding it to your set up. Crushed coral can raise Ph and is used as a buffering material in alkaline water conditions and in salt water applications, metal slag (sand blasting materials) leeches heavy metals into the tank faster than your carbon can filter it and in a short time will kill all your fish, silica sand (most common and cheap) has no effect on water parameters whatsoever and is the best neutral source of substrate you can provide if you are happy with the hardness of your tap water. Crushed aragonite is perfect because it buffers or raises the hardness of your water. 

9. Rocks! Most Cichlids like lots of structures, when strategically placed, real, good ol’ fashioned rocks can look awesome in just about any aquarium. Cichlids like lots of different sized crevices and multiple escape routes so keep that in mind when you are designing your aqua-scape. Rocks can be found everywhere so I would suggest taking a hike along a river bank or a beach and find your own because at 1.99-4.99/lb for some plain and fancy rocks bought at a store, simple easy to find rocks could end up costing you as much as the aquarium itself brand new along with filtration. I have 150lbs of rock in the aquarium pictured above with some fancy rocks thrown in the mix and it would have cost me $300+tax or more at the store.

10. High quality fish food: Most cichlids are omnivores and various food types are essential to their health,  a staple diet of high quality flake or pellets with a minimum of 34% protein can make all the difference to bring out your fishes true colours. It is a good practice to change up your Cichlid's food by adding live or frozen foods to their diet such as brine shrimp and frozen medleys containing blood worms, glass worms, black worms and other good sources of protein. Keep in mind that mbuna species although considered omnivores can suffer from malawi bloat simply from feeding low quality foods with too much fat, fillers and animal protein. I feed my mbuna spirolina flakes and new life spectrum cichlid food along with fresh veggies. 

Only after you have got together all 10 items on this getting started list you should consider getting fish and only after you've researched what fish would be suitable in the environment you have set up for them. It may seem like a lot and it may take a lot of planning and patience but it will save you more problems than you can count by following these rules and practices, making your transition into a fully stocked tank much smoother.

11. Hardy Beginner Fish: you will need at least 3-4 hardy, durable fish that can withstand the nitrogen cycle when your tank is finally set up the way you like it and when you feel the fish will like it. I suggest if you are just getting started and need a Cichlid fish that can withstand fluctuating water conditions such as small ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate spikes (all part of the nitrogen cycle) I would stock your tank based on the 1 fish per 10 gallon rule (nitrogen cycling rule) with some Convict Cichlids. Convict Cichlids are available in nearly every pet store and are widely available from local breeders and they adapt to various Ph parameters ranging from 6.5-8.6. They are beautiful, easy to breed and 3-4 can be housed in a 20 gallon tank as long as there are enough rock piles and hidey holes. They reach a max size of 3-4 inches. The consensus online seems to be that the Convict Cichlid is the perfect Cichlid for any beginner or any veteran who loves Cichlids. I will go further in depth with a spot light on just the Convict Cichlid on the south american cichlid profile page. you could get some sacrificial fish such as feeder guppies to get the tank established as well. 

12. Patience. Once you have put all the ingredients together and you sit back and admire your beautifully arranged 50 gallon tank with nothing but rocks and 5 fish swimming around you might be thinking to yourself... damn, I am bored already! I need more fish!. Just calm yourself before you mess yourself, and remember that all good things come to those who wait. Once you hit the 4-6 week mark and your beneficial bacteria colonies have built themselves up and they are getting rid of your nitrites, ammonia, and you've got water changes and water testing down to a science that is the time to reward yourself with some beautiful and brightly coloured fish! You don't want to spend $50-$100 bucks on fish just to have half of them die because you were too impatient to let nature take its course and bring your tank to a natural biological equilibrium. Again remember all good things come to those who wait when picking up more fish. Don't buy enough fish to fill the tanks whole potential biological load capacity, just buy another 3-5 healthy looking fish from a reputable source then wait 2 weeks while monitoring your water for spikes and continuing with your water changes. Keep doing this until you hit just below your tanks bio load capacity because you will need that wiggle room if you've miscalculated the inch per gallon rule or if you have been doing weekly water changes but have to push it to two weeks when you go on vacation or if a family emergency comes up. Following this rule will ensure that you don't go through new tank syndrome or end up with a green water outbreak.

Side note about inch per gallon rule:

Research the adult sizes of each fish you buy, a peacock cichlid may look cute at 2"-3" when bought at a store but they very quickly grow into a 5-6 inch adult. This research will stop you from scrambling around, looking for a 100 gallon aquarium when your various species of 3" Fry have grown into 4-8'' monsters that look very odd in a 50 gallon tank because they are crammed in there like sardines. It will also prevent you from making the mistake of putting a bumble bee cichlid or other large mbuna species in a 30 gallon tank because the store clerk said they only grow 5-6 inches when infact they reach 8-9 inches. 

Here are a few helpful hints and side notes:

Since live plants and fake plants are not often used to decorate a cichlid tank a single bright led light usually works well and gives the aquarium depth and contrast especially in conjunction with a black or dark blue background. It will save you money on your power bill and keep the algae down to a minimum. White and blue led combinations really show off your fishes colours and gives your aquarium the deep water look especially when used with rocks that are jagged, jagged rocks create depth through shadows. People like to have the option of changing the background to something brighter, so if you must paint it black or any other colour, make sure to use a latex based paint that can easily be removed with a razor scraper.

Don't write off plants completely, there are several Cichlid safe plants that still thrive in low light conditions. Hornwort and other stem plants or non-rooted plants can be weighed down or left free floating help remove ammonia, nitrites, nitrates as well as add oxygen to the water. Most importantly they are cheap and can be found anywhere through local shops or local adds online because they are fast growers. Anubia's are sturdy plants that can be attached to driftwood, rocks and other decorations and can take a beating from your fish and you. Lastly Plants provide seclusion and security to younger and smaller fish. Cichlids are territorial and will chase each other around the tank until clear boundaries are known by all and even then territory will still be challenged. Providing some plants will give your shy fish an alternative escape route instead of being limited to swimming in and around your rock piles and potentially getting small cuts and scrapes along the way if the territory is still new or unknown to them. Fish keepers call these escape routes "line of sight, cut off points"

Side note about the nitrogen cycle:

Since most Cichlids are sensitive to water conditions and water stability, sometimes it is essential for you to wait out the 4-6 weeks after adding hardy fish to a new tank to initially cycle and establish the tank before adding more sensitive and expensive fish.