# Hello all i'm new here



## ColtenB (Nov 18, 2010)

Hello like i said i'm new and recently i've decided to try and get into keeping cichlids...my aunt kinda sent me into the direction of learning a bit about them...sorry for the beginner questions but...i have a 55gallon tank i have 3 live plants in there and hopefully some new fish i've had a real problem with keeping fish i'm stuck in new tank syndrome...for the last 2 weeks its been completely empty with nothing but the snails that i ended up with on my plants...i've read from place to place people saying not to mix any of the three lakes..how do i tell witch lake their from? Also are there speices that are more adapt to my level of expeirence...also would a clown pleco be fine living with them...And if theres anything else anyone thinks i should know please feel free to spread the knowledge..


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## AnThRaXx (Apr 21, 2008)

clown pleco should be ok. try your hand at the more passive species. Yellow labs are probably gonna be key to ur new setup (not sure if u want malawis tangs or vics) mbuna r quite frankly the most common. u can run into aggression issues with them. but if the fish arent taking serious damage and a proper male to female ratio is kept u should be ok. hop into the chat sometime at night and get more advice there. its easier to help that way. well GL to ya. do ur research on passive species and u will be rewarded. dont just dive head first into cichlids, ull get bit!


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## ColtenB (Nov 18, 2010)

I'm looking for anything bright and colorful something i can enjoy looking at.....How would i tell the difference between male and Female without cutting them open? not that i would by any meens....Thats why i'm here to do my research because nobody likes being bit lol :lol: plus it isn't going to hurt my tank any.. the long the better and bigger my plants will get right...Thank your for your info


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## TKC747 (Dec 5, 2008)

I've heard Mbunas described as the same fish with different paint jobs. They are from Lake Malawi. Haplochromines probably get too big to go in a 55 gallon, also from Lake Malawi. Peacocks are like Haps as well, but if they are on the small side, might work. Malawi cichlids tend to dig so they are not good in general with plants although some have made it work. Research the threads

Tanganyikans like shell dwellers could go even in smaller tanks. Then there are rock dwellers, also Tropheus, Frontosa/Gibberosa get too big for a 55 gallon. Cyps are colorful open water mouthbrooders.

These cover on Malawi, Tanganyikans. There are other lakes. Hope this gives you a grip to start doing your research. Check out the library section of the forum.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

> I'm looking for anything bright and colorful something i can enjoy looking at


Probably malawi cichlids are what you want. I would go for either some mbuna harems (3 species, of the smaller and less aggressive variety), or you may be able to do all male peacocks, of the smaller and less aggressive variety. Check out the cookie cutter section in the library.



> How would i tell the difference between male and Female without cutting them open? not that i would by any meens....


haha... I probably wouldn't be able to tell at all if I cut them open.

Some species are dimorphic - the males will turn 1 color, and the females will stay how they look as juveniles. Even then, some males my not feel dominant and stay female coloring. For peacocks and haps, its very easy. Only the males get the colors, and the females stay very drab. Its harder for mbuna, especially the ones that the males and females look alike. There is a process known as venting. You basically flip the fish over and take a peak up their skirts. You will be looking for 2 pores. 1 is the anus, the other is their vent (the genitals). If they're both the same size oo, its a male. If one is bigger Oo, its a female. there are some articles on the site. Or you could just google "venting cichlids".

Good luck!


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## ColtenB (Nov 18, 2010)

Thank you guys i'll have to give some of these things a shot....and here are my water stats...nitrate 20 nitrite 0 hardness 150 chlorine0 alkalinity 300 ph 8.4 i'm sure theres got to be something i have to change what is it if anything


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

If you have nitrates, but no nitrites - that's good.
check your ammonia - I would expect 0 .. but test to be sure.


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## toume (Oct 7, 2010)

Is this your first ever fish tank?

If it is, I don't know that I'd recommend Mbuna. They're pretty difficult cichlids to keep--and I mean as far as aggression. There are more peaceful species, but no Mbuna is ever a nice, community fish. Hence why there are so many issues with stocking b/c you just put anything in together, and sexing (which is quite difficult) is essential as well.

I'd go the South American root first. You don't have to remove/exchange fish as much, and there are many more peaceful species (whereas there are only 3 or 4 Mbuna species)--you can have dither fish in there too, and not as many restrictions on the bottom feeders.

Just my 2c.


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## ColtenB (Nov 18, 2010)

I had an Oscar for about four months and he was good one day and Bam the next day not himself he ended up dying i think it might have been an internal parasite now that i look back.One other cichlid i'd try would be a jack Demp but all them high stats can't be good for them..?wasn't from me adding any chems or anything like that thats how my water is i'm guessing i'm on a fixed income as in jobs are hard to come by here in michigan...I talked to someone on here about yellow labs.. as for my ammonia it was at 0.25 after i did a water change its now at zero


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Hi and welcome to the forum and cichlids.

A few questions for you
Are there any fish in the tank now? 
What have you done to cycle the tank? _(And just in case you're unfamiliar with this term it refers to the process of growing beneficial, nitrifying, bacteria in your filter that will be able to process ammonia and nitrite, making the tank safe for your fish to live.) _

As far as choosing fish for the tank: ideally you want to choose fish that prefer the ph you can naturally provide for them--ie, the water that comes out of your tap. So first thing: put some tap water in a clean bucket, let it sit for 24 hours and then test it for Ph and KH. The less you have to monkey with your water the better for you and especially your fish.

A 55 is a perfect size tank. You're smart to be asking questions and doing some research before you get too far along. :thumb:

Robin


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

Toume said:


> Is this your first ever fish tank?
> 
> If it is, I don't know that I'd recommend Mbuna. They're pretty difficult cichlids to keep--and I mean as far as aggression. There are more peaceful species, but no Mbuna is ever a nice, community fish. Hence why there are so many issues with stocking b/c you just put anything in together, and sexing (which is quite difficult) is essential as well.


It Colten decides he wants to do mbuna, then I see no reason why he shouldn't even if it is his first tank. What you've said is true, but its nothing a newbie can't handle. He's starting out right with a ton of research and asking questions, which tells me he'd be just fine with whatever he chooses.

This is coming from someone who's first ever fish tank was a 55g mbuna aquarium a year ago, and already I'm up to a 125g mbuna aquarium with a DIY sump. So I know its nothing a newbie can't handle if he puts in the work.


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## ColtenB (Nov 18, 2010)

So far it's been up since the beginning of october and i gotta admit i made some huge mistakes i filled it up and put angels in they were way to small and got sucked up on the filters =( then i put goldfish in there after they had lasted less than 2 days i then had a huge ich outbreak they died off and i let it sit and cycle for awhile then i bought a bigget angel and he died after about a week and a half due to how high my alkalinity and ph are this is just water from my tap i've done nothing to it and now its been probly 2 weeks give or take a few days..and i'm here thats what my stats read i figure the more i know the less likely i am to kill off anymore fish...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Robin said:


> What have you done to cycle the tank?
> 
> put some tap water in a clean bucket, let it sit for 24 hours and then test it for Ph and KH. The less you have to monkey with your water the better for you and especially your fish.


These are really good first steps. Hopefully you have a test kit and can test the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in your tank? If you don't have a test kit, get one before you get any fish. It will really help you know what is going on and keep your fish alive. Use it to test your tap water as well as Robin described.


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## ColtenB (Nov 18, 2010)

I have the Strip testers right now and i have the ammonia tester thats in the liquid form with the drops..this is temporary until i get more funds so i know about what it is i know the strips aren't really accurate


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

So what do the strip testers say for your tank water? And what about your tap water after sitting in a bucket for 24 hours?


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## ColtenB (Nov 18, 2010)

nitrate 20 nitrite 0 hardness 150 chlorine0 alkalinity 300 ph 8.4 and ammonia 0 as for tap sat in a bucket for 24 hrs i have no idea i just put water in a bucket that i boiled last night in some rocks will that work?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Unless you are going to boil all the water you add to the tank during water changes (bad idea), it would probably be better to use fresh tap water. Your parameters sound good.

Now to figure out why your previous fish died so you can avoid the error. :thumb:


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

If there are no fish in the tank now then you will lose your beneficial bacteria within a few days and the tank will no longer be cycled. *Cycling the tank does NOT refer to cycling water through the filter. *
There are a number of ways to cycle the tank. It would take too long to tell you about them here but you can go to the library section of this site and read about them. Or even better: You could go to this folder: Dr.Tim's Aquatics and not only learn about cycling but also find out about a quick way to cycle your tank. You really don't want to start buying fish until you've cycled your tank AND you know what your tap water reads.

And ditto on what DJ said, just test some water that's been sitting for 24 hours. You want the PH and ideally the KH, too.

Okay?  Let us know what you find out

Robin


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Good point. But don't put fish in to feed the bacteria. Just add ammonia until your research is complete.


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## toume (Oct 7, 2010)

Robin said:


> As far as choosing fish for the tank: ideally you want to choose fish that prefer the ph you can naturally provide for them--ie, the water that comes out of your tap. The less you have to monkey with your water the better for you and especially your fish.
> 
> Robin


Totally agree--I recently adopted German Blue rams..................my natural tap is 8.2-8.4 pH, and alkaline. For a fish that is sensitive to changes in water-- :?

:lol: Not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I rescued them from my friend's tank--they were housed with a red zebra 



> It Colten decides he wants to do mbuna, then I see no reason why he shouldn't even if it is his first tank. What you've said is true, but its nothing a newbie can't handle. He's starting out right with a ton of research and asking questions, which tells me he'd be just fine with whatever he chooses.


True. I was just suggesting caution. Mbuna are not for the light-heart hearted fish keeper--they're difficult (you have to often remove/reintroduce fish, a hospital tank is necessary) and they fight a lot (often killing each other/dying). When you add in their susceptibility to bloat...I mean a goldfish is colorful....

But I feel much better knowing the OP has kept an Oscar b/c they're at least in the same ball park. My friend got the red zebra (and the GBR), put them in a tiny tank and wondering why the ram had no fins (she didn't believe it was the tank size first, and the difference in personality second--what an idiot, :lol: ) ...I love my little brats (aka Mbuna, ha), but I wouldn't pick them for my first fish. But it doesn't even matter anymore, :thumb:


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

Here's a good helpful read on cycling your tank:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=214764


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## lickteeth (Nov 9, 2010)

It is not a sever problem. As you are first in this section for this reason you are facing that kind of problem. You can visit this site and can learn many thing about cycling of cichild.
www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php
www.aquaria.info/print.php?sid=375
:fish:


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