# 1st Cichlid tank - 180 Litre tank



## tonytiger7 (Nov 4, 2013)

Hi, Im new on here, and new to Cichlids. I have kept tropical fish in the past, but never had cichlids. 
I am using the same tank that I used to keep my tropical in, which is a 180 litre, 100cm x 40cm x 45cm. 
I have visited my LFS which is a Maidenhead Aquatics, and was advised to use sand, and slate, so I bought a bag of slate, and a tube of aquarium safe silicone, and put the slate together to form a bunch of caves and crevices. I filled the tank with water 2 days ago, and it is running with a fluval 4 plus filter and is at 26 degrees, but it seems to have developed a cloudy look in the water. On day one, the water was full of bubbles, but today, the bubbles have gone, and it is just slightly murky.
I keep reading articles on how to cycle my tank, but to be honest, I am getting a little confused what I need to do.
When I was in the LFS, they advised that I should fill the tank with water, use the filter with the foam pads, and a polyester pad in the middle, add in API stress coat, and quick start, then take a sample of water to them in a week. I have done everything exactly as advised and measured out the API liquids properly. 
When I had the tropical tank before, it was setup by someone else so I don't have the experience of setup so Id just like some reassurance and help if possible
Also, I was advised that Mbuna would be best suited for my tank, and for a beginner. I'm looking for really colourful fish, and like the yellows, and blues, which seem to be fairly common in shops, what others are readily available and suitable?
Thanks very much


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

Hello,

Welcome to c-f and to the cichlids!

Sounds like you are off to a good start there. The safe coat and quick start will help condition your water for fish. I'm guessing that the quick start is some sort of bacteria solution or one that grows bacteria in your tank. Get yourself an API master test kit, it will save you the hassle of continually having to take your water into the LFS for test. Check out this article on fishless cycling. It's very informative and fairly straight forward:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/f ... _cycle.php

Honestly, your tank is a little small for all but the dwarf mbuna. Check out ps. saulosi as they have the yellows and blues you want and max out at around 4". A group with 2 males and 8-10 females would work well in this tank. They are cool fish and would be a great tank!


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## tonytiger7 (Nov 4, 2013)

Thanks very much for your reply, I've had a look at the link about cycling, and been doing loads of researching on the internet. I've come across a really nice looking species called hongi. (Red or orangey), would these be suitable to go with the blue and yellow salousi ones?
I'm going to buy the master test kit tomorrow so will be able to keep track of the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, but I've also read that a lot of people buy household ammonia to add in to help cycle the tank. Is this necessary or advisable at all?


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## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

tonytiger7 said:


> Thanks very much for your reply, I've had a look at the link about cycling, and been doing loads of researching on the internet. I've come across a really nice looking species called hongi. (Red or orangey), would these be suitable to go with the blue and yellow salousi ones?
> I'm going to buy the master test kit tomorrow so will be able to keep track of the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, but I've also read that a lot of people buy household ammonia to add in to help cycle the tank. Is this necessary or advisable at all?


re-ammonia, that is what clhinds78 was refering too re- the link posted :thumb:


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## cumbrianewbie (Jul 25, 2013)

I've recently done something similar. *** setup my first Cichlid tank (200L) with Slate and crushed coral.

I went for the Saulosi as I liked the yellow and blue. Although I have only had them a few weeks they have started to breed 

In fact, I'm so pleased I'm already considering another tank - just don't tell the wife 

When I cycled my tank I used a bit of food to get it started, then added a couple of Bristlenose Pleco fry I borrowed from our work tank. They came from such an overstocked/dirty tank that I figured they would be fine in my new one - and I was right 

Best of luck with your new tank


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

tonytiger7 said:


> Thanks very much for your reply, I've had a look at the link about cycling, and been doing loads of researching on the internet. I've come across a really nice looking species called hongi. (Red or orangey), would these be suitable to go with the blue and yellow salousi ones?
> I'm going to buy the master test kit tomorrow so will be able to keep track of the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, but I've also read that a lot of people buy household ammonia to add in to help cycle the tank. Is this necessary or advisable at all?


Hongi would probably be a bit large for your tank. THe males grow to nearly 6". You could maybe have a group of 4 with a 1m/3f ratio. Remember tho, hongi are sexually dimorphic meaning that the males and females look different. With hongi only the males color up and the females are more of a drab grayish color.

Your tank is best suited for a single species tank and saulosi are one of the best choices for such a tank.


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## tonytiger7 (Nov 4, 2013)

That's great, thanks everyone


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## tonytiger7 (Nov 4, 2013)

Well this is what its looking like so far, what do you think?
Is there enough rockwork in there? I was a bit cautious to put in any more due to the weight as its only 6mm glass.
Its still a bit cloudy in the water, but seems to be clearing up a bit now too. Is it a good idea to clean / change the filter media or not while the tank is cycling?
And also do my test results look ok? 
Water tests so far:
06/11 Ammonia = 4.0 Nitrite = 0.5 Nitrate = 40 - This test was done at the LFS with a dipstick all the rest done by API test kit by me
09/11 Ammonia = 4.0 Nitrite = 0.5 Nitrate = 20 Ph = 7.8
11/11 Ammonia = 4.0 - 8.0 Nitrite = 1.0 Nitrate = 40 Ph = 7.8

The starfish ornament and plastic plants were my other halfs idea to give it some colour at least while its cycling! I will most likely remove them once Im ready to put fish in  
On the plus side, she has started getting interested in fish too, and has gone and bought another, smaller tank to keep some small tropicals in, so now I get 2 tanks :dancing:



















Thanks again


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

The tank should be able to support a little more rock than that and you will want more with mbuna.


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## tonytiger7 (Nov 4, 2013)

Hey everyone, My tank has finally completed cycling and I have rescaped it numerous times to get to where its at now.

I went to maidenhead aquatics in Christchurch a couple days ago, and was advised to add just 6 fish to start with, and was shown a choice of numerous fish. I chose to go with 3 x yellow labs and 3 x blue ones I cant remember the name of  Anyone know?

I was told that it would be a good idea to let them stay in for at least a week, do a 25% water change, in a couple of days, and check the nitrite/nitrate/ammonia in about a week then add some more fish.
I thought that you could add all the fish at once after a complete fishless cycle, but the shop staff were against this. 
As previously mentioned, I am still very new to keeping cichlids so learning as I go.

Also, I have been reading loads and trying to look for some really colourful cichlids to add to my tank, and perhaps something a little different like a catfish or plec, and would be interested to hear any suggestions?

And lastly, would the Xystichromis phytophagus be suited or not?

Sorry for all the questions!


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

Looks like you have yellow labs and acei mbuna cichlids in there. Unfortunately these fish grow to large for a tank of that size. The aceis in particular can reaches lengths of up to 7". They will be ok for a while, but you will either have to get a larger tank or rehome them once they mature.


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## tonytiger7 (Nov 4, 2013)

Thanks clhinds, which fish would you recommend for my tank?


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

tonytiger7 said:


> Thanks clhinds, which fish would you recommend for my tank?


Of the existing stock or a different species?


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## tonytiger7 (Nov 4, 2013)

Different species to add to current setup.


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## clhinds78 (Jul 27, 2012)

tonytiger7 said:


> Different species to add to current setup.


I would not recommend adding anymore fish to this tank unless you swap out your current stock. If you did that saulosi or one of the smaller cynotalapia species would be a good choice.


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