# bored w/ cichlids



## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

i am seriously considering doing something different with my 120. i had about 7 tanks going and was breeding and it got to be more work than i cared for so i consolidated down to a single 120 and now i'm just bored with cichlids. i could make a lot of $ selling my fish, rock, background, etc. and do a tropical community.

i know i'm probably making a mistake and will likely regret it, so talk me out of it.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Hey keep the rock and background. Sell the fish and get something new. Keep the interest up. In a couple years you can come back. :thumb:


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## hoopvillian (Feb 12, 2012)

If you think cichlids are boring wait until you do the other tropicals.

If you want to see schooling get one tank that's not the 120 and throw in a bunch of tetras or something, but as cool that is, it get's boring. The fish are all the same personality- and looks-wise. There's no competition for tank boss like a cichlid tank.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

DJRansome said:


> Hey keep the rock and background. Sell the fish and get something new. Keep the interest up. In a couple years you can come back. :thumb:


i started in the hobby with a tropical community and eventually got bala sharks, tiger barbs, etc. the sharks got too big for my 55 and instead of upgrading i rehomed them and did a mbuna tank, then got a 75, then a 90, then a 120.

i never would have got into cichlids were it not for that. i just kinda miss the days when i could sit back and relax and enjoy them. they didn't fight. the weren't as demanding on water conditions and food, etc.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

hoopvillian said:


> If you think cichlids are boring wait until you do the other tropicals.
> 
> If you want to see schooling get one tank that's not the 120 and throw in a bunch of tetras or something, but as cool that is, it get's boring. The fish are all the same personality- and looks-wise. There's no competition for tank boss like a cichlid tank.


i don't think they are boring. i am just generally speaking bored with them.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

LOL...Overnight me the fish!!! I will pay for freight!

Seriously though....what is your stocklist?


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

Why not try salt water? A simple reef tank with LPS, and soft corals is a beautiful sight. A salt water fish only setup can be pretty cool also with the color variety of angels and tangs.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

b3w4r3 said:


> Why not try salt water? A simple reef tank with LPS, and soft corals is a beautiful sight. A salt water fish only setup can be pretty cool also with the color variety of angels and tangs.


Yeah....the last time I got out of the cichlid hobby I went straight into SPS reef tank with some nice fish, snails, crabs, etc...and LOVED it. A lot of work though but worth it.

Something like this:










or this:


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## mheltcameron (Aug 1, 2012)

I agree with the saltwater, just started a nano reef in a 14g biocube, self contained system, fits on the counter, good fun.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

13razorbackfan said:


> b3w4r3 said:
> 
> 
> > Why not try salt water? A simple reef tank with LPS, and soft corals is a beautiful sight. A salt water fish only setup can be pretty cool also with the color variety of angels and tangs.
> ...


 I
there really is no such thing as a "simple" reef tank...beautiful reef tanks take a lot of equipment and time and MONEY. Saltwater is very expensive. I have seen some incredible reef tanks (like those pictured)in other pictures but I know that these did not just happen. If you are tired of maintaining a cichlid tank, you will be probably be overwhelmed by a reef tank...just saying.

But I agree...don't give up on your hobby. Try something different...maybe a reef tank would work for you...for us...well, I still put my money into my freshwater tanks.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Yep...very expensive and time consuming but fun fun fun!! It takes years to grow corals to the extent of the tanks above. Then there is the equipment like metal halides, protein skimmer, calcium reactor, refugium, etc.....I am considering getting back into it but nothing too large. Maybe a 75g or something.


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## Shaky (Jan 2, 2003)

If you're bored with Malawi cichlids, try a freshwater 'reef' with Tanganyikans. Fairy cichlids colonizing in the rocks, or an Enantiopus lekking grounds, or a shellie bed with rock-dwellers and a school of cyps overhead, or about 10 other choices. So much to explore with Tanganyikans.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

Here's the list (common names since I'm lazy)

ahli 6" 
venustus 5" 
fusco 5" 
johnstoni 5" 
dolphin 5" 
yellow blaze 5" 
red empress 7", 
tiger fenestratus 5" 
Chrysonotus 5" 
sulfur head 7" 
Compressiceps 6" 
Borleyi 6" 
sapphire 6" 
Taiwan 3"
Otter point 5" 
Ruben 5" 
German red 5" 
red shoulder 5" 
sunshine 5" 
flame tail 5" 
albino eureka 6" 
sunburst 5" 
Lwanda red top 5" 
frontosa 7" 
yellow lab 4" 
white tail acei 4" 
yellow tail acei 7" 
chipokae 3" 
bumble bee 2"
multipunctatus 3" 
euryptus 6" 
albino bristlenose 2"

So I sent out a group text and ppl are BEGGING to come right now, 11:00pm to take them. Ahhhhh I am so afraid I will regret this but there's $600 in fish..


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Surely you are not giving them away are you?


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

No I priced them all and the response has been insane


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I would not go salt water if you think cichlids are too much trouble as far as breeding goes. Salt water tanks can be quite the challenge, especially that first year.

And, I do firmly believe you will be very disappointed if you go back to regular tropicals. I kept and bred them for over 20 years, and although an extra tank might not be so bad to have with tropicals, they could never replace my cichlids.

But, good luck with whatever you decide!


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

technically angelfish are cichlids as well but my point is i have a 55g angel tank and it has lots of action fish have good personalities and it would be quite different than what you are doing right now. you can add quite a few different tropical varieties to that 120 get some nice schooling fish going on as well.


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

Really don't agree with the whole saltwater is so much work mind set. I maintained a 100 gallon reef for seven years, and it was no more work than the mbuna I have now. The only filtration I had on it was large protein skimmer sitting in the sump behind the tank. Dosing was done with liquid supplements. There were 5 fish in the tank, 2 damsels, yellow tang, purple tang, and a royal gramma. I never fed the fish after the first year and they all did great. I had one sps coral that was growing everywhere in the tank, on powerheads, on the rock, and even some places on the glass. Had a huge section of star polyps growing up the glass in the back too. Once in a while I had to cut back the leather corals because they were getting so big. All of this was under 4-6 foot vho bulbs.

The only draw back is that salt has gotten more expensive these days. I really think anyone can have a successful reef without having to do outrageous maintenance. It's not cheap though. Those all sps tanks look ok in pictures, but soft corals and LPS corals look so much better to me with all the movement.

The pic below was taken after the tank had been running for 5 years.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

a couple months ago i was really wanting to do salt but i don't even know where to start. i wasn't considering switching from cichlids because of maintenance or hassle. i just generally get bored with things and after a while like to switch things up. i feel like i'm never satisfied with cichlids. there is always some other species i want and usually they are hard to find and expensive if you do find them, then a lot of times they aren't compatible. i had quite the collection and i hate to let it go but looking at it long term it wasn't going to work anyway. even in a 120 i had 30+ fish, almost all of them already over 5", several around 7-8 and about a half dozen that get up over 10". while i'm currently not dealing with hardly any aggression, over the last 5 years or so of doing this i have lost no telling how many hundreds of $ to fish fighting. back when i had tropicals, i dealt with no aggression, didn't have to worry about water buffering, etc. i just enjoyed them. i wish i had a 180 or larger cause i would LOVE to do a big school of adult bala sharks, maybe tinfoil barbs, etc. the only thing i know i will for sure do in the 120 is a big group of tiger barbs, cause i love their active nature.

so far last night i sold 7 fish for $160.


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

Have you considered a Tang community? That could be an interesting swap...

You would have ample space to have several different groups breeding, etc. Potentially very entertaining tank!


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## mheltcameron (Aug 1, 2012)

My biocube i almost 5 months old, I took my time in the very beginning let the tank stabilize it's self, that took a little over a month of boringness with nothing but sand rock and water. Now, it pretty much balances it self, I change water once every week to 10 days, and take apart and clean the media rack and return pump once a month. Other than that I just enjoy the tank. Really not a lot of work once you are up and running. It is more expensive and required a bit more patients in the beginning, but not really much more work.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

i don't think i want to do cichlids in there right now. i kinda wanna do something with driftwood and plants.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

Swifterz said:


> i don't think i want to do cichlids in there right now. i kinda wanna do something with driftwood and plants.


you could do something cool with gourami's also if you are thinking freshwater. I think angels or gourami are very pretty.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

I'm thinking balance sharks and tiger barbs and a bigger tank is in my future


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## Michael_M (May 31, 2012)

I'd suggest discus for a planted tank, but you want something easier to look after.

If I became a little disenchanted with cichlids I'd probably reduce down to a single species tank of one of my all time favorites. I can't imagine a reality where I'd get tired of a tank full of C Moori or Rostratus. Would be alot easier to manage than a all male tank too.

Hope you find what your looking for though.


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## chiroken (Sep 25, 2007)

michael beat me to it. I'd consider discus too. Being tired of cichlids means africans or all cichlids? I'm going to convert a 90 gallon to discus, maybe a large school of cardinal tetras, will look into also a school of clown loaches. Also fills the desire of driftwood and plants if you choose.


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## Hdog (Jul 26, 2012)

If you want to try salt you could start a smaller tank with a peacock mantis shrimp and some soft corals. Stomatapods are some of the most interactive animals and they can deliver a powerful punch. They get to be 9 inches plus, and the peacock variety is beautiful. THey are very resilient and can be kept in a 30 gallon tank. this smaller reef is a little harder to keep because the parameters fluctuate more, but it would take up less space and would keep you interested and from there you could determine if you want to do more in the salt water genre


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

Well the last of them are gone. It's over. All Thays left is my rainbow shark and I kept 3 multipunctatus. I figure they'd serve the same purpose as cory cats.


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## denmck (Mar 22, 2013)

I have to laugh a bit because I recently got out of saltwater after keeping numerous sized tanks over the past 15 - 20 years. I'm trying my hand at cichlids and after only 1 week of owning some I find them very interesting. However, they are all young male peacocks and haps in a 55 gallon. If any outgrow the tank or become overly aggressive I'll re-home them. So far no bloodshed, but a definite pecking order is being established. We'll see how this goes, but I wish you the best in whatever you plan to try. I think heavily planted tanks with interesting aquascapes and schooling fish seem fascinating. However I have naturally high pH water so marine fish or cichlids are really the best bet for me. No buffering needed.


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## Paragon (May 24, 2010)

I keep a planted tank in addition to my cichlid tank and I alternate between the two about which I like the best. Depends on which one is requiring the most work. 

So, with a tank your size and your commitment, I 100% suggested a discus planted tank with schooling cardinals/rummynose for active color. I find my rams and platties have the most personality. You can do a medium light tank that won't require CO2 supplementation or just go all-out and spend a lot for your rig. It's very satisfying to watch the tank grow in. Plus, it's easy to decide to completely redo it on a whim!

This is mine:







- I took it without doing anything to it, so there's algae etc. and it's overgrown, but this is what you can do with a simple-ish setup.


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## tinman7344 (Jul 4, 2010)

One thing that seems to bore me sometimes with cichlids is that most of them seem to be the shape, and half the time you have to house them the same size. I recently bought some Phenochilus Tanzanias, i read they develope a more circular body. And I impulsively bought some small albino eyebiters, different shape, and they act cool, cruising around, indifferent, stalking fry in the rocks. i also have 2 huge plecos, 10+ inches. I'm not sure what kind, they were called "high fin spotted pleco" when i bought them years ago at 1.5inches. Sometimes i'll just stare at them for a while, they're like dinosaurs. I would love to get some synodontis multies, but they are pretty hard to find locally. And i dont want to pay shipping for just 4 fish.

Salt water would be awesome. But I have to admit I shouldn'thave one for the same reason i don't have a parrot, i won't want to stay dedicated on a daily basis. I don't know, a friend told me i should be ready to spend an hour a day maintaininga salt water tank. Cichlids are easy. massive reproduction might be my only problem, not a big deal. free food for my eye biters.


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## Stussi613 (May 8, 2009)

My 135g was a planted tank with Discus for 3 years. I had 10 discus at 4" plus, 50-60 cardinal tetras, 50-60 rummynose tetras, various albino BN Plecos, a school of 15-20 sterbai Cory's (they breed like crazy) and some SAE's. I just changed t back to an African tank because I'm like you...I get bored of a setup and want to change it nearly as soon as I'm finished it. My wife tells anyone who comments on the tank that I enjoy building them WAY more than I enjoy having and maintaining them.

I will say, planted discus tanks are beautiful...but the fish are the epitome of boring. They swim slowly from one side to the other and only really perk up for food.

I'm about to start an 8g reef tank, with the idea in mind that my drilled Starfire 135g tank will eventually become a reef tank.

Good luck figuring out what you're going to change to.


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

Stussi613 said:


> I enjoy building them WAY more than I enjoy having and maintaining them.


Right there with you! :lol:



Stussi613 said:


> I'm about to start an 8g reef tank, with the idea in mind that my drilled Starfire 135g tank will eventually become a reef tank.


Come on man... 8g??? You know bigger is better! You've done your homework!

You've got to consider parameter fluctuation and of course you need some cool fish...

The idea started in my head maybe a month or so ago to try a 20 long reef. Now I think we're pretty settled on a 75 with a 55 sump (lots to build haha).
On the plus side, if you take your time you can disperse the costs and increase the available tinkering potential 

OP - if not a reef, and you like big fish with a potentially bigger tank in the future, why not go with something crazy like a red tail/shovelnose cat, or maybe some rays?
Yes they get huge, but you'll get to change up your tank again in no-time... and you'll have a pond to build! Way too much fun :thumb:


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## mheltcameron (Aug 1, 2012)

jcabage said:


> Come on man... 8g??? You know bigger is better! You've done your homework!
> 
> You've got to consider parameter fluctuation and of course you need some cool fish...


Bigger is better, but in reefing not because of parameter fluctuation. There are many people setting up nano reefs, the only limitation is which fish can reside with in them, in fact an entire website is dedicated to it, nano-reef.com. Love my 14g BioCube, fits on the counter, the tank parameters fluctuate far less than my 55g freshwater.


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

I was only kidding for the most part 

That's the common excuse to go bigger though.

You don't notice salinity fluctuations daily because of evaporation is such a small tank? Nitrates seem like they would be difficult to control in that environment as well if you intended to include fish - I guess the necessity of controlling nitrates would depend on the types of coral that you prefer.


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## mheltcameron (Aug 1, 2012)

I figured it was pretty much just a throw away line, and is a signifcant factor in cichlid keeping because of the waste production these messy fish, but it doesn't really apply to a reef tank.

The only time really even think about my salinity is when I mix new water or am adding new livestock. Nitrates never really an issue, being a small tank I for the most part target feed everything so I don't have a lot of excess food, plus I have a strong CC. Phosphates are a bigger issue and as my bio load increases I now need a weekly water change, but the Phosphates increase faster than the Nitrates.

Trust me if i had the room I would definitely go 90+ but all things considered, I love the nano reef, less big picture/expensive equipment needed.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

I have some bala sharks about 4", a bunch of tiger barbs and a few clown loaches. Lots of driftwood, and I want to get some low light plants going.

I thought about doing oscars..


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## dengar (Aug 13, 2012)

Show us a picture of the tank before you sell. Nice looking list. I would love to see the 7" Acei.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

"I immediately regret this decision" -anchorman

I said please talk me out of it... Might be time to start over.


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## georgiamom-20912 (Apr 25, 2013)

hoopvillian said:


> If you think cichlids are boring wait until you do the other tropicals.
> 
> If you want to see schooling get one tank that's not the 120 and throw in a bunch of tetras or something, but as cool that is, it get's boring. The fish are all the same personality- and looks-wise. There's no competition for tank boss like a cichlid tank.


You will likely get bored with tropical community after about 6 months. That's how it was with me (a little after 6 montha actually). I will admit most fish for a tropical tank are cheaper to buy and easier to plan than a cichlid tank, but the excitement wears off quickly. I still have some of my tropical community fish in a 30g and I'm honestly bored with it already, now having gotten into cichlids the only benefit of tropicals is you can do all the live plants you want and have and plant it to your hearts desire and not have it messed up and the fish are cheaper... But by far cichlids are much more entertaining to watch behavior wise. I actually can't believe I didn't do a cichlid tank from the day I got my 55g now that I've actually done it. If it wasn't for all my plants and my husband wanting a tank in our room I would probably have gotten rid of my tropicals the day I took them out for the cichlids.


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## PreposterousFish (Jan 8, 2013)

> a friend told me i should be ready to spend an hour a day maintaininga salt water tank.


What in the world are you going to do every day with any tank that would require an hours worth of daily maintenance?

How about FW stingrays?! I have been wanting to get into those for a while now.


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## Swifterz (Aug 3, 2009)

i am starting completely over with where i started... african cichlids again. i got a few little guys. a venustus, sunshine, ruben, acei and a rusty.

i have the opportunity to buy back a few of my old fish haha. i'm getting the sapphire, dolphin and deep water back.

i knew i'd regret this.


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## bjk497 (Mar 17, 2013)

Swifterz said:


> i am starting completely over with where i started... african cichlids again.


Hahahahahahaha

It should be fun staring from the beginning though with all the knowledge you have gained over the years


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