African cichlid set up

About 4-5 years ago we got a 55 gallon tank full of cichlids off of craigslist since then all but 4 are left and i want to restock it and do it right this time since i had no real knowledge of these fish. the substrate in it is gravel. I have a few questions like should i put i wavemaker in it. ( a few people suggested one for circulation) and should i change the gravel to an araginite sand and should i overstock it to bring aggression down

I recently took a break from fish, but had been keeping African and South American Cichlids since I was 14. The best way I was able to sustain my 55 gallon tank was with deep aragonite sand and crushed coral mixed, tons of rock hiding spots, 2 canister filters (these fish produced a lot of waste so over filtration was important), and 2 power heads (one with a venturi to pump air in the water). Every time I "overstocked" the tank it ended in a lot of dead fish. I personally had better luck picking similar type cichlids and stocking the tank when they were all the same size. Anytime they got aggressive I would move the rocks around to remove territorial aggression.

African cichlids could be very hard to keep happy. If your water conditions aren't perfect it will affect the aggressiveness of the fish.
It's a must to have plenty of hiding spots. I would be careful with overstocking the tank as at first the fish will be doing fine then slowly the weak will be killed off after territories have be established. Crushed coral is a good substrate for them. I found having just a couple of fish in a tank that size to be better than a lot.

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

I recently took a break from fish, but had been keeping African and South American Cichlids since I was 14. The best way I was able to sustain my 55 gallon tank was with deep aragonite sand and crushed coral mixed, tons of rock hiding spots, 2 canister filters (these fish produced a lot of waste so over filtration was important), and 2 power heads (one with a venturi to pump air in the water). Every time I "overstocked" the tank it ended in a lot of dead fish. I personally had better luck picking similar type cichlids and stocking the tank when they were all the same size. Anytime they got aggressive I would move the rocks around to remove territorial aggression.

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Originally Posted by Zombies Cry 2

African cichlids could be very hard to keep happy. If your water conditions aren't perfect it will affect the aggressiveness of the fish.
It's a must to have plenty of hiding spots. I would be careful with overstocking the tank as at first the fish will be doing fine then slowly the weak will be killed off after territories have be established. Crushed coral is a good substrate for them. I found having just a couple of fish in a tank that size to be better than a lot.

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Whilst I agree with most of the above , I had most success keeping my Malawi tank VERY well stocked to say the least . Set ups as above with loads of white tufa rock providing endless caves and cavities .

Check out the photo below ... A zoo's tank I understand ....


https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ma...2LJ62S9DeDM%3A
http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/4eb9670d...028993e1d1.jpg

KGTropicals is a channel devoted to African cichlids. I've found the info. quite good. I only keep two goldfish, but am subscribed to numerous fish care related channels.

Looks like one of the Milwaukee zoo's cichlids tanks, but certainly could be another zoo/aquarium.


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