Tank Size

[jgauna]

What would be the minimum tank size for lets say 10 african cichlids? Plus my 2 blood parrots i have already. Looking to hopefully buy equipment piece by piece starting next week. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

[Goathead]

depends on the type of cichlids you are getting..

[jgauna]

Okay here goes what i want. I think these are the names. A yellow lab, electric blue, i think a german red? Basically ones that have vivid deep color!

[Haiven]

I think a 55g would be the size you want for a while, but after they grow full size you'll probably need a 75 or a 90.

[jgauna]

55 gallon it is then, Now to find one.
Thank you both

[Goathead]

there is a 100 gallon for $300 in the craigslist section of this site.

[dcacjc]

Trippy(a member here) has a good price on a 55 gallon

[jgauna]

I want to start off small (budget), plus i am rather new to this. I have seen the 55 gallon plus filter for like 30 dollars. Would it be hard to obtain lights and a cover for this tank? Here in a week or so all this time i spend at work will pay off, what kind or how big of a filter would i need? How about substrate, is that purely on what you like? I am on here most days and read as much as i can to educate myself but would appreciate any and all help.

[jgauna]

Txfront are you talking about the 175 gallon for 300
That is a huge tank, about to head home and see where i could put it.
Thank you

[kewlkatdady]

substrate is mostly a preference thing...
I say mostly because different materials can cause different water parametes.

substrate also depends on the type of filteration you plan on using...



You said you saw a 55 with filter for $30...I'd be leary

[Goathead]

no i was talking about the 100 gallon. the title says "not Craigslist but still a good deal"

[EAST_TX_RN]

I also recommend at least a 55. I had several yellow labs in my 55 and it worked well for about 3 years, but then I never pulled the female or fry to protect the fry, so most were eaten. I have gravel rocks in the tank, but want to upgrade to the Color-quartz soon(do a search in this forum). I am totally against under-ground filters, but some others here use them with no problem. I lucked out and found a like-new 50 gal. glass with hood, nice wood cabinet, and some free Kenyi and danos for $100 on CL, but you have to know what to buy. Whatever you do, get a DIY python to drain/fill the tank ASAP, test kits, more filteration than needed, use 100% polyester batting instead of buying those charcoal filter pads, get a shop light at Home Depot or Lowe's instead of paying a fortune for a large 4 ft. hood(Ask Mr. Light Engineer: Andrew or see his lighting 101)and suspend above the tank if you can,caves made out of rocks,etc. for your cichlids, buy a bristle-nose pleco to keep the tank clean instead of a common pleco, buy nice and cheap silk plants at Hobby Lobby or Michaels,cut to size and attach to small rocks with heavy fishing line instead of buying fake plants at your LFS, and do freq. partial water changes. Oh, my last but most important tip is this: Do not become distracted with guests,excited dogs,etc. and forget to add dechlorinator to your tank when you are refilling the tank. I did and killed all my fish except one lab fry and my pleco.