PonderEthereal

I am putting together a new cichlid tank. My requirements are that it has to be assembled for free/cheap and I want several fish in one tank. This project will require quite a few diy sub projects, lots of research and some smart shopping. I will be assembling the tank from scratch. Stay tuned for how-tos on finding your stuff free and cheap, cycling the tank for the first time and building a gravel vacuum and caves.

My first order of business was to decide what kind of fish I wanted. Their size and temperament will determine how big the tank needs to be, what sorts of food they will be eating (and consequently what kind of filtration will be best) and what sorts of housing needs to be in the tank.

Cichlids are a family of brackish water (not completely fresh water and not completely salt water) fish with over 1300 species. They are a bit of an evolution marvel because the variety of species all evolved very rapidly in a series of lakes and rivers as a result of oceanic and land mass changes.

Most cichlids are quite beautiful with interestingly shaped bodies or bright colors, making them desirable for aquariums. They are intelligent and have distinct personalities making them rewarding fish to keep - but because of their temperament and environment needs, they aren’t the greatest picks for a novice fish owner, in my opinion.

To choose compatible tankmates for cichlids, there are a few things to keep in mind; water conditions, temperament and social behavior, what space they will occupy in the tank, what they eat and any natural prey/predators or arch enemies.

Ultimately, you want a tank community that functions with a minimum of illness and death because death is not very compatible with a tranquil, beautiful aquarium! Without choosing tankmates wisely, any of the following items can cause injury and stress which leads to illness and eventually death.

When choosing a cichlid community, you ultimately should research each fish species you consider adding. There is usually a wealth of information available on each species for the searching. Each enthusiast’s page will list differing opinions on the successful habitat for the fish in question. This can be attributed to the fact that each cichlid has a distinct personality and sometimes has slightly differing upbringing and needs and therefore is adapted to slightly different circumstances. Take all ‘words of truth’ as recommendations and build an ‘average line of best practice’ for each fish.

Here are the things you’ll want to find out about each fish :

Water Conditions

Each cichlid has different ph, hardness and temperature requirements based upon what lake or river they are from and ultimately, you will test and control these conditions with tank additives, minerals and such. The requirements can be so different that what one fish thrives in can kill another. In general, New World (Central, North and South American Cichlids) and African cichlids have pretty different requirements although there is some possible crossover. Choose species that have requirements in the same range.

What they Eat

Some cichlids are herbivores, some are omnivores and some are carnivores. In general, having fish that all eat the same thing is easier because you’re feeding them the same things. However, past that, a carnivore tank will require better filtration than an herbivore tank because the decomposition of live or protein based food generates more bacteria.

Some cichlids, other than just passively being a opportunistic omnivore or carnivore focused on eating small stuff that doesn’t fight back, display very specific predatory behavior towards other fish that should be considered when selecting any tankmates.

Temperament and Social Behavior

Cichlids are known for their aggressiveness. That said, some species are better for community tanks than others and some species show only very specific aggression. If you will have several fish or species in your tank, research which ones cohabitate well and which ones don’t.

Some species have very specific aggression such as only being aggressive towards :

• larger fish
• smaller fish
• when spawning or not spawning
• to members of the same species
• to species with similar coloring
• to members of same species of specific gender

It is theorized that by lowering the tank temperature, you lower metabolism and therefore lower aggression in some species. If this is your plan, factor this into temperature requirements of the tankmates.

Another way that you can avoid aggression is by either overstocking a tank, which should not be undertaken by a novice because of the water condition care required - or by ‘understocking’ or keeping only a few fish in a very large tank with an ample number of territories.

Always add more docile fish to the tank first and add the more aggressive tank members later to even the playing field a bit.

What Space they will Occupy in the Tank

Some cichlids prefer the river or lake bed and are evolved specifically for living here. Among these are the shelldwellers which will spend most of their time near the bottom of the tank. Some cichlids prefer the surface of the water and will occupy the top portions of your tank. Some cichlids enjoy open water and will swim freely through the entire tank. Some cichlids need a current and will spend time basking in the powerhead current.

If you, say, stock your tank with nothing but fish that want to be at the bottom, you will have more territorial fights and a fairly unbalanced tank scene. Go for fish that occupy different parts of the tank.

You will need to provide the optimum dwelling space for each fish you add… be it caves, sand, gravel, plants or shells so you have to have room in your tank for them all. Sometimes having only one type of dwelling can be more space efficient where having multiple types of dwellings can cut back on territorial fights. Choose a balanced mix of dwelling needs.

Everything that you add to the tank will affect the water conditions. If you have fish that can use coral as a substrate, your tank will have an entirely different ph, by default, than a fish that uses river pebbles.

Next : New Cichlid Tank 2) Stuff you Need for a Cichlid Tank