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First post from Baltimore. New to Cichlids.

Aqua410

Members
Hello,

I am starting up a new tank which is the first I have had in a few years. Previous tank setup was a 75g bowfront reeftank which got me into keeping fish. I always liked cichlids and now that I own a house I can finally start a new tank without worrying about moving it around. I am ordering an Acrylic 55gal (48x13) to start out because glass tanks worry me too much with my wood floors and the thought of leaks. I still have the 75g which I may set up at a later time but I've always wanted an acrylic tank anyway so here goes. Hopefully I will stock this tank entirely from the for sale section of this site. I will need some stocking advice once I set everything up and get the fishless cycle done. Hoping to have some fish swimming in a few months time.

Cheers!
 

Aqua410

Members
Welcome to the forum! What kinds of cichlids are you interested in?

I am definitely wanting to go with africans, and the Mbunas are really catching my eye but I am still fairly open to other lakes/species. I did get my new tank ordered last night. 55 gallon acrylic (48x13) using a coupon from 1800petsupplies came to $240 shipped which I thought was reasonable. Now I need to pick substrate and start looking for rock work. I really like the idea of doing a few pieces of driftwood and some plants but as I understand it, the plants may not fare well especially with certain species of Mbuna.
 

FishEggs

Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome to the addiction. It won't be long before you have more tanks for africans, so it doesn't matter which you start with you will end up with the others soon. Lol
 

Aqua410

Members
Hello and welcome to the addiction. It won't be long before you have more tanks for africans, so it doesn't matter which you start with you will end up with the others soon. Lol

Lol. It is actually pretty difficult to decide where to get started. I feel pretty confident in my general husbandry skills and keeping an eye on water chemistry but actually knowing what species are compatible in a tank is kind of overwhelming right now. Each region/lake has many beautiful species with interesting traits. I started looking at mbuna because of wide availability but I have since looked at some peacocks and they are really great looking fish. Some of the lake tanganyika fish really catch my eye as well.
 

Tangcollector

Active Member
Staff member
A lot of the Africans will coexist. Purists will tell you not to mix the different lakes but there are fish that will be compatible. The main things with rift lake species is matching temperament and dietary requirements. A lot of the Mbuna are really aggressive so you want to match them together. Dietary requirements are also big because there are many herbivores that will not do well with a higher protein diet. But either way you are starting an awesome journey.
 

jonclark96

Past CCA President
Thats perfect, only about a 15 min drive from work. What time does the meeting start?

Usually the formal program starts around 2 PM. The school opens for set up at 1 PM, and folks usually show up a bit early to socialize.

Hope to see you there!
 
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