# New Cichlid tank..advice needed



## darryl_v (Aug 26, 2011)

Hey Guys.

Im talking a break from the grind of saltwater and I'm thinking of going back to freshwater and setting up a fairly large (say 120g) cichlid tank.

Any advice is appreciated at this point. Should I go with all males? Certain stores or online to buy the nicest fish? and price.


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

Mike at Finatics in Mississauga (401 and Dixie Road) has the best selection and highest quality African Cichlids in Ontario. He can also provide you with excellent advice.
--
Paul


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## Mykuhl (Apr 8, 2013)

What type of cichlids were you planning to get? African, central american or south american?

Wether you go all male or not will depend what you goals are... do you just.want a pretty tank to look at or do you want to get into breeding?

It is true that Finatics has alot of variety and nice cichlids but you can also often find a variety of nice cichlids from hobbyists at a good price in the Buy and Sell section on this forum. For example: I have a few adult african cichlid males for sale and there are currently at least a couple of other people that are selling some as well...check it out.


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## darryl_v (Aug 26, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. I won't be looking to breed them but just have some nice colourful and active fish with little headache. I plan to stock a lot to keep aggression down and I'm sure the maintenance will seem like nothing compared to my previous reef tanks.

What type of cichlids do you recommend?


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## VPM3 (Aug 9, 2012)

I would go with peacocks and Haps. Thats my opinion


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## darryl_v (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm thinking Malawi, hap and peacock tank? What do you think.


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

darryl_v said:


> I'm thinking Malawi, hap and peacock tank? What do you think.


I've kept my 90 gallon Malawi tank since 2008 with mostly male Peacocks and Haps with some Mbuna and even some Calvus.

Over the years I've spent a lot of time and gas driving all over the GTA meeting great hobbyists to buy and sell some top quality cichlids.

Having said that you need to be aware that sometimes its not worth the cost of the fish plus gas and your time when you can buy the same fish at a place such as Finatics.

I suggest you check out Cichlid-Forum and make a list of fish you'd like to keep. Read as much as you can about their temperament and adult size and compatibility with the other fish on your list. When you have that list you can visit Finatics and buy as many as you can all at once. Trust me when I tell you that adding a single fish later is difficult due to their aggression.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/index.php

Make sure you have lots of filtration on your tank and do large water changes every week to keep the water conditions as high quality as you can.

Good luck.
--
Paul


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## darryl_v (Aug 26, 2011)

Thanks Paul. I wasn't aware you can keep mbuna with haps and peacocks. There are compatibility issues within even these fish though?

I'm no stranger to fish aggression and know the dangers of adding a si.gle new fish to an established tank. My fish will be added in a few large batches.

As far as buying from hobbyist breeders, I'm really thinking that purchasing from one or two really great stores is more for me. I've ran all over for saltwater fish and corals and I'm looking to keep it more simple this time. Plus I don't live in the GTA so it's a lot of driving. The convenience of a store is good for me as lo.g as I can get as good of quality.


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## lilnick87 (Nov 4, 2012)

Its up to u to what u want weather it b mbuna, haps or peacocks but i have found that good filtration helps the growth in size and color in a great aspect. Clean sparkling water at a mid temp from 72 to 76 degrees and the fish look great and act peaceful. Mbuna i have owned were somewhat aggressive but not to bad.


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## shotokan (Sep 21, 2013)

lilnick87 said:


> Its up to u to what u want weather it b mbuna, haps or peacocks but i have found that good filtration helps the growth in size and color in a great aspect. Clean sparkling water at a mid temp from 72 to 76 degrees and the fish look great and act peaceful. Mbuna i have owned were somewhat aggressive but not to bad.


go with haps and peacocks, you can blend in some victorians, and other mild/moderate level aggrestion, mbuna, but i wouldn't house aggresive mbuna, keep them limited, no territories, have more of an open water setup, with no caves, and no females, especially for mbuna, try to very your species, of differenmt colour patterns/colours, start off with same size fish, even though some will get bigger then others in time, petricola catfish, are nice also to blend as distraction/differ fish, lots of water flow, great food, temp at 76 to 77 , is ideal, the more fish the more bio/load, keep up with your weekly water changes as this will increase with stocking. add more then one fish, when stocking, like 2 or 3 or more, as you go along, good luck....


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