Cichlids for Danny Tanner

[Seedy]

Mr. "One to the Hip" asked me about my Cichlids and aquariums... Here's a few pics

N. leleupi

Haplotaxadon trifasciatus

Here's a "Royal Pleco"

"Eureka Red"

Cherry Shrimp:

Here's one my Wife took of the Tanganyikan Spiny Eel we used to have..

 

[Danny Tanner]

Thanks!

That pleco pic is awesomely creepy.

The eureka red is gorgeous.

Do you order your fish online? LFS? Breeder?

 

[Seedy]

Most of my fish came from Aquarium Oddballs here in Tulsa. A few are mail order from "Rare Daves" and a few came from other "fish nuts" and the local club. Most are wild caught or F1...except for the obviously "line bred" specimens.

...oh...and I used to keep quite a few "Natives" like darters, sunfish and crawdads...those I caught myself.

 

[Seedy]

BTW...I am cleaning out my fishroom and scaling back.


I have a ton of tanks, filters, heaters, decorations, lights and other accessories I would consider trading for guns/ammo. After my Wife's back surgery we have had to scale back the aquariums because she is no longer able to help me take care of them all...I'm keeping just a few of my favorite tanks and fish...(ie. My Tanganyikans)

 

[Danny Tanner]

What size tanks will you be parting with?

 

[Seedy]

I have a couple 20 gallons, a couple 29s, a 45 tall, lots of Emperor 400 and 280 filters...honestly, I need to get back in there and clean them up and see what all I have...If you are serious about getting started with Cichlids let me know. I know all the tricks and can help you get started right...

Come check out the forum too, quite a few very knowledgeable people there

http://www.cichlidforums.com/index.php

...BTW we are the "friendly" fish forum

 

[Danny Tanner]

Definitely will be setting up a cichlid tank in the near future, definitely set on Malawis, just not sure which specific ones yet and then which inverts we want with which plecos yet.

I've never had anything over 55 gallons, nor cichlids of any sort, but I do have some basic aquarium knowledge. It's just the compatability that I'm still trying to get worked out. Not necessarily between the cichlids themselves, but with cichlids vs plecos vs inverts with not only their territorial instincts and temperment, but also water and tank conditions.

We want our little one to start learning how to properly care for pets, learn some responsibility that we can supervise (she's 4) but give her a "pet" that's also something we will enjoy and be interested in as well, and cichlids seem lively and colorful enough to suit all of our needs and look a hell of a lot better than a betta in a $13 glass bowl sitting on the desk. As the tank will go in this odd area place in our dining room, so it can be seen whether we're at the dinner table or in the living room and will look quite nice there.

 

[Seedy]

For Malawi Mbuna, I'd say nothing smaller than a 55 gallon...a 75 gallon would be ideal.

As for water quality, you want hard alkaline water. Are you on a well or city water? Ever tested it? Limestone in the tank will help to buffer it, but most of our OK water is already "liquid rock" so if you are going "Malawi" then you probably wont have to fool with the chemistry too much.

What's your "goal" with the tank? A nice decoration? ...something educational for the kids?...breeding?...
Hybrids are a big issue with Malawi Mbuna...probably the most debated "hot topic" issue in Cichlid Keeping...so if your goal is breeding then more "rules" will apply than if you just want an interesting display tank.

A good rule of thumb for Malawi Mbuna is keeping them in ratios of 1 male to 2+ females...

..Same thing applies to most Malawi "haps" like Peacocks (Aulonocara sp) and Utaka (Copadichromis sp.)

 

[Seedy]

BTW...If you weren't already aware...Most Malawi Cichlids are Mouthbrooders...This means that the female holds the fertilized eggs and developing fry in her mouth. This is one of the most fun things to watch...little baby fishies swimming in and out of mama's mouth...

...plus, you can "gross out" your guests by pointing out that the eggs are fertilized IN THE FEMALES MOUTH...

 

[Danny Tanner]

Edmond city water, and I'm yet to test it for specifics, but there are obvious visual signs that point to hard water.

Initial goals? No breeding... down the line? Possibly.

About 10% of our reason is for the girl, for education and learning responsibilities. Knowing when it's time to turn on/off the lights, feeding, how much to feed, what to feed. Cleaning, decorating, maintenance will be done by us, and even when she feeds, she will be supervised.

The other reasons are a mix of having a nice conversation piece in the dining area, the relaxing, calming effect tanks have, having a little piece of "wild" inside our house without resorting to raising grizzlies in the garage (which we considered), and mainly just the general fascination and appreciation with aquatics, with the latter probably being more of my personal reason than anything else.

We're Zoo Friends members and aquatica has always been our favorite section. Now that we have the time, money, and dedication, we figure it's time to get one started.