# African Cichlid 101



## DudeGuy65

Hey all,

So I have been cycling a 55G aquarium for a future African Cichlid setup, and I figured I might get some advice on here in the meantime to plan a proper home for them. I've heard that the Cichlids are territorial and prefer a sort of rocky environment with places they can hide. I dont have any rocks at the moment, but I was thinking I could easily acquire some from nature (and I know they have to be cleaned, boiled, etc.). I was wondering if I should get these rocks and stack them so that they create crevices for hiding, but im not sure if I should use some sort of silicone sealant to prevent them from collapsing on the fish. Also, is it best to introduce just a few Cichlids at a time, or go for a whole bunch at once? Someone told me you can do a few at a time and shuffle the decorations around each time to reestablish territories. Anyway, any advice for a Cichlid tank newbie would be very welcome :fish5:


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## navigator black

Go for flat shapes. Don't silicone them because you will have to move them. Stack them carefully, because the fish will move them too. They will dig around the bases.
Every time you introduce new fish, you have to change the decor and force a reshuffle of territories. It is really hard for a new fish to take a territory, so everyone has to be confused and upset at the same time. Everything has to be up for grabs, every time...

I collect rocks on beaches, rinse them off for obvious bird droppings, etc, and put them in. I've never boiled a rock, and have never had a problem. Just make sue they aren't where oil or pesticides could be - of they are, boiling won't help anyway.


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## RonB

I used pool filter sand and lace rock. The lace rock is nice as you can make it sort of lock togeather. I bought a little rock at a time so I didn't have to put that much cash up a once. And I also bought a few fish when I got the rock. That way I rearanged when new rock was added and that solved the teritoral problem. And yes they dig like crazy as mentioned.


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## RonB

Not an up to date photo but a basic ideal.


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## Mushtang

Be VERY careful stacking rocks. You mentioned that you don't want the rocks to fall and land on a fish, but that's not going to happen - the fish are too fast. The real danger is the rocks falling and the top one smacking against the glass on the far side of the tank. Even if you don't have a catastrophic break you might get a crack. Even if it doesn't leak it'll be ugly.

Don't ask me how I know this.


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## navigator black

It's never good to ask any of us how we know about disastrous things in our tanks...


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