# hey ladies and gents



## DrewD (Dec 16, 2013)

I am currently in the setup phase of a bumble bee cixhlid tank. Just setting up. Can I use natural colored stone or is it a neccesity to use sand? 

I am building a slate wall againest the back and hope to have plenty of hidding spots with the excess I have.

Thanks


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I used gravel when I kept T. cichlids.They seemed fine.Make sure no matter what you use to place any stones in tank on bottom glass then add sub,as many of the cichlids will dig under rocks,getting crushed or colapsing piles.


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

They like sandy substrate with lots of caves to hide in. These fish are awesome and have a symbiotic relationship with a large predator catfish in the caves of lake Malawi. They can change their color rather rapidly. They also like a high ph.


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## DrewD (Dec 16, 2013)

Stupid question how do I raise ph if it isnt at the right level? 

I just want everything to be perfect


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Crushed coral,dolomite or possibly argonite sand will raise your pH.You really want a steady 8 if not 8+.Cichlid salts will also help buff the water but they can't do it all if you need to bump a bunch.


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## DrewD (Dec 16, 2013)

So sprinkle a top layer of one of the on top?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Depending how high you need to raise the pH you may get away with a mesh bag of cc in your filter?Most AC keepers go complete with a pH buffering substrate.
This seems like a good link with info for you;
Substrate for your African Cichlid Aquarium « African Cichlid Aquarium


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## DrewD (Dec 16, 2013)

My slate setup. Pre- substrate


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

That 55 will work for bumblebees for a year or so but they will outgrow the tank. Mine are just under two years old and the two males are well over seven inches and have territory disputes in my 240 gallon!


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## DrewD (Dec 16, 2013)

That is a shame. I was really looking forward. What do I do now?


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

There are lots of dwarf mbunas, find ones you like that stay 5" and smaller. 1 male and 4 females of rustys and yellow labs would look good and work in a 55, but your options are open to hundreds of different species. What is an easy, colorful stocking list for a Mbuna tank? this will give you some ideas


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

You could do a mbuna tank with peacocks and such. if you have male peacocks normally you can cram a bunch of them in there and they will get along pretty well. I would look into the list dalfed provided above for some ideas.

I've always been a big tang. cichlid advocate. They have some of the most interesting behaviors out of most of the African cichlid species. You could do some shell dwelling species, and one or two rock dwelling species(like julidichromis, or plenty of lamprologus species are colorful and awesome to have... Calvus are a good species as well. and for top dwelling (if you can get ahold of them) cyprichromis would make for a great setup... for a tang tank I would encourage getting some aragonite sand for the substrate... most cichlids you can't truly appreciate their behaviors until you give them sand to mess around with.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

either one will work.i like gravels.good luck on the build.


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## StevenT (Jun 11, 2013)

Baking soda will buffer you ph to 8. Fill a five gallon bucket and start with a tea spoon and add from there until you get to 8.

Seachem cichlid lake salt also works great to match the cemetery of the lake.


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