# help with new tank dwarf cichlid tank.. beginner



## parkeey (Apr 19, 2012)

first wanting go marine but as total beginner want to try some dwarf cichilds, would the fluval 155 topless no lid be ok, hopefully they wont jump?.. i plan to house a number of open rocks and plants in there with 2 blue and 2 white t5 lights..

think i want african ones as more vibrant yellows and colours, is this right?

got to get a filter first and get cycling soon as, would fluval 205 be sufficient?
any other advise cheers


----------



## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Rather than answers, I'll start with questions - what size is a fluval 155? How many litres or gallons? Likewise with the filter flow - I'm sure we have all the same models, but the brand names/numbers differ. 
The brightly coloured African cichlids you like aren't dwarfs. Whether, they'll work depends on tank size, but if I were you, I would start searching for info on Lake Malawi cichlids - that's what you like. They are easy fish to keep, but your tank must be a minimum of a metre, along the front. Bigger would be better.
Most dwarf cichlids are under 10 cm eventual size, and tend to be from soft rainforest water. Each pair needs a 'footprint' (tank base) of at least 60cm, although I find their behavior more interesting with 75cm. Some will keep them in a tank of 40cm, but I'd consider that too small.


----------



## parkeey (Apr 19, 2012)

its fluval osaka 155 litres, with regards to filter the fluval 205 says suitable for up to 200 gallons. my tank is a strange shape if u google it ur see its not very long and more of a upright shape, what u mean i need a layer of rocks at the base 60 cm high?
would ocean rock be ok and maybe 12kg ....
id have to go for the dwarf ones as not got the length on my tank...some have good colours


----------



## parkeey (Apr 19, 2012)

Fluval Osaka 155 - YouTube

what cichlirds are these as same tank as mine


----------



## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Cichlids are almost all bottom oriented fish. They need to have and hold breeding territories. Most dwarf cichlids are intensely territorial, so the number of litres/gallons, or height of the tank is largely meaningless. What matters is the floor of the tank. Tall tanks are terrible dwarf habitats. I'd say that any tank that isn't at least 60 cm along one of it's base measurements should not be used to house dwarfs. Less than a metre should house one pair of dwarf cichlids.

However, the fish you show are not dwarfs. That's a lovely tank of juvenile Malawi Haplochromines, or Mbunas. They live around rock clusters in the Great Lake Malawi, in East Africa. Some of the fish in the video are really young, at a few months, and most will double their size. But you could have a set up like that with 6-8 Malawis, the only cichlids I know of that like crowding, and one of the few that could care less about the base of the tank. Each fish needs its own cave, and you need extra caves. The levels of aggression in these very rowdy fish vary by species, and you have to inform yourself before you buy about the different degrees of aggro, species by species. The yellow ones in the video, yellow labidochromis, are often bullied by the blue striped ones there. If they are bullied, you don't see them.

Short term, just don't call them dwarf cichlids as you'll confuse people. It's not a label usually applied to fish from that lake, or of their size.


----------



## parkeey (Apr 19, 2012)

great advise, so would be a bit adverturours as keping these for a first tank , i need to get my tank to cycle first, shall i use the ammonia method adding it to the water.


----------



## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

Malawis are the only fish I think the fishless cycle is necessary for, but they aren't bad beginner's fish. In the wild, they live on underwater islands - piles of rock surrounded by open sand bottomed water. If they venture from the cover of their freshwater reef, they get eaten. So back home, space is at a premium, and the species on some 'islands' are very rough about holding on to breeding sites. Other reefs are less competitive, but the fish don't move between them - reefs a few km apart can have different species on them, and Lake Malawi is a rich habitat for the study of evolution as a result.

The relevance of this? While you cycle, go to the library and get a good book on them. They are extremely popular fish and have been for 25 years - the info's out there. They aren't fish you should walk into a store and pick based on their colours, but if you do your research and prep, they are a delight. Yes, they will fight. That's what they like. But if you pick right, most of it will be posing and nothing will get hurt. 

The thing is, they are so territorial, every time you add a new fish you MUST move every decoration or cave, or the new fish can't claim a home. So it can be a good idea to do the fishless cycle, and add your fish all at once. It will challenge your filtration for a couple of days, and it will result in a 3-4 hour brawl as everyone sorts out pecking order, but then the tank will be running and beautiful. 

I had a fairly peaceful mbuna tank with yellow Labidichromis and Iodotropheus sprengerae, the rusty cichlid, for a long time.They rarely fought. I added Melanochromis johanni, and all they ever did was fight. You should do some reading or talking about these fish first...


----------

