General African Cichlid Discussion • First african tank

[cichlidfan16]

So I'm gonna set up my first african tank here in about 2 weeks but can't really decide on what I want to stock, will probably be a 55 but trying to round up a 75. They're are a few fish from different regions that I like and am trying to decide on. I really like the tropheus, mainly dubosi. I like the Calvus as well. I've heard tropheus are hard to keep though. I know malawai are the easiest to keep, I do like a lot of them too, mainly demasoni. I'm not new to cichlids by any means, have been keeping CA/SA for many years but new to africans. So any info or help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.[/i]

[kenko]

Biggest thing to be aware of is dietary requirements. For instance, calvus are predators and tropheus are grazers - and both are 180-degrees apart with needs.

Other things to be aware of are the environmental requirements. For instance, the mbuna (malawi) are rock dwellers and grazers, then you have various shell dwellers, sand dwellers, mud dwellers, open water species (shallow and deep) - so what ever route you choose, the decor and water turbulence should suit the type of fish to allow you to see the behaviors that make each unique. (Just like the differences between the American cichlids.)

At least water requirements are very similar between the rift lakes, but personalities do vary.